Father and Son in The Road and The Pursuit of Happyness

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English ISU Essay Draft

The relationship between a father and his son can be articulated as without a doubt the most significant relationship that a man can have throughout the duration of his life. To a further extent the relationship between a father and a son can be more than just a simple companionship. Just like a clown fish and a sea anemone, both father and son will rely on each other in order to survive the struggles of their everyday lives. Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and Gabriele Muccino’s The Pursuit of Happyness both depict a story between a father and son using each other as a means of survival when faced with adversity. When placed in a tough situation father and son must create a symbiotic relationship in order to survive. Upon the duo of father and son can creating a symbiotic relationship, it will result in a mutual dependency on each other. This theme of paternal love is omnipresent given the bond between the two characters.

At first the relationship between a father and his son can be perceived as a simple companionship. However, this bond can potentially evolve into more of a dynamic fitting relationship. In The Road The Man and his son have to depend on one another because they each hold a piece of each other. The Man holds his sons sense of adulthood while the son posses his father’s innocence. This reliance between the father and son create a relationship where they need each other in order to stay alive. “The boy was all that stood between him and death.” (McCarthy 29) It is evident that without a reason to live, in this case his son, The Man has no motivation to continue living his life. It essentially proves how the boy needs his father to love and protect him, while the father needs the boy to fuel ...

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...e to seek to find something in their lives to keep them alive. Having someone to depend on is necessary for an individual to succeed in life. They provide each other with motivation, love, and simply the will to live. In a world where everyone is only out for themselves, it is important to establish a symbiotic relationship with a loved one in order to survive. External threats will always exist in the society we live in, however it is up to an individual to grasp some sort of motive to make life worth living for.

Works Cited

McCarthy, Cormac. The Road. New York: Random House, 2006. Print

Muccino, Gabriele. The Pursuit of Happyness. USA: Sony Pictures [United States], 2006. Movie

Bibliography of Secondary Sources

Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: Penguin Plays, 1949. Play

Word Alive, The. Life Cycles. California: Fearless Records, 2012. Song

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