Imagine a world, where there is no protection from civilisation, no laws. What will we become? We will be savage animals once again. Humans are truly a unique species that differ from any other life form out there. We are the only creatures who change the environment to suit our needs, who have civilisation and who don’t risk our lives to survive. Two texts, The Road and “Children of Men” give an insight into the human experience from civilization. The Road, a post-apocalyptic novel written by Cormac McCarthy focused on the fact that when civilisation is gone, courtesy, respect and trust disappear similarly. “Children of Men”, on the other hand is a science fiction thriller directed by Alfonso Cuaron which highlights that fact that when civilisation is destroyed, faith and hope will also disappear. The Road and “Children of Men” both explore the possible aftermath of losing our civilisation.
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Within The Road, the main characters try to avoid as much human contact as possible. “Help us, they whispered. Please help us… He grabbed the boy. Hurry, he said. Hurry.” This repetition shows the desperation of the people in need of help and also the main characters need to survive. If you were in a similar situation where people were calling for help, you would obviously attempt to help them, but the requirement to survive surpasses morals and manners. The horrific imagery of skulls and bones reminds the audience that death is close and survival is the key. In “He looked at the boy. You won’t shoot,” the dialogue almost resembles an interrogation, aggressively attacking the victim, showing that not even a proper conversation can be held without threats and fear. From these examples, McCarthy demonstrates that respect and manners, a basic behaviour that defines us will be overridden by an animalistic survival
Within The Road, the main characters try to avoid as much human contact as possible. “Help us, they whispered. Please help us… He grabbed the boy. Hurry, he said. Hurry.” This repetition shows the desperation of the people in need of help and also the main characters need to survive. If you were in a similar situation where people were calling for help, you would obviously attempt to help them, but the requirement to survive surpasses morals and manners. The horrific imagery of skulls and bones reminds the audience that death is close and survival is the key. In “He looked at the boy. You won’t shoot,” the dialogue almost resembles an interrogation, aggressively attacking the victim, showing that not even a proper conversation can be held without threats and fear. From these examples, McCarthy demonstrates that respect and manners, a basic behaviour that defines us will be overridden by an animalistic survival