Find yourself a book with no plot and only two characters....
Hey guys, here I am checking in for the first of many times. As many of you might remember, I'm reading the book that all of you were afraid of: The Road. You very well might have thought "I'm never reading such a horrible sounding book!" That's going to be a real let down because thanks to me, all of you will have to experience this book too, through my over-detailed, word for word, almost sickening blogs. By my final blog, the very word 'Road' will give you shivers down your spine. This trigger will only make you more of a burden on society as you will be forced to shiver every time you use a GPS. Nothing will ever be the same.
(prepare for a slight shift in tone)
But there is a chance you might actually like what I post, and find yourself wanting to hear more. This book sounded a little freaky to me at first, and I was hesitant to pick up such a thriller. Yet, as I read through the first 74 pages of The Road I was pulled into the novel, drowning in Cormac McCarthy's words. If you're the type of reader who likes complex plots then this book is not for you. Literally the plot is a father and son, walking across a barren landscape stricken by some kind of apocalyptic event. They are following an old state road that supposedly will lead them South to warmer weather. As they walk, they need to be continuously alert, as there are starving cannibals that will kill them and eat them with out any hesitation. That's the whole plot. The only two characters so far are the boy and the father. They must survive this wasteland, with love driving them forward.
The father, referred to mostly as He, has many qualities that seem to fit the basic protagonist mold. He is a religious man, as speaks to his God often. He even calls the Southern country ahead of him "godless", and believes that his child's words are divine: "He knew only that the child was his warrant. He said: If he is not the word of God, God never spoke ." (5) The father loves his boy more than anything, and will put his own life before the boy's. When the boy asks: "What would you do if I died?" the father responds that he "would want to die too." (11) He is always asking the boy "are you okay"(11), like and over protective parent (obviously he has the right to be in this situation). There is an abrupt line where the father says: "Can you do it? When the time comes? Can you?" (29) He's talking to the boy, but the boy is asleep. This line can mean one of two things: A) Can the son survive without the father? Or B) Can the boy shoot the father in the head if things get bad? Either way, the father is a strong companion to the boy, and a safe one as of now.
We are not yet sure what the father's life was like before the apocalypse. However, he did have a wife once. She is mentioned first in one of his dreams: "In dreams his pale bride came to him out of a green and leafy canopy." (18) and "in his dream she was sick and he cared for her...He did not take care of her and she died alone somewhere in the dark..." (32) But the passage that reveals the most about his wife is from page 55-59 in which his wife decides that life isn't worth living in this barren wasteland. So she abandons the father and son and disappears. The father still loves her, but realizes that she's probably dead.
The boy is the only other character in the story so far. He is referred to as "the boy", "the child", and "the son". Keep in mind none of the characters have names in this story so far. Either this is done on purpose by McCarthy so the reader is curious, or that this society has no names, which very well might be possible. Back to the boy, he is very attached to his father and observant. Judging by the fact he asks his father to read him "stories" (7) he is probably still pretty young. Which is troubling for the father: he has to survive this wasteland while simultaneously raising a young child. A daunting task. This boy has grown up with not a single friend besides his father, and his mother has walked out on both of them.
The father and son have a pure relationship that will be put to the test as they continue traveling. The only thing standing between survival and death is their love. With a long journey ahead of them, and the cold weather beginning to freeze the landscape over, they must hurry. Not to mention the cannibals hunting them, the rest of book should be very, well...disturbing-and I can't wait to share!
PS
This is a morning book. Not a before bed book.
(prepare for a slight shift in tone)
But there is a chance you might actually like what I post, and find yourself wanting to hear more. This book sounded a little freaky to me at first, and I was hesitant to pick up such a thriller. Yet, as I read through the first 74 pages of The Road I was pulled into the novel, drowning in Cormac McCarthy's words. If you're the type of reader who likes complex plots then this book is not for you. Literally the plot is a father and son, walking across a barren landscape stricken by some kind of apocalyptic event. They are following an old state road that supposedly will lead them South to warmer weather. As they walk, they need to be continuously alert, as there are starving cannibals that will kill them and eat them with out any hesitation. That's the whole plot. The only two characters so far are the boy and the father. They must survive this wasteland, with love driving them forward.
The father, referred to mostly as He, has many qualities that seem to fit the basic protagonist mold. He is a religious man, as speaks to his God often. He even calls the Southern country ahead of him "godless", and believes that his child's words are divine: "He knew only that the child was his warrant. He said: If he is not the word of God, God never spoke ." (5) The father loves his boy more than anything, and will put his own life before the boy's. When the boy asks: "What would you do if I died?" the father responds that he "would want to die too." (11) He is always asking the boy "are you okay"(11), like and over protective parent (obviously he has the right to be in this situation). There is an abrupt line where the father says: "Can you do it? When the time comes? Can you?" (29) He's talking to the boy, but the boy is asleep. This line can mean one of two things: A) Can the son survive without the father? Or B) Can the boy shoot the father in the head if things get bad? Either way, the father is a strong companion to the boy, and a safe one as of now.
We are not yet sure what the father's life was like before the apocalypse. However, he did have a wife once. She is mentioned first in one of his dreams: "In dreams his pale bride came to him out of a green and leafy canopy." (18) and "in his dream she was sick and he cared for her...He did not take care of her and she died alone somewhere in the dark..." (32) But the passage that reveals the most about his wife is from page 55-59 in which his wife decides that life isn't worth living in this barren wasteland. So she abandons the father and son and disappears. The father still loves her, but realizes that she's probably dead.
The boy is the only other character in the story so far. He is referred to as "the boy", "the child", and "the son". Keep in mind none of the characters have names in this story so far. Either this is done on purpose by McCarthy so the reader is curious, or that this society has no names, which very well might be possible. Back to the boy, he is very attached to his father and observant. Judging by the fact he asks his father to read him "stories" (7) he is probably still pretty young. Which is troubling for the father: he has to survive this wasteland while simultaneously raising a young child. A daunting task. This boy has grown up with not a single friend besides his father, and his mother has walked out on both of them.
The father and son have a pure relationship that will be put to the test as they continue traveling. The only thing standing between survival and death is their love. With a long journey ahead of them, and the cold weather beginning to freeze the landscape over, they must hurry. Not to mention the cannibals hunting them, the rest of book should be very, well...disturbing-and I can't wait to share!
PS
This is a morning book. Not a before bed book.
Carter, I like the style of your blog and agree; this is a bright sunny day kind of book. Would you say the point of view of the novel is more from the perspective of the father than the son? Why do you think that is? And do you feel closer to the father because of this?
ReplyDeleteWhy yes, I do think the father has a more focused perspective. The speaker reveals his memory and thoughts to the reader. The boy however, is just described in dialogue and his appearance. So yeah I guess I do feel closer to the father, although he does seem rather mysterious. Especially because he says such intelligent things. I’m starting to wonder if he was a scientist in his early life.
DeleteI like the way you approach your blog with humor, since this novel is definitely the opposite of that. I also really like how you talk about the son and fathers relationship. You mention the part about when the son asks what the father would do if the son died, and he replied I would want to die too. It will be interesting to see what happens if the father is on his deathbed first. As the father and son begin to run out of food, do you think they might have to turn to being cannibals?
ReplyDeleteI think the father will never be able to eat the boy because he always says he was sent from “god” to protect him. I think the boy however could potentially take the gun and use it on the father if their relationship gets any worse.
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