Cormac Mccarthy The Road Analysis

Progression of the Plot Through Conflict in The Road In Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, the pervasive and inescapable threats present within the protagonist’s environment establishes an external conflict – man versus nature – and further contributes to the overall plot of surviving the eradication of species and most civilization through emphasizing the loss of accustomed conveniences. The unnamed man and his son face various challenges; primarily starvation, retaining warmth, irregular weather, and nearby cannibals. Ultimately, these apocalyptic events test the protagonist physically and emotionally, leading to doubts of surviving against the dystopia’s difficulties. Due to the blankets of ash covering the environment, the man’s personal health is soon …show more content…
Are you there?” (McCarthy 11). The presence of vast amounts of ash greatly contributes to the progression of the plot through affecting the characters’ sight and health, yet the cold weather and thunderstorms also create a significant impact by creating additional complications for the man and his son, making surviving much more difficult. Since the pair do not have permanent shelter, the weather complicates things to a much larger extent and forces them into moving south to hopefully encounter improved conditions. All they may utilize for shelter is a plastic tarp which must be physically held around them, providing no protection from dangerously low temperatures and only little resistance from incoming rain, leaving them “Shivering, the two of them side by side under the sheet of plastic” (McCarthy 94). Obtaining food is also very rare due to the scarce amount available as a result of human impact on the environment; the supposed event of a nuclear explosion hinted at through the scorched landscape and irregular weather patterns. Consumption of any food is not frequent and usually consists of foul foods which are commonly eaten cold due to lack of a heating