Thank GOD It's Over! Alternative Ending.....
Hey all you Carter fans, stand up and clap your hands!
I finished a choice book from start to finish...I know, I doubted myself too. While I did happen to finish my book, the ending troubled me. ATTENTION: SPOILER ALERT!!!
Here's the deal...
The ending to The Road was overall just depressing. The man ends up getting fatally ill, as his bloody cough worsens. All the boy can do is watch his father get worse and worse, until he eventually dies. The father's death was so sudden and abrupt I was caught off guard, as if McCarthy wanted to show death as an insignificant event. Anyways, the boy stays with his father for a troubling three days before finally saying goodbye when he decides to join a a different group of travelers (who by the way are "good guys" and say that they "carry the fire" too). The death of the father and the parting of the boy was hard to digest, especially because one of the key topics of the story is the relationship they had shared. For the man to die so quickly, and with little explanation, troubles me as the reader because I felt emotionally attached to their bond.
So, as my final blog post for The Road, (here come the tears) I would like to write a short, alternate ending to the novel. In addition, I will try to this using Cormac McCarthy's unique writing style he used throughout this novel.
***
They sat under the stars. The man was coughing harder than ever before. The boy sat close to him, staring at his soul.
You're going to die Papa.
No I'm not.
You're cough is worse than ever.
I will recover.
You said you would never leave me. You promised.
I am still true to my promise. I'm not going anywhere.
Okay.
Okay.
***
The man woke to the sweet smell of pine sap. He noticed that there were people in the road. They were pulling a wagon full of wood. The man awoke the boy, who was previously sound asleep.
Get up. We need to leave.
Why? What's wrong? Are we being hunted?
No. There's people in the road with supplies. They look normal.
How normal?
Normal enough that I'm not afraid to follow them.
And they won't eat us?
I don't think so.
What about your cough?
The man took a second to take a deep breath. His wheezing was practically gone. He spit on the ground. No blood. The only remaining symptoms seemed to be a mild sore throat. He looked at the boy. The sunlight shining down on him through the trees, he looked like an angel sent down from the heavens.
I feel much better actually. Come on, grab your blankets.
Okay.
Okay.
They set out on their pursuit of they group on the road. Dashing behind the trees, and keeping out of sight while still maintaining their view of the group. Suddenly the group paused, as if they were startled by something. The man looked over at the boy, who's expression was filled with terror. The boy lifted his finger and spoke.
Do you see that?
See what?
The man looked in the direction that the boy was point towards.
In the trees.
What trees?
Oh my God.
What! Tell me what you see dammit!
The man cocked his head to the sound of rustling in the trees. Then he saw it. A flag. The sound of horses proudly making themselves known. The riders, dressed in full armor, screamed as they charged the group on the road. The cavalry easily over through the stragglers, knocking over the wagon. The man noticed that beneath the lumber in the wagon there were bodies. Soon to be cooked over the fire. These stragglers weren't normal like the man had thought. All of a sudden the man turned around to see an armored man with a club take a swing.
***
The man awoke to the image of his son laying on him smiling. He was on a hospital bed, in some kind of medical facility. The walls were white.
Are you okay? Where am I?
Papa I'm fine.
Where are we?
I'm not sure. You've been asleep for days.
A shaved man entered the room. He put down his clipboard and pulled up a nearby stool.
My name is Neil. I will be your doctor today.
Okay. Where are we?
Safe.
No I mean specifically where are we?
Beneath the nightmare.
You mean we are underground?
Yes. Welcome to the Complex.
Never heard of it?
That means we have done our job.
Why keep it hidden? From starving people like my son and I?
It is very hard to tell these days the good guys from the bad guys.
***
Days later the man and boy moved into their new home in the Complex. Hundreds of other people had been living under their feet and they had no clue. Perplexing.
Papa?
Yes?
These people, they seem to be good like us.
Yes they are. They are here to help humanity.
Does that mean that they are carrying the fire too?
I think it does.
Tell me a story? A good one. Your best one. one I've never heard.
Okay. Once there was a road.
THE END
I hope you enjoyed my alternative ending. I tried to mock Cormac McCarthy's style the best I could. Thank you for reading my blogs! This has really been fun for me to be interactive with you guys and it made my reading experience overall better. I recommend this novel to everyone who needs their monthly thriller intake.
Goodbye cruel world.
Permanently signing off,
CQ
I finished a choice book from start to finish...I know, I doubted myself too. While I did happen to finish my book, the ending troubled me. ATTENTION: SPOILER ALERT!!!
Here's the deal...
The ending to The Road was overall just depressing. The man ends up getting fatally ill, as his bloody cough worsens. All the boy can do is watch his father get worse and worse, until he eventually dies. The father's death was so sudden and abrupt I was caught off guard, as if McCarthy wanted to show death as an insignificant event. Anyways, the boy stays with his father for a troubling three days before finally saying goodbye when he decides to join a a different group of travelers (who by the way are "good guys" and say that they "carry the fire" too). The death of the father and the parting of the boy was hard to digest, especially because one of the key topics of the story is the relationship they had shared. For the man to die so quickly, and with little explanation, troubles me as the reader because I felt emotionally attached to their bond.
So, as my final blog post for The Road, (here come the tears) I would like to write a short, alternate ending to the novel. In addition, I will try to this using Cormac McCarthy's unique writing style he used throughout this novel.
***
They sat under the stars. The man was coughing harder than ever before. The boy sat close to him, staring at his soul.
You're going to die Papa.
No I'm not.
You're cough is worse than ever.
I will recover.
