The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a story of a father and his son and their journey through the desolate wasteland of what we assume to be America. We follow their story in this extinct Earth of a land filled of grim outcomes, ashen landscapes, and the devoid of living animals and vegetation. The father and son are presented as the “good guys” who carry the fire. Most of their human encounters are survivors who have turned to cannibalism and scavengers who are only concerned with their self-interest at whatever cost. Their only choice is to turn south as another winter will have grave consequences. With this in mind, they begin their journey battling attacks from passerbys, exposure to the inclement landscape and starvation.
The physical manifestation of their travels directly relates to the our theme on journey but what intrigues me the most throughout this novel is the transformation of the man and boy’s characters. The father has been entrusted by God to …show more content…
This parental nature is established in the boy as he begins to display care and responsibility not only for his own father but for the people and the world around him. We expect for the boy to be naive and vulnerable but he develops a caregiving character when he finds his father ill. McCarthy continues to assert the boy’s maturity and transformation as the boy parallels the same responsibility his father possesses. As much as the father maintains a positive outlook and hope for the boy, a picture of pessimism is displayed in contrast to the boy’s newly found optimism. The man calls it upon himself to be the ultimate protector but slowly falls out of his role. Regardless of the dangers, struggles and challenges, the son insists that something good will happen eventually, whatever it may be. The boy’s youthful spirit becomes more prevalent as their journey unfolds. This is most notable shown when the son asks his papa if they are still the “good
The physical manifestation of their travels directly relates to the our theme on journey but what intrigues me the most throughout this novel is the transformation of the man and boy’s characters. The father has been entrusted by God to …show more content…
This parental nature is established in the boy as he begins to display care and responsibility not only for his own father but for the people and the world around him. We expect for the boy to be naive and vulnerable but he develops a caregiving character when he finds his father ill. McCarthy continues to assert the boy’s maturity and transformation as the boy parallels the same responsibility his father possesses. As much as the father maintains a positive outlook and hope for the boy, a picture of pessimism is displayed in contrast to the boy’s newly found optimism. The man calls it upon himself to be the ultimate protector but slowly falls out of his role. Regardless of the dangers, struggles and challenges, the son insists that something good will happen eventually, whatever it may be. The boy’s youthful spirit becomes more prevalent as their journey unfolds. This is most notable shown when the son asks his papa if they are still the “good