Why was The Road Written?
Hello all! In today’s edition of CQ’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams we will discuss why Cormac McCarthy wrote The Road. As awful as this book seems, there is some legit reasoning behind a lot of the text. The motifs, the role God plays, and the gruesome detail, all add to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Humanity, our benevolence towards one another of our species, has been tested multiple times throughout history. There have been times where we question our humanity, such as the forces migration of hundreds of Native Americans down the Trail of Tears, or the Holocaust, where Nazi Germany systematically exterminated thousands of Jews and other people considered to be “inferior.” The Road shows the dark side of humanity too, in the art of actually eating one another. As if we have traveled back in time to our caveman days, and become completely uncivilized.
The father and son represent the good side of humanity. Their righteous morals stuck with them all throughout the book, and that is why they are the tagged “good guys.” Their love for one another and wit to get through their society in hope of finding others like them, reminds us that there are always good people out there, and no matter what, we have to keep our humanity in check. They “carry the fire” , a motif used to describe this drive and hope for a better human future. What I’ve realized is that their survival is not just for sake of their own lives, but to revive the worlds humanity.
How does God play a role? Well God is whatever the father believes God is. We are not sure if he’s Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, all we know is that he believes in some kind of faith, and that it’s driving him forward. He even calls the boy a God, which would make him some sort of phrophet delivering the holy message. Either way, the role of a religion in this story is key, because is connects the present apocalyptic world to the past world.
McCarthy’s The Road reminds us how important our civilization is to us. Humans were made to work together and to use their intelligence, not their teeth. The Road also reminds us how easily we can become turned on one another, like how the shortage of food immediately turned people into vicious cannibals. Our humanity is something we should cherish, and we have to be moral every day in order to continue our success as a species. The Road, depicts what we can become, with great detail.
Humanity, our benevolence towards one another of our species, has been tested multiple times throughout history. There have been times where we question our humanity, such as the forces migration of hundreds of Native Americans down the Trail of Tears, or the Holocaust, where Nazi Germany systematically exterminated thousands of Jews and other people considered to be “inferior.” The Road shows the dark side of humanity too, in the art of actually eating one another. As if we have traveled back in time to our caveman days, and become completely uncivilized.
The father and son represent the good side of humanity. Their righteous morals stuck with them all throughout the book, and that is why they are the tagged “good guys.” Their love for one another and wit to get through their society in hope of finding others like them, reminds us that there are always good people out there, and no matter what, we have to keep our humanity in check. They “carry the fire” , a motif used to describe this drive and hope for a better human future. What I’ve realized is that their survival is not just for sake of their own lives, but to revive the worlds humanity.
How does God play a role? Well God is whatever the father believes God is. We are not sure if he’s Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, all we know is that he believes in some kind of faith, and that it’s driving him forward. He even calls the boy a God, which would make him some sort of phrophet delivering the holy message. Either way, the role of a religion in this story is key, because is connects the present apocalyptic world to the past world.
McCarthy’s The Road reminds us how important our civilization is to us. Humans were made to work together and to use their intelligence, not their teeth. The Road also reminds us how easily we can become turned on one another, like how the shortage of food immediately turned people into vicious cannibals. Our humanity is something we should cherish, and we have to be moral every day in order to continue our success as a species. The Road, depicts what we can become, with great detail.
Carter, I always enjoy reading your posts. I really like how you started your blog relating it to historical events. Also good job talking about the role of God in the story. What would you say was your biggest take away from the story?
ReplyDeleteHi Belle, thank you! Well to be honest, although there are multiple takeaways from this book, I think the most important takeaway is the fact that our morality defines who we are. The boy and the father made their sacrifices for the sake of humanity, despite of the others trying to eat them. This is why the boy and the father are considered the “good guys” as they call themselves.
DeleteA good thematic discussion. Do you think the book provides an answer as to whether this hopeful view of humanity wins out in the end? Doesn't this positive view somewhat depend on which forces win? or maybe it doesn't.
ReplyDeleteIf you're interested in a slightly less dark view of this same thematic idea, you might try Station Eleven.