The Father And Son In Cormac Mccarthy's The Road

1698 Words4 Pages

To have a world striped of its cleanliness, and parched from the likes of good is the clear definition of The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Taken on a journey through the life of a father and his child in a world which has become corrupt after the eruption of the Yellowstone volcano. On this journey the father and child are faced with numerous tasks involving other people (person vs person), themselves (person vs self), and the thought of god (person vs supernatural). Due to having a limited connection between other people the father and son start to become close, but never to the point of being truly the same. The world around the father and son has not become better with time, but has become worse, to the point of cannibalism being the norm, and …show more content…

The world has died, but been reborn in the father's love for his child. This is the ultimate sacrifice of the father as he accepts the rebirth of his own world just as he has to accept his own re-death. Though he dies by the side of his boy, he is not certain the boy will not be picked up and eaten or raped, which truly is the death for the father, not being able to keep his boy safe. The father worries to himself “But who will find him if he’s lost? Who will find the little boy?” (McCarthy 281) as he lies by his son knowing his own demise is immanent. Truly caring for nothing but the safety of his son the father parishes into the black abyss not knowing how his boy will fair in the world he left behind. The father gave his boy everything, his life, his love, and his memory, but does not know how his boy will be able to survive through the wasteland. This is what makes the father a hero, not just doing what is best for everyone, but doing what is best for the one he cares for, and loves. As the father and son always mention carrying the fire, it is left to the boy to carry it for not just his father and himself, but for the good of humanity. After his father has passed the boy is picked up by a stranger, not sure whether or not he should trust him the boy holds onto his gun. Once the boy realizes this stranger has had many opportunities to kill him but has …show more content…

I don’t feel that the father got what he deserved but that seems to be the story of life.The father is made so relatable by his actions towards his young and innocent boy who has not seen the world for what it is, as any child no matter the situation seems to be. The loss of innocence in the boy is truly the saddest part of the novel in my opinion, as it not only conveys the death of the world, but the inability for a rebirth of humanity. Ultimately the boy survives and joins a group of survivors, but we do not know as the readers whether or not the camp is actually safe, or is place of war between a neighbouring community. Endless outcomes is what the novel ends in, meaning that only do we not know how the boy will fair.. The boy’s final challenge is to lay his own father to rest and say goodbye forever, but saying goodbye doesn’t mean he will not see his father again, but instead he will likely talk to his father whether it truly be him or his imagination is not what matters, it is that they both live on as people. The boy says “I think I want to say goodbye to him” (McCarthy 285) meaning that he is not certain that saying goodbye is the right thing to be saying but rather, see you again, or goodbye for now. It seems that the boy has not fully let go of the father, but has almost rather expected him to come

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