Essay: Cormac McCarthy – The Road

According to Portelli 1988, in the literary world, fiction and Appalachia seem to exist in two separate an opposing worlds, though at some point find convergence. Fiction is a genre that is much identified with imagination of what is to happen in the future as well as advancements in the field of technology. However, at the same time, the fiction finds acknowledgement in the rich history and tradition related to the Appalachian region. As such, there is evidence of the existence of a fictional text that finds its setting in southern Appalachia. The Road by Cormac McCarthy in 2006 provides us with the best example of a fictional text that depicts the impact of modern developments in human life. Moreover, it also portrays the post-apocalyptic futures that are envisioned in the works.
Cormac McCarthy got the inspiration for the book in 2003 when he visited Texas with his young son (Ireland, 2003). With his imagination focused on what the city would look like fifty to a hundred years down the line, he pictured fires on the hill while thinking of the son. Cormac also mentions the conversations that he would have with his brother about the different scenarios of an apocalypse. One of these scenarios involved the survivors turning into cannibals, with everything gone and the only thing left to eat is each other. He took some initial notes but did not make a return to some of his ideas until a few years later when he was in Ireland. The novel was then quickly came by and a dedication was made to the son.
The message that Cormac McCarthy is trying to put across is that humans are survivors. The marauding bands of cannibals are evidence that whatever you would throw at the humans, they would always try to survive even though not in the prettiest way. Another message that is conveyed through the novel is that love will forever keep as human. The love that the father and the son have for each other and the rest of the people around them not only keeps them alive but also human when the others decide to be cannibals The boy prevents the father from turning into a savage like the other humans around them, portraying how love and belief can prevent us from losing our humanity. There is also a message of hope for humanity in the fire that the father passes on to his son.
One of the themes in The Road is excessive violence which is arguably justified. The post-apocalyptic setting portrayed by Cormac depicts a landscape that has scarce resources, driving the few survivors left to murder, incidences of stealing and cannibalism. However, the more sympathetic characters including the father and the son make attempts to avoid being brutal to their fellow humans. A cynical conclusion that can be drawn from the text is that the less sympathetic survivors are not driven to malicious deeds, rather the absence of law and order allows the worst parts of the human nature to reign, owing to the limited resources. Another theme that is also majorly discussed in The Road concerns mortality.
The inclusion of death in the novel almost gives it the status of a character. There is a constant threat of death from different factors which include starvation, exposure to illnesses and murder. These factors in the novel tend to make the everyday events in the novel richer than they would otherwise be. The actions considered courteous and simple for example exchanging kind words, taking food or even finding clean water seem quite extraordinary owing to the struggle for survival and the limited resources. The two main characters of the poem seem to have been abandoned since they have lost contact with the other decent people. The memories of the man in the novel takes him to the previous and much better world that makes the one that he currently lies in appear more desolate. In spite of the circumstances that the man finds himself in, McCarthy neutralizes the isolation by endearing a father to son relationship. For a better part of the novel, the two have each other and as such, the isolation gets to be shared amongst them.
The Road also presents actual groups of people who would be considered to be either good or bad. In the wake of the catastrophe depicted in the novel, goodness is deemed to have disappeared. Goodness in such a setting would mean that one does not become a cannibal or engage in brutality of the weak. However, the universe in which the novel operates in terribly jeopardized that even the small acts of kindness seem to be heroic. Memory also presents itself as a double edged sword. The man considered to be the protagonist in The Road wants to remember past, but as soon as that happens, he has trouble focusing on his survival. The setting of the novel is compromised so much so that the protagonist feels he should sustain the past memories.
Some of the critical lenses revealing interesting components within the novel include the versions of reality that McCarthy uses in The Road. Cormac uses hallucinations as well as happy stories while focusing on the dreams of the characters. The good dreams act to draw the characters away from their harsh reality while their nightmares reflect the terror they face on a daily basis. Another critical lens revealing interest is the compassion and forgiveness portrayed in The Road. In a man eat man society such as the one depicted in the novel, compassion would be considered precious. McCarthy only associates compassion with the child of the protagonist. The two lenses mentioned lead to the development of the other parts of the novel in its entirety.
Cormac McCarthy is trying to convince humanity that survival is an instinct that is bound deep within them and therefore very powerful. Therefore, it is the nature of the humans to search and look for hope in every situation that they face, even if conditions defeat logic. Even if he does not find it in the long run, he can invent his own hope for himself rather than give up. Throughout the novel, the hope that never dies is present. He accomplishes the task of trying to convince the audience, in this case the humanity by writing on themes portraying the survival of humanity in the different circumstances. Some of the themes include mortality, excessive violence and isolation. Furthermore, McCarthy also uses stylistic devices in trying to convince the audience about the need for the survival of humanity. For example, in the first paragraph he uses alliteration when he says nights were dark beyond darkness and days.
An example of a metaphor used lies in paragraph one where McCarthy says like pilgrims in a fable swallowed up and lost among the inward parts of some granitic beast. The cave in which the protagonist and his child were in is compared to the inside parts of the granitic beast per say. The example of metaphor given does create meaning in the text by aiding in the explanation of different scenarios in the as well as depict the actual picture that the author wants to communicate. Like the onset of a cold glaucoma serves as an example of a simile used in the first paragraph. The author also uses a combination of prose and poetry in the dialogue between the protagonist and the son, serving to build the story between the two while faced with a difficult situation of survival.
Qualities that either evoke pity and sadness, as well as a spiritual culture in a community that manifests in beliefs are aspirations are well portrayed in the poem. Moreover, there are also principles governing the divine nature of the word of God and favorable moments of making certain decisions are also evident. The novel indeed evokes sadness in the audience when man turns against another man to kill and destroy as a result of the scarce resources available to the people. The existence and non-existence of God is doubted in equal nature, for example the life of the protagonist is flipped back and forth in his belief for God within the novel. Some of the events that do take place within the novel would make one doubt the existence of God. The protagonist in the poem makes the decision to give the burning fire to the son, symbolizing the hope that still lies in humanity even at his fall.
In conclusion, it is important to acknowledge and appreciate the work of Cormac McCall in his novel since it helps remember just how important it is to be in a world where love for humanity is still existent.