Is it crazy to think that there is any hope in such a catastrophic world where there might be no tomorrow? In The Road by Cormac McCarthy, a father and son fight for their lives to survive a dying world. A world full of empty promises of a tomorrow, dying people at every turn, and struggling to keep away from people who might try to hurt them. The father does everything he can to protect his son, even if it means losing the compassion his son has towards those who they cross path with. This story is optimistic because the Father's faith in his son keeps him going, the son's innocence and humility shows hope of humanity still remaining on earth, and although there is many horrible things occuring, a glimpse of happiness is portrayed even if …show more content…
it's just a small moment for the father and son. This story told through the eyes of a father and son is not pessimistic because we see in this caring relationship that there is hope within us and our loved ones even if the world is dying. First of all, the Father's faith in his son gives us an optimistic view of this story.
All throughout the story , the Father mentions the boy in such a positive way to keep going. For example, the Father was looking into his binoculars at the ashy land to see any sight of where to go, he then thinks of his son, "He knew only that the child was his warrant" (5), the father sees his son as his light in this dark place. He is saying that as long as his child is alive, he will be alive as well trying to protect him. That gives a sense of positive vibe because the father will …show more content…
try his everything to keep his son alive and most people at this point would have given up. Another example is when the little boy has a nightmare and the comforts him,"When your dreams are of some world that never was or of some world that never will be and you are happy again then you will have given up. Do you understand? And you cant give up. I wont let you" (189), you can start to see that the boy is slowly giving up but the Father will not let him. This is really important because it show how positive the Father is even if it is said in such a pessimistic way. The third example is when the father is dying, he tells his son to keep going south, "Yes you do. It's inside you. It was always inside there. I can see it" (279), the father encouraged him to keep going even after he had told the little boy that if he died, he would kill him. This is important because it gives hope and courage to keep going for a better tomorrow to his son. The Father had always thought he had it in him to survive. The Father sees this faith in his son when he shows compassion and humility towards others. Secondly, humanity is shown throughout the story with the son as he keeps his innocence and compassion.
For example when they find a old man and the son pleads at his father to help the old man, "I dont he should have anything. What do you want to give him?" (165) , the father clearly could care less about anybody else but them let alone this old man. The lack of compassion for another human being in the father is seen in the son. He is selfless even at times where you need to be selfish in order to survive. Another example of this is when they find a bunker full of food, the son questions whether it's okay to take someone else's food, " We know that you saved it for yourself and if you were here we wouldn’t eat it no matter how hungry we were and we're sorry that you didnt get to eat it...." (146), the boy is starving yet he cares of the people who provided them the food. This is important because the boy
shows something no one in that kind of situation would do. He thought of others first before him and it that sense gives us hope that this story portrays the good side of humanity. The third example of this is when his father dies, he goes with the new people, "He tried to talk to God, but the best thing was to talk to his father..." (286), throughout the whole story the Father is the one who has faith upon his son but in the end, its when we see the son now having faith in his father. This is so important because he wanted to die in the beginning if he's father died, but his father gave him strength to go on. The only negative thing that is portrayed is having his Father ripped apart from him but yet apart from that, he still gets to talk to him daily. Despite the son's characteristics that show the good in humanity, many bad things happen to them as they keep going towards the road. Lastly, the father and son do go through horrible things in this hopeless world. The world around the father and little boy gives off a dreadful, depressive feelings about their outcome yet somehow in their relationship they find hope within themselves to keep going. For example, they are starving and the Father is just hopeless everywhere, "He was beginning to think that death was finally upon them..." (129), he was sure that they would die soon of hunger. He wasn't expecting to find a safe shelter, "he kissed the boy and crawled into the other bunk under the clean blankets and gazed one more time at this tiny paradise trembling in the orange light from the heater and then he fell asleep" (150). This shows optimistic because the father would so sure of death. For once, he could sleep in peace knowing they were safe. Another example of a pessimistic moment is when this man threatens the boy's life, "He dove and grabbed the boy and rolled and came up holding him against his chest with the knife at his throat. " (66), one slit through his throat and it would all be over for the Father. A third example of the negativity of this disastrous place would be each time they encounter dead bodies, " Coming back he found the bones and the skin piled together with rocks over them. A pool of guts" (70-71). Despite the death they seem to come across, they have small moments of happiness. An example of this is when they find the beach and the little boy is so happy to be swimming, "He stood naked, clutching himself and dancing" (218). We rarely see the son radiating happiness like a child is known to do. It gives u optimistic views, because the world is dying around them yet this little boy's childhood still appears. All the gruesome images that the child had to see, you'd expect him to be more cold towards others but his ethics do not change. In conclusion, this story gives us an optimistic view even if the world seems to be a lost cause. The Father faith in son, the son's compassion of others, and the small moments of happiness shows positive emotions towards this story. The father/son point of view that are given shows a optimistic side of this tragedy that happen to the world. Everything else is completely horrendous but as we see this two characters trying to survive gives us a sense of hope. I feel like only a human being can turn such a hopeless place with no possible future into a hopeful present.
