Survival Instinct Vs. Morality

In a world where weather conditions, food supply, shelter, threaten human survival what happens to morality? One of the most prevailing themes in the Road is the concept of survival Instinct vs. Morality. It is human nature for our natural instinct to be surviving so biologically speaking, it makes sense that all efforts would be geared towards surviving and that we, as the human race, would put our survival over moral. The belief that survival would override morale is shown throughout the novel during the adventure with the father and boy. The father and boy’s main journey in the book is to survive in hope of bringing back morality to the world as it once existed. All the way to the end of the father and son 's journey they are left “carrying the fire. The reason the father and son, …show more content…
At this point in their journey the dad’s actions do not seem right at all. He is practically killing the man by leaving him naked with nothing. Yet again, the son is able to persuade the dad to go put the mans clothes back where he had taken them so the man could get them back. This is near the end of the dad’s journey, which is why he may be showing little remorse. He has lost the majority of his hope for good in the world, but his son assures him it is there. “Carrying the fire” becomes the father and son’s goal as they progress through their journey and fight for survival. At the end of the father’s life the son asks him about the fire and that he does not where it is and the father responds, “yes you do. It’s inside you. It was always there. I can see it.” (279) The fire is the son’s moral. The dad has made a conscious effort to teach his sons the morals he wants the son to carry on to the future. Carrying the fire becomes the dad 's goal is to instill these morals in his son before his death. He knows his death is going to come soon so he wants to leave his son with all the good quality’s he can for the future