Symbolism The Road

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In Cormac McCarthry’s novel The Road, the man, who believes God has entrusted him to protect the boy from the evils and dangers of the world, is in a constant struggle between life and death. McCarthy depicts the man as a hardy character with a sensitive side towards his son. The man, struggling to survive for the sake of the boy, is ruthless, suffering, and protective. If he is pushed to his limit, the man can be ruthlessly violent. For instance, he and the boy were hiding behind an embankment from the roadagents. One of the men, who needed to use the bathroom, came upon them. The man aimed his pistols to fire at him, but the roadagent quickly moved and “grabbed the boy” and “came up holding him against the chest with the knife at his …show more content…
In a world with no hope, the man endures the journey’s adversities to grant his son a chance to live his life. The son is his source of hope, which strengthens the man to continue. The man loves and comforts his son to his dying breath.
In Cormac McCarthry’s novel The Road, the man, who believes God has entrusted him to protect the boy from the evils and dangers of the world, is in a constant struggle between life and death. McCarthy depicts the man as a hardy character with a sensitive side towards his son. The man, struggling to survive for the sake of the boy, is ruthless, suffering, and protective. If he is pushed to his limit, the man can be ruthlessly violent. For instance, he and the boy were hiding behind an embankment from the roadagents. One of the men, who needed to use the bathroom, came upon them. The man aimed his pistols to fire at him, but the roadagent quickly moved and “grabbed the boy” and “came up holding him against the chest with the knife at his throat” (66). The man offered to let the bad man go free if he lets the boy go. The man threatened him, saying, “You think I wont kill you but you’re wrong” (65). The roadagent refused to free the boy; and the man shot him in the head, covering the boy with the man’s gore. To protect his son, the man is willing to go to a great degree even killing …show more content…
He believes the boy is his “warrant” (3) and sees the connection between him and his son as sacred. For example, the man and the boy hid in the woods from the cannabis heading towards them. Faced with a dilemma to either end the boy’s life to save him from potential suffering or give him a chance to live his life in a dim world, the man planned “to try and lead them away” (113); and if the boy was caught, he told the boy to “put [the gun] in your mouth and point it up. Do it quick and hard” (113). The man makes great sacrifices to increase the boy’s chance of survival.
In The Road McCarthy describes the man’s challenging endeavor to protect his son. In a world with no hope, the man endures the journey’s adversities to grant his son a chance to live his life. The son is his source of hope, which strengthens the man to continue. The man loves and comforts his son to his dying

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