He always wants to help someone else in need before himself, whereas the father is only concerned about their own personal wellbeings. He “is the one” who worries about their ethical choices and wants to help a stranger in any way he can (259). McCarthy proves the importance of the boy’s spirit of love for other people when his dad dies and he must take the leap of faith to continue along the road with a new family. Despite all the corrupted people they encountered beforehand, the boy meets someone who is “carrying the fire” (129). This mantra by the father and son, symbolizes hope and humanity. The qualities Steinbeck labels for a writer to create in his writings can be summed up in “carrying the fire” since the two never did give up. It is the greatness of the heart and spirit Steinbeck notes that is “inside [them]. [And] [i]t [is] always there” (279). It is noteworthy that even in the midst of death and ashes, the two are able to hold onto their relationship and sanity. The “good guys” can continue to carry meaning and structure in their lives, even in a time where society turned into a battle to survive on the remnants of
It’s the year 2028, and the world we used to know as bright and beautiful is no longer thriving with light. A disease similar to the plague broke out and caused great havoc. Although it may seem like forever ago, sickness spread only a few years ago. The Road by Cormac McCarthy is about a man and his son who fortunately survived this sickness; although they made it, the struggle to keep going is tough. Before most of the population became deceased, people went insane. They started to bomb houses, burn down businesses and towns, and destroy the environment. Anyone who had the disease was bad blood. Many saw it as the end of the world, which in many cases was true.
He has endured and overcame many fears and struggles, but during this section, we truly acquire an insight of what the little boy is actually like – his thoughts, his opinions, his personality. Contrary to his surroundings, the little boy is vibrant and almost the only lively thing around. I love him! He is awfully appalled by the “bad guys” and shockingly sympathetic toward dead people. For example, when the father raided a house and found food, the little boy suggested that they should thank them because even though they’re dead or gone, without them, the little boy and father would starve. My heart goes out to him because he is enduring things little boys should never go through, even if this novel is just a fictional
Throughout the novel the feelings the man has for his son are sacred; the man makes great sacrifices for his son to continue to live and have a future in a world that has been devastated and stripped of all humanity. The boy is the only source of light for
Although finding food was a struggle for them, the man always put the boy’s health before his. The man made sure the boys thirst and hunger was always gone and that he had food to eat and drinks to drink. “He took the can and sipped it and handed it back. You drink it, he said. Let's just sit here.” (Page 27). In this quote, the man gave the boy the last of the soda but the boy got upset that the man didn’t take any, so the man took a sip and proceeded to give it to the boy. This is important because the father knows that he’s thirsty and could kill for a drink, but he knows that this is the first and last soda the boy would ever get. “He'd found a last half packet of cocoa and he fixed it for the boy and then poured his own cup with hot water and sat blowing at the rim.” (Page 18). This quote shows us too that the man always made sure that the boy got the better part of the deal. The boy got to drink cocoa but the man just drank hot water. The father does this because he got to live through his childhood without this apocalyptic world but the boy only lived a few years that he really doesn’t remember. These quotes show paternal love because they explain how the father always puts the son before him. Through all of the actions the father takes, it shows us how much he really cares about the son, and that his son is his only hope and his fire for
Tom Wolfe's novel The Right Stuff, gives an accurate description into the lives of the first astronauts and rocket-powered aircraft test pilots, from their careers before, during, and after their selection to become astronauts, through to their private home lives. All throughout his book, Wolfe refers to "the right stuff" and "this righteous stuff" without ever saying upfront what "the stuff" really is. I have concluded that throughout the story, "the right stuff" is simply courage. I would personally define courage as: The willingness to put yourself in a potentially dangerous situation. It is never easy to put yourself into a dangerous position, this is because our brain is programmed for survival, but there are ways to better equip our brain so that these situations become less dangerous. A couple of these ways are with our natural instincts and good training.
The painting Light of Hope is a realistic painting of a light house on the coast of an American shore done by contemporary artist Thomas Kinkade. Thomas Kinkade started his career with his first lithograph, and after some time he realized he was inspired to paint not for the money but from his heart. His main goal became glorifying God and spreading His light. Kinkade grew up in Placerville, California and growing up to be a big family man. Often in his paintings he leaves little symbols representing his wife and children. Over the years he has donated his earned money to different charities and is al crediting God for his ability to paint. His purpose as a painter has been and will continue to share of the light of God (Thomaskinkade).
