Cormac Mccarthy Lessons From The Road

The Road is a book written by Cormac McCarthy which he based off of his own son, and what the earth would be like years from now. The book begins with only two main characters the son and the father. The book is set in a post-apocalyptic time frame were the earth was destroyed and all that lay is dust and ash. All around them they encounter dead organisms, burnt corpse, no food and burned down or destroyed buildings and homes. Each day that goes by they have to avoid encountering any other humans, because people started to become cannibals. Throughout the book the father and son push are pushing s shopping cart filled with blankets, food, a light, and all there necessities. They choose to travel alongside the road with a mirror attached to

cart so that they are able to see if anyone comes upon them. The mother of the boy was pregnant during the time of apocalypse, while the father helped conceive his son. Later in the book it is found out that she had committed suicide because she didn't want to live the struggle they were living anymore. In the beginning of the book we are not told were they are specifically but the decide to go to the south to avoid any more snow. They carry with them a revolver that only carries two rounds. The father has sworn to himself that if the time comes and someone finds them that he would shoot his son so that he wouldn't be tortured, though as time goes on he is not sure if he would be able to. After they are attacked by a man and his friends they become starved and are about to give up until they find a underground den filled with food, clothes, hardware, and other things. When the dad and the son make it to the sea, they find a boat filled with all kinds of things but the soon abandon it to keep moving. Along the way the father and the son get sick and while the little boy recovers the father does not. When the father dies and tells his son that he will speak to him in his prayers. Some days pass and the son stays with his father until he is approached by a man and woman who say they have another boy and girl with them.
 While reading The Road I picked up on many lessons that could be learned.

One of the lessons and the themes of the book is that no matter what there will be something unexpected that could happen, but we just have to learn how to adapt to it and survive. Many people in life are faced with challenges, and it's up to them if they choose to go with it or fix it. while the father and the son were on the road they started off as a family but the mother could not take the starvation, and the struggle to survive so she decided to give up. On the road they encountered many people who resorted to becoming cannibals and doing malicious things so that they could live. I learned that people will do whatever it takes for them to survive or get ahead in life even when they know that what they are doing isn't right. From the begging all the way to the end it was evident that the theme of hope was included in the book. While they are traveling they encounter many people and the son is the one that keeps his father from becoming belligerent and doing things that he knows isn't necessary. When they see that someone had taken there things and left, they tracked them down to get the stuff back. When they found the man the father wanted to take all of the mans clothiers that he had on but the son made him give them back. While on the road they also met Ely and they gave him something to eat and held conversation with him. When it was time to go they gave a portion of food to him even when the

father didn't want to. When they helped Ely it went to show that although we do acts of kindness even when they are not rewarded that doesn't mean that they aren't good deeds anyways.
The Father who is called papa by his son travels the road so that they can reach the south. The man believes that he was chosen by God to take care of the boy. The man is the exact opposite of his son. Where is son is candid, loving, and caring the dad is hostile, driven and focused on saving his son. While they are on the road the son whishes that they would stop and help the people they encounter. The dad starts off in the book with a bad cough that leaves blood in its wake. Though as time pushes on his condition continues to get worse. When the father gets shot with a arrow he and the son become sick and not much time passes before the father dies.
The Son was born into the post-apocalyptic world by his own fathers hands. He is around the age of nine or twelve he is callow and naive. The little boy has not seen any of the earth before the disaster happened. When him and his father stumble upon a store they find a old soda machine that was knocked over. The man finds a coca-cola that was still stashed into it and he hands it to his son because he knows that it would be his last one. Throughout the story the boys emotions gets tested because he doesn't want to be a bad guy and he always wants to help someone they find along the way. The son keeps experiencing bad dreams and his dad tells him that bad dreams are good because it shows that you haven't given up. After all the things that happen to him he still seems to keep his innocence and his faith in all things good.
The realism of this book is very questionable because of the ending of the book.

I really enjoyed reading The Road because it is way different from what I am used to reading. However the post-apcolatic plot of the story was unbelievable because if the world were to end at anytime it would be for reasons like global warming. The bond between father and son is what brought this whole book together. The only thing the father strived for and the only thing that was relevant to him was to keep his son alive. The father son bond and the hope of surviving through rough times in life is what makes this book all the more realistic. While they were on their journey to the coast they encountered many things and when it came down to it he would rather risk his own life then his sons. The part where they came upon a small body of water and the father was teaching the son how to float and swim in water was the best part of the book. This book relates to our history because many people believed that when the world would end there would be no one left and we would all just disappear into the space. When they finally do reach the destination the father passes away leaving his son by himself until a "family" finds him. throughout the book the father was contemplating on if he would be able to kill his son so that he won't be left to be tortured. Though he wasn't able to make the decision because he left him were anything could have happened to him. That's what makes the book realistic to me,

because if it came down to it I don't think I would be able to kill my child.