Cormac Mccarthy's Journey In The Road

John’s Journey The main character in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is John Grady Cole, a sixteen year-old runaway cowboy. John Grady is not the typical teenager of the time period of the novel which happens to be nineteen forty-nine. John Grady sees himself as a cowboy who does not need unnecessary technology like cars when you have horses. The world is modernizing and, cowboys are gradually disappearing. John Grady feels out of place at the beginning of the novel because he does not understand why the world is changing nor is he willing to accept the change. The relationship between John Grady and his parents (especially his mother) only furthermore illustrates John Grady’s desire to run away to a new and mysterious land. John Grady did not …show more content…
The boys are traveling on horseback at a time when cars are pretty common. This is another example of how John Grady and Rawlins are unwilling to give up the dying past. At the start of their journey, the boys are having a fairly decent time. In a way it just seems as if they are two buddies on a laid back trip. In order to get to Mexico from Texas the boys have to cross the Rio Grande. McCarthy writes, “They crossed the river under a white quartermoon naked and pale and thin atop their horses” (McCarthy 45). The passage of the Rio Grande into Mexico is a decisive structural tool and symbol in the story. When the get to Mexico this is where they enter the realm of the novel in which all the conflicts take place. The boys’ passage of the river naked is symbolic for the cleansing of their souls as well as a new beginning in a new setting. Then they come across Blevins, a young boy trying to pass himself off as older accompanied by a beautiful horse. Blevins just so happens to steer the boys off the path of their journey. Foster states, “The real reason for a quest is always self-knowledge” (Foster 3). The journey brings out the true nature of the boys and gives insight into both of their