The Road, a post-apocalyptic, survival skills fiction book written by Cormac McCarthy and published in 2006 is part of the Oprah Winfrey book club. During an interview with Oprah, McCarthy answered questions about The Road that he had never been asked before because pervious to the interview he had never been interviewed. Oprah asked what inspired the heart breaking book; it turns out that McCarthy wrote the book after taking a vacation with his son John. While on the vacation he imagined the world fifty years later and seen fire in the distant hills. After the book was finished, McCarthy dedicated it to his son, John. Throughout the book McCarthy included things that he knows he and his son would do and conversations that he thinks they may have had. (Cormac). Some question if the book is worth reading for college course writing classes because of the amount of common writing “rule breaks”. After reading and doing assignments to go along with The Road, I strongly believe that the novel should be required for more college courses such as Writing and Rhetoric II. McCarthy wrote the book in a way to force readers to get out of their comfort zones; the book has a great storyline; so doing the assignments are fairly easy, and embedded in the book are several brilliant survival tactics.
With the son’s fear amongst the possibility of death being near McCarthy focuses deeply in the father’s frustration as well. “If only my heart were stone” are words McCarthy uses this as a way illustrate the emotional worries the characters had. ( McCarthy pg.11). Overall, the journey of isolation affected the boy just as the man both outward and innerly. The boys’ journey through the road made him weak and without a chance of any hope. McCarthy states, “Ever is a long time. But the boy knew what he knew. That ever is no time at all” (McCarthy pg. 28). The years of journey had got the best of both, where they no longer had much expectation for
By gaining a deeper understanding of the story and looking at the language used the message is clear; that a role model such as a father figure does not have to be a biological father to be a father in the heart. It also teaches an important lesson of respecting and listening to elders because they can teach you invaluable lessons. Today people become so dependent on technology that they fail to notice what is about them, even if it is right in front of them.
The hopeful place that they sought out on a long journey to reach was not what they expected or intended to be. The Father dies and leaves the boy, and the boy refused to leave his dad on the ground to die. However, this was out of the boy’s control, and he realized this whenever he met another man who claimed to have a boy and girl and was one of the good guys. The boy realized that he needed to push onward and adapt to the situation, which meant detaching himself from his Father and saying “okay” to the event that occurred. This is where I believe that the boy held true to his innocence. He knew that he would need assistance in order to survive and left his Father to go with another group of people. This further expresses the theme of continuing to search for hope. Hope is the fire that burns within you to keep fighting; hope is the process of searching and working towards an end result or ultimate goal. The feeling of hopelessness can only be sustained when one loses sight of what they believe in and what they are looking to achieve in their life. Overall, the idea of hope is kept alive by knowing that there is always a chance for light at the end of the road, but there are also many roads and long distances that might need to be traversed to get to the end and see what’s on the other side. And when failure arises and what you hoped and longed for was not what you thought
Still, he offers the benefit of the doubt and the chance to live to anyone who may cross their path. At one point, he even gives into his son’s relentless begging and invites one man to have dinner with them. This is a risky step to take in such an “every man for himself” sort of world. The man and the boy call themselves the “good guys.” The man repeatedly references “carrying the torch,” which represents the light and goodness the world still possesses through them. The man spends the entire book risking his life to reach a safer environment for his son and teach him the ways of life. Any human being willing to risk their life for another truly exemplifies
The father’s love for his son drives him to make sure he can ensure the survival of his son. This love for his son is seen when the father threatens to shoot and kill the man who threatens his son’s life. It is said in the book “For this barren wasteland, that they call a vacuum of infinite space, they have each other”. What this means is that they have each other and will do what they can do make sure they survive. In their journey, the Father never kills out of anger or for food. The father’s intentions are to keep his son safe. We see this when father saw “a man drawing a bow on them and he pushed the boy's head down and tried to cover him with his body”. (pg.362) The father uses his body as a human shield to protect the boy from any injury. This shows that he is willing to give up his life in order to protect boy. The Father only goes after the men who attacked his son. Even when the father is just steps away from death, he tells his son “eat my share of food”. Instead of keeping it for himself in hopes of regaining his strength, he offers it all to his son. He does this to insure the survival of the boy. Parents want the best life for their children. The Father proves his son is his everything and proves it by protecting him no matter what the circumstances
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 ...
Perhaps one of the most well-known poems in modern America is a work by Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken. This poem consists of four stanzas that depict the story of the narrator traveling through the woods early in the morning and coming upon a fork in the path, where he milled about for a while before deciding upon one of the two paths, wishing he could take both, but knowing otherwise, seeing himself telling of this experience in the future.