The Road - Cormac McCarthy

Book Review

Set in the post-apocalyptic era, The Road tries to explore the very fabric of human conscience. It has been written by a well tested author, known for his subtle depiction of human emotion and character and who is widely acclaimed as on of the best of his time. Cormac McCarthy, like his previous works, has tried to peep into the mind of his protagonist who is alienated from the world because of misfortunes and tragedies in his life, but chooses to carry on the burden of existence. With the depiction of apocalypse and chalking almost the saddest of his works so far, McCarthy has tried to bring about the very opinion he keeps of the world around him. 

The story of the novel starts in an unknown place, with a man and his child, whose name we do not get to know throughout the several months the story is spanned in. They are trying to head south as the winters are setting in. Also, throughout the novel, there is no reference whatsoever to the reason or the means that brought about the apocalypse, apart from the obvious images of grayness ashes used to depict it and the lack of people around. The apocalypse has happened in the lifetime of the man, as he recalls his childhood in and around the places they cross while traveling. The conversations between the child and the man are the only way we communicate with what the child is thinking about and as the time progresses, the child grows wiser and more aware of the situation they are in. Hence, the story can, in a way, be interpreted as a journey in both the literal sense and also in the sense of the boy making a journey from innocence to acceptance. As they travel, they come across a snatcher, an old crippled man, a thief and another man who wounds the father. Ultimately, the man dies of injuries and sickness, leaving the child on his own with nothing but a pistol in his hand.

The book was adapted into a movie with the same title in 2009.

One of the major themes of the novel is parenthood. With the undying love of the father for his son, depicted both in his actions and his thoughts, the author has tried to bring about the strength of the human emotion of love. He thinks of his child as 'the only thing that stands between him and his death', which may incline the reader to think of the child as a emotional necessity for him. But his conversations with the child and his efforts to keep him away from tragic views, keep the reader in good faith that he has hope and desire that one day his child will grow up to be a good person.

The conversations between them depicted conflicting views over simple things like exploring abandoned houses and being left alone or handline the pistol. But, sometimes, it involved complex concerns like helping an old man who was as good as dead or of letting go a person who tried to steal all of their things. The man was sometimes too angry at the decisions he had to make at the boy's requests, but ultimately, he found happiness in fulfilling them.

Another major theme in the text is the isolation. The author has tried to explore the true human side which follows the most basic instinct of survival. In the post apocalyptic time, when there is no food or resources left and everything has been looted and there are not many people alive, humans have taken up the barbaric means of survival, i.e, of killing each other and sometimes, eating each other as food. However, this cannibalism is only a speculation made by the protagonist. The fear of an attack kept them moving all the time, even when they had found a nice place with a lot of food; just because of the fear of being found. The father always kept a gun at his side and when he was not around, he asked his son to hold it. In the later part of the novel, the father is shot by a person in his leg due to the precise reason of fear and skepticism. Everyone is afraid of the other and hence, try to remain isolated from each other.

The symbols of grey color and ash have worked as a reminder to the reader of the apocalypse which has left the land burning. With almost no resources available and people fighting over them, an indirect effort has been made to bring forth a possible situation that may arise due to a global war that we are always at the brink of due to unstable international politics. The author has, in his previous works, always tried to bring forth a notion of alienation from his protagonist, where he is burdened with his past and crawls to his future. In The Road as well, the author has not left this tone of his and has, through the story of the man, put forth the very complexities that govern us and the very decisions we make.

As far as the style of the writing is concerned, the novel can be classified as a modernistic effort in a simplistic way. The reader does not really peep into the mind of the protagonist, which, given the situation he is in, is surprisingly at peace. On the other hand, we hear his innermost thoughts when he is in distress and when he is hallucinating or when he is dreaming. The conversations of the father and the son are largely simple with short sentences, trying to depict that they dont have much to say to each other and they are pretty much content with having each other. The stereotypes that the author defines as 'good guys' and 'bad guys' are largely used to depict the same people, but in different circumstances.

From the point of view of the reader, there is no excitement in the storyline and may seem boring while reading. However, the second half is quite fast paced and it ends beautifully. All in all, a fine read.