You said you would never leave me. You promised.
I am still true to my promise. I'm not going anywhere.
Okay.
Okay.
***
The man woke to the sweet smell of pine sap. He noticed that there were people in the road. They were pulling a wagon full of wood. The man awoke the boy, who was previously sound asleep.
Get up. We need to leave.
Why? What's wrong? Are we being hunted?
No. There's people in the road with supplies. They look normal.
How normal?
Normal enough that I'm not afraid to follow them.
And they won't eat us?
I don't think so.
What about your cough?
The man took a second to take a deep breath. His wheezing was practically gone. He spit on the ground. No blood. The only remaining symptoms seemed to be a mild sore throat. He looked at the boy. The sunlight shining down on him through the trees, he looked like an angel sent down from the heavens.
I feel much better actually. Come on, grab your blankets.
Okay.
Okay.
They set out on their pursuit of they group on the road. Dashing behind the trees, and keeping out of sight while still maintaining their view of the group. Suddenly the group paused, as if they were startled by something. The man looked over at the boy, who's expression was filled with terror. The boy lifted his finger and spoke.
Do you see that?
See what?
The man looked in the direction that the boy was point towards.
In the trees.
What trees?
Oh my God.
What! Tell me what you see dammit!
The man cocked his head to the sound of rustling in the trees. Then he saw it. A flag. The sound of horses proudly making themselves known. The riders, dressed in full armor, screamed as they charged the group on the road. The cavalry easily over through the stragglers, knocking over the wagon. The man noticed that beneath the lumber in the wagon there were bodies. Soon to be cooked over the fire. These stragglers weren't normal like the man had thought. All of a sudden the man turned around to see an armored man with a club take a swing.
***
The man awoke to the image of his son laying on him smiling. He was on a hospital bed, in some kind of medical facility. The walls were white.
Are you okay? Where am I?
Papa I'm fine.
Where are we?
I'm not sure. You've been asleep for days.
A shaved man entered the room. He put down his clipboard and pulled up a nearby stool.
My name is Neil. I will be your doctor today.
Okay. Where are we?
Safe.
No I mean specifically where are we?
Beneath the nightmare.
You mean we are underground?
Yes. Welcome to the Complex.
Never heard of it?
That means we have done our job.
Why keep it hidden? From starving people like my son and I?
It is very hard to tell these days the good guys from the bad guys.
***
Days later the man and boy moved into their new home in the Complex. Hundreds of other people had been living under their feet and they had no clue. Perplexing.
Papa?
Yes?
These people, they seem to be good like us.
Yes they are. They are here to help humanity.
Does that mean that they are carrying the fire too?
I think it does.
Tell me a story? A good one. Your best one. one I've never heard.
Okay. Once there was a road.
THE END
I hope you enjoyed my alternative ending. I tried to mock Cormac McCarthy's style the best I could. Thank you for reading my blogs! This has really been fun for me to be interactive with you guys and it made my reading experience overall better. I recommend this novel to everyone who needs their monthly thriller intake.
Goodbye cruel world.
Permanently signing off,
CQ
Carter,
ReplyDeleteI have loved following your blog! Your voice really shines through when you write and it makes your work so much fun to read.
I really liked your alternative ending! I especially thought that your last lines were cool, when the dad starts to tell the son the story about the road. Your ending seems so much happier than the original, I like yours better. Do you think that the sad ending, although awful, contributes to the point the author was trying to make? I haven't read the book (and likely never will), so I do not know what the themes were, but I am wondering why you think the author chose to have such a sad ending when he could have written a more lighthearted ending like yours!
Well I do believe McCarthy had a reason to make such a depressing ending. One of the themes of this book is love. Due to McCarthy's writing style, the dialogue shows little affection from the man in the boy. They never say "I love you" or really show their feeling for one another at all. In this sense, the tragic ending finally revealed the boy's affection for the man. He refused to leave him for three days, and when the travelers came to take the boy with them, he made them cover his fathers corpse with blankets so he would be at peace.
DeleteIndeed I didn't enjoy the ending, as you can see I made up an entirely new one that I would have preferred, but McCarthy's ending is important in it's own way, and it can be appreciated too. Thanks for reading my blog!
Hi Carter! I really enjoyed following your blog. It's hysterical, and I also feel I am getting a good understanding of your novel. Your alternative ending was great! I like the positive spin and it seems very creative! (I can't know how much you copied because I haven't read the book). Did you come up with the idea of "the complex" by yourself? Either way, I'm very impressed. The over all voice in your blog tells me you like writing, and you're pretty good at it! Keep up the good work *bud*.
ReplyDeleteThanks Belle! Indeed I did come up with underground retreat called "the Complex" on my own, but I tried to be realistic. I didn't give it a name because throughout the novel specific cities or states are never mentioned, so felt like calling it the Complex would fit that style. After reading my alternative ending, and basically mocking McCarthy's style, would you consider giving this novel a try?
DeleteCarter amazing job!!! First off you matched McCarthy's style so well especially the dialogue, it's spot on. I loved your alternative ending so much more than the actual ending. I was so angry when the father died even though I had a feeling he would. I really like the idea of "the Complex" as I feel like if he were to write a second book that would be an actual aspect of the novel. Thanks for going on this adventure and convincing me to read The Road.
ReplyDeleteA much more optimistic ending, but given the world that McCarthy creates, do you think it seems realistic. Remember that the father has been ill much of the book. Also, not to be all Debbie Downer over here, but do you know for sure that the people the boy goes with are good? Could he be tricked just as the father initially is in your alternative ending?
ReplyDelete