Cormac Mccarthy The Road Analysis

Reader Response

As a reader, I appreciate Cormac McCarthy's writing style in The Road, and believe it influences the way readers perceive the characters and the post-apocalyptic nature of the setting. McCarthy's writing produces a “dreamy feel”, which reminds me of older black and white films. The staccato movements which dominated cinema screens in the earlier half of the 20th century, produced an effect usually associated with dream sequences. Also, older films were characteristically black and white, while The Road's landscape is covered with an ashy grey. Overall, the writing produces a strong disorienting effect which correlates to the protagonists who have also lost everything anchoring them to the past. Beyond the effect produced on

the reader, McCarthy's style reveals the depravity of the post-apocalyptic landscape.
The lack of punctuation and improper structure contribute to the concise flow of the narrative. As I read the novel, I came to appreciate McCarthy's technique. I believe it does justice in describing the landscape of the post-apocalyptic world. The author routinely shifts between two styles of writing. The first includes strategic diction and vivid imagery in order to recreate the scenes of the novel within the reader's mind. However, during dialogues he uses minimal punctuation and simple syntax. The latter style has a powerful simplicity to it, which captures one's attention. His lack of punctuation can be noted throughout the novel, particularly in conversations. When the boy becomes upset when they are unable to help another traveller on the road, the father explains,
“There's nothing we could have done.
He didn't answer. He's going to die. We cant share what we have or we'll die too.
I know.
So when are you going to talk to me again?
I'm talking now.
Are you sure?
Yes.
Okay.
Okay.” (52)
In this passage, I immediately noticed how the lack of punctuation and improper grammar jump out at the reader. McCarthy uses simple diction and strays from complex sentence structure, which contributes to the factual, solemn tone. However most poignant is the way the writing reveals the depravity of the landscape. In the narrative, the characters must suffer adversity and are stripped of any luxuries until they are only carrying their essentials. Similarly, McCarthy uses only the fundamentals of literature. For example, he leaves the dialogues bone-stripped and syntax streamlined so the style may reflect the characters' depravity. Furthermore, McCarthy's writing mirrors the barren setting of the novel. By leaving out important structural elements, McCarthy allows the appearance of the text to speak for itself. The emptiness of the pages, lacking in punctuation, match the desolate nature of the landscape. Thus, in a literal sense, McCarthy's bare writing allows readers to visualize the bleakness of the post-apocalyptic landscape. Lastly, McCarthy's style depicts the hopelessness and futility of wasted labour. As the characters are under a great deal of physical and emotional stress they must save their energy for what is really important. Thus, punctuation and proper structure are not wasted where it is not necessary. The post-apocalyptic nature of the period leads the father and son to a time where formality is not needed. Instead survival is what pervades the minds of the protagonists, so they put all their strength and effort in sustaining life.
McCarthy does not assign names to the main characters in order to reinforce the relationship between the father and son, and make the narrative more relatable to readers. By not using names, McCarthy is able to focus the reader's attention on the relationship between the characters as opposed to each character individually. He achieves this by referring to the lead characters by their roles. The father is often referred to as 'the man' and the child as 'the boy' or similar variations. I noted many instances when the McCarthy used these descriptions in an effort to emphasize the nature of their relationship. At one point, as a reassuring measure “[The father] carved the boy a flute from a piece of roadside cane and took it from his coat and gave it to him. The boy took it wordlessly. After a while he fell back and after a while the man could hear his playing” (77). Notably, McCarthy emphasizes the role of the father, or 'the man', in gifting a toy to the child, and 'the boy' in enjoying the joys of the gift. Such a relationship is universal and not bound to any concepts of time. The father-son construct is reinforced many times, and serves to emphasize the relationship between the two characters. Also, by not giving names to characters, McCarthy makes the narrative more relatable. Since names are generally used to differentiate ourselves from others, unnamed characters allow the reader to imagine themselves in the same scenarios the characters find themselves. I was instantly drawn by this tactic as it allows readers become completely submerged in the struggle of the post-apocalyptic world. Thus, McCarthy's disuse of names reinforces the father-son dynamic and makes the text more relatable for readers.
McCarthy's use of literary devices, including diction, and allusion contribute to his phonetic and descriptive writing style.

In my opinion, McCarthy is a gifted author and is able to pen scenes though a particularly descriptive lens. I often found myself admiring his method of constructing sentences. A scene I found particularly enthralling is a description of the boy, “The man thought he seemed some sad and solitary changeling child announcing the arrival of a travelling spectacle in shire and village who does not know that behind him the players have all been carried off by wolves” (78). The passage clearly demonstrates McCarthy's ability to create phonically beautiful scenes by using particular diction and syntax. He uses connotative, poetic diction such as 'shire' and 'changeling' to describe nouns. In such instances, I thought McCarthy was pushing readers to examine the natural beauty behind folklore. Despite the creative language, McCarthy's syntax remains relatively simple, as he recounts a thoughtful image. Furthermore, McCarthy alludes to the the mythical pied-piper who lures his followers with his instrument. However, in this case the boy is unaware of the damage left in his wake, as he simply plays for the sake of the art. McCarthy methodically points out that the boy's naivety prevents him fully understanding the horrors which surround him. Allusion is yet another one of McCarthy's tools, along with diction, used to convey a splendid image within the reader's mind. In conclusion, McCarthy's writing style contributes to the readers' perception of the characters and the post-apocalyptic setting. He uses various tools and literary devices to develop a well-written, descriptive narrative, effectively revealing the depravity of the

backdrop.