Complex Character In The Road

With the stories written these days, it is hard to tell who a complex character is because the stories in itself are so complex. A complex or dynamic character is a character in a story who changes. Some change throughout the course of the story, while other character change continuously. In order to create a complex character, an author must use contradiction. Contradiction between how the character feels and their actions. The character may appear a certain way, but may act opposite. In the novel The Road by Cormac McCarthy, the protagonist is the complex character. Although his name is not known, a reader can determine how he is so complex.

The dynamic character in the novel is a father. He endures many hardships just being a father, but in addition, the father and his son live in a dystopian United States. Because of this, the father struggles with surviving not only for his son, but for himself. The father constantly changes from being the “survivor” and the father. The survivor in

him tells him to do whatever he can to keep his son and himself alive. This seems like it would be a fatherly thing to do; however, the survivor would be willing to kill his son if it meant that the situation would be worse if they continued to live. The survivor is also more rational than the father. The survivor learns to stay away from unfamiliar people and will find his son food, water, and shelter. If they cannot find these basic needs, the survivor also teaches his son how to adapt without it for certain durations. The fatherly part of the character is also complex.
The father has times in which he acts as a stereotypical father figure. He tells his son stories, will give his son most of the food, and will shelter his son from the horrible truths about their future. Nonetheless, not every father can be perfect. The father struggles with depression and will enter states in which he gives up the will to live. The father becomes more realistic in this way because in reality most people would consider that option. When the father and son visit the father’s childhood home, the father recalls so many memories that it makes him wonder in death would be a better option rather than living a life that does not compare to the one he had before the United States changed. This also shows how realistic he as a character. The author creates an exceedingly complex and interesting character, but what is interesting is why it was him and not the son.
The author chose the father specifically to be the complex character because a father would be more knowledgeable. The father is more likely to comprehend what has happened to the destroyed world he knew, and more importantly, how to adapt to it. The father has also had more experience with him being older. The author can record his experiences in the father’s life before the United States was destroyed and can show how he has changed since. The boy cannot be used as a complex character because he is often kept from knowing every detail. In the son’s case ignorance is somewhat bliss. He knows they are and will be facing struggle, but the boy has nothing to compare his tragic life to because he never had a “normal life”. The father encounters more struggles which makes him more intriguing. The father and son’s struggle in some ways can be applicable to people’s everyday life.
First, parents can relate to the story.

Whether they are single parents or not, parents struggle with providing for their kids as well as themselves. If parents do not work, they do not get paid, and therefore cannot afford food. Also the parents must teach their kids to be independent. If the father does not work to keep himself alive, the son will have to face the world alone and may not have the skills his father had. For the younger readers, they can relate to being the son. When people are younger, their parents are reluctant to tell them the truth about lots of things. They can be scary things or just too hard to comprehend at a young age. Eventually, kids grow up and they want to know what parents have been refusing to tell them all this time. The boy does so and asks many questions. The father does give in and is honest, to some extent, about their situation. Although today the United States has not been completely destroyed, there will always be struggles within

families.
A father is the complex character living in a dystopian society. He suffers with personal issues as well as exterior conflicts. Some may say he was crazy and should not have survived. But it was the close and affectionate relationship that the father had with his son that maintained his sanity and sustained his love for his son. The father shows readers how every parent cannot be perfect. Although, the good ones will do anything to keep their children from harm, yet teach them independence.