Father And Son Theme

Given the barbaric post-apocalyptic setting, a heartwarming bond between a father and son is a story the reader would least expect. The isolation in the barren dystopia makes the bond between the man and the son even more genuine and rare. McCarthy uses these characters to complete the novel as a whole. He uses them to develop the novel and reveal major themes. As these two journey to the south there are many obstacles but they remain devoted to each other and they work together to carry the fire. In the midst of strife these two rely on each other to stay alive and along their journey they learn lessons of love, sacrifice, and morality.

In the beginning of the novel it is evident to the reader that the man worries for the boy. Their relationship

is unclear until McCarthy uses a flashback from the man to mark the beginning of their relationship. McCarthy uses the character of the man to reveal the theme of parental love. In the flashback the man remembers delivering the baby himself which creates an innate relationship between the man and the boy. The wife indicates before her suicide that the boy was the only thing that stood between the man and death. In other words, man is near death but he carries out his life for the boy and lives for the boy. Rather than “saving” himself or the boy like his wife suggested, the man is determined to help the boy live instead of ending his life prematurely. While the man generally shows his love through big actions, McCarthy shows the man is loving father figure to the boy. The man and the boy have heartwarming father son memories that are contrasted to the bleak surroundings. The man lets the boy have a sip of Coca-Cola so the boy will have a good memory to remember and he also teaches the boy how to swim which is another good memory for the boy. Although there are a few good memories during this long journey, there are also many sacrifices that the man and the boy make for each other.
It is clear that the man would sacrifice anything to make sure the boy is kept from harm, but what is surprising is that the man would go as far as killing the boy to save him from being tortured by the “bad guys”. Rather than end his own life with the last bullet in the gun, the man saves it for the boy if the situation comes to it. He sacrifices an easy escape for a long strenuous journey just so the boy can have a better future down south. The man puts the boys needs before his own throughout the entire journey. Whether is giving the boy more food or more blankets for warm, the man is continually sacrificing his needs for the boy. Since the man is continually looking out for the boy, he often enters risky situations to gather more supplies for survival and sometimes they encounter people that pose to be a threat to the boy’s safety which make cause the man to harm others.
Throughout the novel the boy asks the man if they are “good guys” or “bad guys”.

There is a clear definitive line between the two according to the boy. The “good guys” are those who do not kill and eat other people for survival. They represent goodness and perseverance in this cold world and they are what the man and the boy strive to be. Because the man can be steadfast when it comes to keeping the boy safe, his morality can be tested so McCarthy uses the boy to develop the theme of morality. The boy’s innocence is authentic and he often questions why his father harms others for survival. He pleads with his father to spare and even help a thief towards the middle of the novel. The boy believes that the “good guys” should perpetually do good and he reminds his father of this on many occasions but boy learns that a person’s actions alone do not define someone as a “good guy” or “bad guy”.

The Road is a story of suffering and hardship, but underlying this is a tender story between a man and a boy. Their journey reveals universal themes that are pertinent to all parents and children. While the setting may not be the same to current day, the themes of love, sacrifice, and morality all hold true. The man and the boy are an exemplary example of a strong relationship and all parental figures and children should strive to follow their

example.