Brandon
Family & Marriage
11/26/13
The Road
By
Cormac McCarthy The Road, written by Cormac McCarthy is a book that describes the journey south taken by a young boy and his father after an unnamed catastrophe has struck the world. The Father and Boy stay unnamed throughout the whole novel as they travel through the rough terrain of the southeastern United States. The conditions along the journey were horrid, nothing but rotted corpses, landscapes devastated by fire, abandoned towns and houses. The father and his son struggle to survive in the harsh weather with little food, supplies, and shelter. Despite their hardships, the father and the child remain determined to survive, reassuring their selves that they do not seek trouble or to harm people. The Son especially has consistently through out the book been extra giving in trying to help the remains of living humans they encounter. Unfortunately, the father's health worsens as they travel, and by the time they reach the ocean, he is near death. The father has put his life in jeopardy multiple times through out the book to protect his son with in the dangers of the world they are living in. The father’s health is becoming a precaution, He continually coughs up blood, and the two are forced to move at ever slowing rates each day. As the conditions worsen, the father’s health worsens and the boy is faced to grow up and display the teachings of wisdom the father had brought upon him. The Novel had many major key points and themes throughout the story. The father and son role-played the biggest part of the book. Here was a father who all he has is his son and he does whatever he can to protect and raise his son. Growing up in a world where catastrophe hits is a hard thing to do. The human eye sees certain things that a normal person wouldn’t even experience. The father and son were still a family and as a father he had to show his son to not be afraid.
Trust was another key factor in this novel, particularly with regard to the man's relationship with his son. On the surface, this theme is expressed through the conflicts between the father and son with all the other people they encounter on the road. For example, the man who draws a knife on the boy initially attempts to coax the father into joining his group at their truck. The father rightly does not trust this man from the start, then the man attempts to harm the boy only seconds later. The boy being a boy doesn’t quite understand who and what to trust. The father preaches and preaches that in this point in time, the only people you need to look out for is us. This regards to the wisdom and teachings the father tries to imply to his son.
Love being an overall picture on this novel was dominantly displayed throughout the whole book. To him the boy was all that stood between him and death. In other words, the man's thirst for survival is fueled by the love for his son. While the man may expect his own death, he lives in order to seek life for the boy. The man's love for his son does drive him to ensure his son's survival. The man frequently demonstrates the strength of this love, most obviously in his unflinching decision to shoot and kill the man who threatens the boy's life.
This book has definitely left a good effect on my views with my own father. My father and I have always had a strong connection. He use to coach me through athletics pretty much until going into my teenage years. In my teenage