Symbolism In The Crossing By Cormac Mccarthy

In the novel, The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy, there is a great divide between that of nature and that of man. In the beginning, Billy, the protagonist, has a relationship with a wolf that he captured and by the end of the novel Billy seems to relate more to the wolf than any other human in the book. The end of the book leaves Billy alone weeping, as his entire family has been murdered in different events. Although the entire book focuses on the separation between humanity and nature, common symbols that can be related to both groups are the elements. These elements are fire, earth, air, and water. Both the wolf and Billy have connected with these symbolic forces of nature, even though the differences are clear. Humanity is the outcast living …show more content…
This symbolism reflects the ways of both nature and man in terms of how death is dealt with. Throughout this passage, the four elements of nature are introduced: fire, earth, water, and air. These elements represent nature’s role in the life and the death of a creature (animal or human). Fire, the first element introduced, represents the life of all creatures and nature. Anything that can be described as a light is what gives life to all. The sun is a very prominent light energy that is often used to symbolize life. With that being said, the eye of the wolf being absent of light is another way of saying that it is absent of life. Seeing this absence, Billy has the instinctual reaction to close the eye instead of leaving it open as it is. Billy, a reflection of humanity, closes the eye because removing the visual of lifelessness is the first step to closure, a man based concept. The wolf’s eye has not closed itself and the wolf did not rest her own eyes upon death because nature has no concept of closure in the way that humans do. In response to this, Billy closes his own eyes to come to terms with his own grief while finding his own closure. This step of closure is where the corrupt selfishness of man comes in. Closure is not solely a way to properly send off a dead creature, but it is a way to make one feel better about his/herself. Humans tell themselves that a funeral is for the dead, and yet the only ones not at peace are those who remain living. Why would nature not have such a seemingly respectful and meaningful way to send off life? The answer is because the intent is not one hundred percent pure, which nature is. The intent is a fabrication told so that humans trick themselves into feeling righteous when in reality, all humans are selfish. This is true because if all humans were not selfish, then they would act as animals.