An Exile from Ethics The exile of one from a country can be overcome. Other lands can be found, other people to call family, other nations to pledge allegiance to. Humanity is something from which exile is devastating. Not only from humanity in the physical sense, but also a moral and ethical sense. There is no crime for which this would be an appropriate punishment. This is, however, what the boy and the man were forced to live through in The Road. This experience was brought upon them without their consent and they were forced to adapt or die. Seemingly nothing enriching could possibly come from this in comparison to what life was like before the event that led to this post-apocalyptic setting. Nothing, however, is just what was enriching. The pure desolation of the setting and that the boy and the man only had each other for comfort would usually cause more alienation, but quite the opposite occurred. Through their short and curt conversations, a unique connection is created, “It’s really cold. I know. Where are we? Where are we? Yes. I dont know. If we were going to die would you tell me? I dont know. Were not going to die” (McCarthy 94). While this may appear to reveal a shallow relationship that is purely for survival, so …show more content…
Many turned to cannibalism and enslavement, “What the boy had seen was a charred human infant headless and gutted and blackening on the spit” (McCarthy 198). The two had not been alienated from society, rather they were the only ones left of a civilized society, therefore becoming exiles. They did nothing different and, unfortunately, this lack of change is what signed their death warrant. Regardless of how hard they fought for survival, their morals would inevitably hinder them from surviving such an amoral world. The concept of kill or be killed was a reality and there was no guarantee one of them could always pull the
Every author creates some type of conflict to have the reader sitting on the edge of their seats whether the conflict be man versus man, man versus self, or man versus nature. The novel The Road by Cormac McCarthy wrote a story about both a man and a boy who have particularly conflicting characteristics when it comes to decision making. The boy in the story is very optimistic about everything and the man can be pessimistic when either deciding on what to do or when thinking about life or the future. In addition, both characters have different outlooks and personalities that can sometimes collide.
This story represents both physical and emotional alienation as the separation of the younger brother was detrimental to both. In the story it states “For 20 years the little family I left behind wondered if I was alive, where I was and what I was like.” (81) showing that the family was deprived and missed the physical presence of the younger brother. They had no clue on what kind of a person he was and little to no recollection of his existence. The same thing can be said about the younger brother having no recollection of his family as he was taken away from a very young age. It was after twenty years, that the older brother was able to track the younger brother home; however the damage was already done. The older brother became quieter and more refined as he was deprived from a healthy brother relationship as stated by the author “It was hardest on my brother”(81). Also, the younger brother was completely isolated from his true family from an age of four, thus affecting him dearly as the author writes “… we don’t get that much time to visit anymore … brothers who never had the chance to age together” (82). The author also writes “At first it was tentative … we didn’t talk much” (82) showing how the isolation of the younger brother resulted in minimal conversations and alienated
As one is put through times of strife and struggle, an individual begins to lose their sense of human moral and switch into survival mode. Their main focus is their own survival, not of another's. In the post-apocalyptic novel, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, a father and son travel along the road towards the coast, while battling to survive the harsh weather and scarce food supply, as well as avoid any threats that could do them harm. Throughout their journey along the road, the father and son are exposed to the horrid remnants of humanity. As a result, the father and son constantly refer to themselves as “the good guys” and that they “carry the fire”, meaning they carry the last existing spark of humanity within themselves. By the acts of compassion
In a world that was changed by chaos, The Man remained the same man from the beginning of the novel until the end. Throughout his journey on The Road, The Man’s dedication to the survival of The Boy and never faltered, and stayed constant no matter what life threw at him. The Man ended his expedition on The Road the same man as when he started it.
In the book The Road by McCarthy, McCarthy dramatizes the opposition between good and evil however, over all The Road puts forth a positive and uplifting view of humanity. Even though there are multiple parts throughout the book that focus on very dark and pessimistic themes, McCarthy has a way of making the reader see darkness and pessimism a positive and uplifting theme.
Both The Road by Cormac McCarthy and The Empties by Jess Row are apocalyptic stories that describe the state of human civilization after the annihilation of civil society. Whereas in The Road civil society is destroyed and remains defunct after the apocalypse, The Empties tells of a people who are able to bounce back and reestablish their society. Many people today live their lives aimlessly, squandering their time day by day, partaking in life’s pleasures, and living for their own selfish reasons. McCarthy and Row bring attention to the selfishness and self-absorption that plagues today’s teens by showing two different possible scenarios following an apocalyptic event, resulting from a fundamental difference
Archetypal criticism follows a basic rule of categorizing or relating any work of literature into a set framework. It works from a subjective basis, it is used to determine and grasp the ideas of universal truths messages through literary work. The universal truths and messages are determined by identifying patterns like character types, storylines, settings, symbols. The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a novel that accurately exemplifies the principles of archetypal criticism. This narrative account associates the characters of a young minor and his father to encapsulate the ideas of archetypal criticism. McCarthy presents the novel by setting the scene of a death-defying journey through a post-apocalyptic wasteland of America. The young lad
“It isn’t just setting, that hoary old English class topic. It’s place and space and shape that bring us to ideas and psychology and history and dynamism.” (Foster 182). In How To Read Literature Like A Professor, Foster notes geography being an idea which can expose the themes of a work, and develop characters. Similarly, In The Road, a novel by Cormac McCarthy, published in 2006, uses geography to reveal the deeper meaning of the work, and develop the moral traits of the man, a main character. McCarthy utilizes the weather, atmosphere, beach, and the human population in the novel in order to reveal the themes of cynicism, fatherly love and mortality through the man.
