Cormac Mccarthy The Road Essay

750 Words2 Pages

In the post-apocalyptic novel, The Road, author Cormac McCarthy narrates the life of a man and his son who wearily travel across the “barren, silent, godless” and seemingly never-ending road after an unknown event wipes out the Earth's civilization. As they travel through the desolate land, they constantly brave armed marauders, merciless cannibals, intractable starvation, and other hellish conditions. As they continue on their treacherous journey, the man falls victim to a devastating disease, leaving him and the boy struggling more than ever while traveling the road. Through many of the man’s actions and words in his novel, McCarthy reveals the unfathomable struggles the man faces, further illustrating the theme that parents will do everything …show more content…

As the duo hides, “partly screened by the ruins of [a] privet”(111), the boy then asks the man, “Are they going to kill us?”(112). The man is hesitant to reply, not wanting to scare the boy. As the cannibals approach closer, the man “[takes] the boy’s hand and [pushes] the revolver into it”(112), instructing the boy that when the relentless cannibals find him, he is to “put it in [his] mouth and point it up”(113). With this interaction, McCarthy demonstrates the father’s concern for his son should he not be there to protect him; Scared and ready to face the gripping claws of death, he still considers how he can help his son avoid suffering. McCarthy also presented the man’s readiness to save his son. By giving the revolver away, he risks the cannibals finding him unarmed and defenseless, with no choice but to endure the consequences by himself. As he protects his son, he prepares to face the dangers alone. Through the man's decision to prioritize his son's survival over his own, McCarthy demonstrates the message that a parent will sacrifice themselves to keep their children safe and protected from

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