Joseph McCarthy

IN A DEAD WORLD, FIRE SURVIVES “Where all was burnt to ash before them no fires were to be had and the nights were long and dark and cold beyond anything they’d yet encountered. Cold to crack the stones. To take your life” (McCarthy 14). Cormac McCarthy writes of an apocalyptic world in The Road. In a world collapsing from an explosion; a man and his son fight to survive with fire on their side. Fire is not only used to give them hope of survival, but also represents their ethics, knowledge…

in existence. In The Road by Cormac McCarthy the two characters, the boy and the man, take a long journey, including a struggle of death versus life shown through the use of symbols to represent both sides of the struggle. One of the heaviest symbols in the novel is McCarthy's use of biblical references in many forms to portray feelings of hope and rebirth/resurrection, while also showing filth and irony in that of the water in the new yet extinct world. McCarthy presents the symbol of water in…

In comparing the works of Harold Bloom and Cormac McCarthy, Giraldi suggests that the writings of Cormac McCarthy strongly differ from the latter, due to the dark nature of the writing. He claims McCarthy is too alienating in his works, and that as a “father of young boys [he] can brook only so much vicarious heartwreck [sic] involving young boys” (Giraldi). The dark themes in…

Some people can and will do what Is least expected just for their own survival. Some people might leave behind people whom are dragging them down. Some people will try to find any possible way survive without losing the ones around them. Survival is key, and people will do anything no matter the cost nor suffrage. In fact, in the book “Night” Eli and his father tried to survive the holocaust, the beatings, and the hunger while trying to stay together for as long as possible. Whenever Eli would…

Throughout the entire novel, “carrying the fire” has been a significant term that is used by the man and the boy. The importance of carrying the fire is referred to as the ‘good guys’, as the man and the boy encounter few people in the novel. However, the boy finds it hard to determine whether they are the good guys who carry the fire or the bad guys. Which is why the man shows his son how to carry the fire with him. Later on, when the father dies, it is up to the boy to continue carrying…

At one point, the boy thinks he sees another little boy, about his age, but when he goes to look, there is no one there. Papa, he said. What? I’m afraid for that little boy. (McCarthy 86) Although it is unclear whether this little boy is real or a hallucination, the boy relates to him, and is concerned for whether or not he has someone to take care of him. The boy shows empathy by feeling for the little boy and wanting to help…

story of “The Road”, by Cormac McCarthy, readers encounter several situations where imagery is a prominent element which helps paint a better overall understand of the setting, plot and characters. Early on in “The Road”, readers are faced with a father and son looking to get to the coast in a post-apocalyptic United States. The two are looking to find a warm area to evade the freezing winters of the North, but must endure several weeks of hardships and horrors. McCarthy states, “He kept the…

priority, McCarthy reveals a repentant and ashamed tone towards the evil deeds humans are essentially forced to do for their own survival. In the novel The Road, author Cormac McCarthy utilized forthright diction and significant details to epitomize an apologetic tone when discussing the loss of innocence through one’s lifetime, proving that despite mankind being innately innocent, greed overpowers and induces humanity to eventually lose their purity. Throughout the entire novel, Cormac McCarthy…

The Apocalyptic Themes importance in the Walking Dead’s “Days Gone By” Themes of apocalyptic nature have been rooted in literature for thousands of years, depicting the end of times, the clash between good and evil, and the victory of God and his followers in the direst of times. The following essay will attempt to examine and demonstrate how the utilization of apocalyptic themes in The Walking Dead, particularly season 1 episode 1 Days Gone By, reveals more about the realities of the…

especially dystopia can help us better understand concepts and ideas of many potentially real world situations and issues. When viewing a text, there are multiple questions being posed towards the viewer relating to them and their context of the text. McCarthy repeatedly reminds us of the desolate post-apocalyptic landscape created by a nuclear incident, and by observing this fictional world we are shown what could become of our own world through the very real threat of a nuclear war posed by…