To begin, loved ones will put each other before themselves in difficult situations. Mccarthy explains a night on the road as the father speaks to his son about how how he will always protect him and care for him. The fact that the father told his son he was “appointed by god” (McCarthy, 77) to protect him symbolizes that the father is his sons god on earth. His father will always protect him and do what is best for him. The fact that the father alluded to god when he was talking to his son reassured the child that nothing bad will happen to him. Also, the repetition of the words, “we will always be” (77), shows how the father makes sure that his son is confident in the fact that they are the “good guys” (77), This portrays a
The biggest wildfire in recorded United States history was a total of three million acres back in 1825. How plausible is it for the entire United States to turn into a crispy star-spangled country? Based on Cormac McCarthy’s novel, it might happen. In the novel, The Road, Cormac McCarthy expresses the idea of surviving against all odds with the intention of holding true to the themes of compassion, honesty, and death with the third person viewpoint from his two main characters, Man and Boy as they journey to the Eastern Coast. Compassion is found in the novel in the way the man cared for his son with other examples. Honesty is a crucial part of these overall themes, and is found in moments when the boy asked about the future and questioned his own mortality. Death is primarily a large theme, as it is in most novels, and is found throughout the novel with certain trivial deaths and with more significant deaths.
The need for morals passed down through the generations is a key to being a productive person and citizen. Overcoming obstacles is challenging, especially when it is dependent on a life and death situation. The devastation forces people to use survival tactics that either uphold or abandon morals. In the midst of adversity, a person must decide a course of action that will help them endure the circumstances. In the novel, The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, there are situations that require people to overcoming the hurdles of living in the midst of an apocalypse.
Have you ever pictured something happening to the world? Isis is being very harsh to our world. They have attacked several parts of the world, killing everyone they come across, mainly the Christians. In the novel The Road by Cormac McCarthy had something very horrible happen that made the world as we know it go away. Very few people were still alive during the novel and created a great deal of drama in the novel. They happened to come across challenges from trying to get food, keeping warm, and also running from the “bad guys.” The novel never said what exactly happened, but the readers have many questions regarding what happened. Was there some kind of global natural disaster? Did an asteroid collide into the earth? All the plant life was dead. The readers consider these questions because places were scorched to the ground by a fire. They know how to get through their problems, even if it is a matter of killing someone to protect each other. There will be hope even in the bleakest circumstance. In the Walking Dead, they have to keep hope throughout the
Julio Mera Professor Kloss EN206-C1 23 April 2015 Final Essay Rough Draft In the novel The Road by Cormac McCarthy, I didn’t expect the reading to have any type of religious context. However, in post-apocalyptic occurrences, religious contexts are usually used such as the Book of Revelation in the Bible, the prediction of how the world is going to end. Two readings that can connect to this novel when it comes to the apocalypse are Darkness by Lord Byron and “The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion” by Edgar Allan Poe.
Raising a child is considered by many people to be one of life’s greatest challenges. A parent must teach his or her son or daughter about manners, morality, safety, and daily activities, such as washing hands or tying shoes. The pressure of raising a child successfully is difficult to manage in a decent society; however, doing so in a post-apocalyptic world brings on an entire new set of obstacles. In Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road, the man displays sacrifice, protectiveness, and wisdom when dealing with his son.
For ages, people have been debating the idea of human morality and whether or not at its core humanity is good or bad. This philosophy is explored in Cormac McCarthy’s novel, The Road. The road is the story of a man and boy living in a post-apocalyptic world. Some cataclysmic event has crippled Earth’s natural ecosystem, leaving the skies engulfed in ash and the ground devoid of much life. The duo aim to journey south as a way to escape being frozen to death in the oncoming winter. During their journey, the boy and man come across different people and places that give them a better understand of what humanity has become and where they stand on that spectrum. Throughout The Road, McCarthy revisits the idea of being the “good guy” when there is no longer a need to, “carrying the fire” as it’s detailed in the book. The dichotomy between the boy’s moral conscience and the man’s selfish ideals helps develop McCarthy’s idea of humanity losing its selflessness in the face of danger.