The Road is pretty AP LIT!!!
Hello friends and enemies, in tonight's edition of CQ's Boulevard of Broken Dreams, I am going to share something with you. As horribly gruesome, wickedly twisted, and structurally confusing the book may seem, I believe The Road is a great choice for an AP Literature class. Before you all decide to to rage-quit on my blog, let me just say that this book has all the qualities that the typical AP or honors literature book would have. Motifs, symbolism, graphic imagery, figurative language, allusions, IT'S ALL THERE! Often I would think that the reader would get lost in the horror of this book to actually realize these significant literary devices McCarthy throws into the pages. I will now explain myself and show you that The Road is more than just asphalt and cannibals.
It is common for well written novels to have underlying meanings that can be hard to pick up on. A motif, is an a distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition The motif of "carrying the fire" appears multiple times within the father and son's conversations. What the fire truly represents is hope for the future human civilizations. It is truly the boy, who carries this fire, as he is young and the father is growing older. The boy will be the future, and that is why the father will do anything to make sure that he lives. Not just because he loves him, but because the boy must live for the sake of the human race. This motif, as well as a few others would become a great class discussion, and essay topic. Motifs contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole in these novels of literary merit, so this would fit right in with The Great Gatsby and such.
Often great fictional novels contain references to previous works, such as the Bible. This is the allusion used in The Road. God plays a huge factor in the father's perspective. He struggles to understand that humanity and nature have been practically destroyed. We don't know if God is present, however, the father speaks to God and refers to God whenever he has conflicted thoughts. A great classroom discussion could be the possibility of a divine power at play here in the story. It truly could go either way, so there is an opportunity for a debate.
We don't know much of what the previous world was like, all we know it is that is probably in the United States, and there once was religion in their society. The mysterious nature of this novel along with Cormac's easy to read style is very appealing to the reader. A high school AP Literature class would definitely enjoy this read, as long as they can handle the blood and thrills which isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I certainly am enjoying this book, my favorite of the year so far, and I would recommend it to any AP Literature class. Now, should it be added to next year's AP curriculum? Well, that's the teachers decision I guess. This book truly is very graphic and I have yet to get to the apparent "bad part" my teacher told me about. I can't wait. But I'm sure most people aren't like me, and probably wouldn't enjoy this book. If the teacher senses that the class is ready for this, then I would definitely recommend this one.
It is common for well written novels to have underlying meanings that can be hard to pick up on. A motif, is an a distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition The motif of "carrying the fire" appears multiple times within the father and son's conversations. What the fire truly represents is hope for the future human civilizations. It is truly the boy, who carries this fire, as he is young and the father is growing older. The boy will be the future, and that is why the father will do anything to make sure that he lives. Not just because he loves him, but because the boy must live for the sake of the human race. This motif, as well as a few others would become a great class discussion, and essay topic. Motifs contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole in these novels of literary merit, so this would fit right in with The Great Gatsby and such.
Often great fictional novels contain references to previous works, such as the Bible. This is the allusion used in The Road. God plays a huge factor in the father's perspective. He struggles to understand that humanity and nature have been practically destroyed. We don't know if God is present, however, the father speaks to God and refers to God whenever he has conflicted thoughts. A great classroom discussion could be the possibility of a divine power at play here in the story. It truly could go either way, so there is an opportunity for a debate.
We don't know much of what the previous world was like, all we know it is that is probably in the United States, and there once was religion in their society. The mysterious nature of this novel along with Cormac's easy to read style is very appealing to the reader. A high school AP Literature class would definitely enjoy this read, as long as they can handle the blood and thrills which isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I certainly am enjoying this book, my favorite of the year so far, and I would recommend it to any AP Literature class. Now, should it be added to next year's AP curriculum? Well, that's the teachers decision I guess. This book truly is very graphic and I have yet to get to the apparent "bad part" my teacher told me about. I can't wait. But I'm sure most people aren't like me, and probably wouldn't enjoy this book. If the teacher senses that the class is ready for this, then I would definitely recommend this one.
Great analysis! I definitely agree with you, I am waiting for the apparent "bad part" as well. I really like how you analyze the motif of fire along with god. Also good job relating it to other books like "The Great Gatsby." Do you think another level of deepness is that every reader can have a different take away? A younger person may focus more on the survival piece and the journey whereas someone older person with kids will focus on that father son bond and the strength they create together to persevere?
ReplyDeleteYes of course, this novel can be interpreted differently through the eyes of somebody more mentally developed. A critical, in depth, thinker would focus more on the social aspect of the father and son's relationship. Does their relationship get stronger or weaker as the book goes on? Is the father really the driving character? Or could it be the boy?
DeleteA person looking for the thrills and the scares would focus more on the graphic scenes of and possibly not pick up on motifs and allusions. This novel certainly has a dual purpose and I think would work well in an AP class.
Carter, good job picking up on the motif of carrying the fire. Is there a particular scene that helped you to understand this motif?
ReplyDeleteWhen you mention the Bible as an allusion, I wonder if there is a particular part of the Bible that is referenced, or is it a more general discussion of faith and religion? Do you get a sense of whether the father was religious before this or not? If not, what might McCarthy be suggesting about faith and religion in the novel?
Since it is apparently my decision about whether to include this, if I were to include it, what would you have it take the place of?
Page 129, the boy and the father are having a heart to heart discussion on whether or not they would eat somebody. The father says no, and that is because they are the "good guys." This brings up the question, if they are the good guys, then what good will they bring to this society? Are the senseless cannibals the bad guys? Or is there something bigger at work here. The father explains that they are the good guys because they are "carrying the fire." The boy acknowledges this as if he has this phrase drilled into his mind. To me, the fire is a sense of hope, even in the midst of darkness and cruelty, is still with the boy and his father. They care about the future of the human race, and they would never succumb to their hungered temptations and eat another human being.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Allusion to the Bible, although I am not familiar with the particular sections of the Bible, I think the references to God in this novel, are more general and broad looks at what faith can mean. I definitely believe the father could have been religious early in life, as he feels as though it is his duty, given the command of God, to keep the boy alive. However, another look is that the father has lost his previous faith and beliefs of God, and instead believes the boy is a God. Either way, the father has something to believe in, and that gives him purpose, and a will to survive.
In our AP class, I could see this book replacing The Handmaid's Tale respectively. Atwood's novel is a great book for our class, but we already did a lot on totalitarian societies and their effect on people with A Brave New World. The Road however, is a differing perspective. In The Road there is no society whatsoever, only individuals trying to protect their lives.
Thank you for the comments
Hi Carter! I love your blog post... especially the title :)! Your blog is very easy to read and your fun personality shows through. I really like how you found possible classroom discussions and debates throughout your book! Do you think this book is comparable to Song of Solomon? It seems that there is a strong father-son tie in both of these stories... but the stories themselves might be too different! Great job!!
ReplyDeleteBin-Bin