Every Trip is a Quest: The Road to Self-Knowledge A road leads to a destination. In How To Read Literature like a Professor, Thomas Foster advises “When a character hits the road, we should start to pay attention, just to see if, you know, something’s going on there” (6). Given that Cormac McCarthy titled his novel, The Road, Foster provides a “heads-up” that something special is about to happen. The challenge is to dig beneath the surface, and discover the underlying gem hidden by the author. With Foster’s insight, this task becomes less overwhelming. Understanding the archetypal quest described by Foster allows a deeper comprehension of “the road” which the characters travel upon on their journey to self-knowledge.
Simply, a quester must decide to travel. Foster describes a quester as someone “who goes on a quest, whether or not he knows it’s a quest” (3). McCarthy introduces the characters from the onset: “When he woke . . …show more content…
However, his growth is exemplified when the father discourages the boy from talking to the old man, Ely. The boy ignores this recommendation instead, suggesting “Maybe we could give him something to eat.” The boy recognizes the goodness in the old traveler and wants to share food and the light of the fire with him. Formally, the father, on his deathbed, imparts his knowledge and the responsibility unto the boy as evidenced by “You have to carry the fire . . . It’s inside you. It was always there.” In this moment, the boy assumes his role as a mature, young adult. He achieves self-actualization as his father brings attention to how much growth has resulted within the boy throughout their journey. At the end of the novel, this newfound self-knowledge emerges as the boy confirms with fellow travelers “Are you carrying the fire? . . . Yes” (McCarthy 163, 278-279, 283). Thus, this statement embodies the boy’s full cycle of maturity gained throughout the
Simply, a quester must decide to travel. Foster describes a quester as someone “who goes on a quest, whether or not he knows it’s a quest” (3). McCarthy introduces the characters from the onset: “When he woke . . …show more content…
However, his growth is exemplified when the father discourages the boy from talking to the old man, Ely. The boy ignores this recommendation instead, suggesting “Maybe we could give him something to eat.” The boy recognizes the goodness in the old traveler and wants to share food and the light of the fire with him. Formally, the father, on his deathbed, imparts his knowledge and the responsibility unto the boy as evidenced by “You have to carry the fire . . . It’s inside you. It was always there.” In this moment, the boy assumes his role as a mature, young adult. He achieves self-actualization as his father brings attention to how much growth has resulted within the boy throughout their journey. At the end of the novel, this newfound self-knowledge emerges as the boy confirms with fellow travelers “Are you carrying the fire? . . . Yes” (McCarthy 163, 278-279, 283). Thus, this statement embodies the boy’s full cycle of maturity gained throughout the