Book Talks: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Date Published: 2006

Number of Pages: 287

Protagonists:

• The lead protagonist is "the man" whom is never named. Although his past is scarcely mentioned, his dead wife, tuberculosis, and young son are the center of his musings when the past is brought up. 
• The man's son is the only companion to the man. Though age and name are also not mentioned, he is most likely eleven to ten years of age. It is also explicitly revealed that he has blond hair. 

Minor Characters:

• The first character to be introduced, other than the protagonists, is the man's wife. In a flashback, it is revealed that she walked out on her family after the apocalypse because she felt as though there was no longer a point in surviving.
• The first person the protagonists meet on the road is an old, decrepit man. His body is burned, he can barely see, and he can almost pass off as ninety years old.

Main Settings:

Beginning: The first place that they really settle down in was by the waterfall. Here they had plenty of drinking water yet the sound of the falls drowned out other noises and was an attraction to other travelers.

Middle: The second place which ignites hope in not only the protagonists but the readers as well, was the underground bunker. Stored with everything they'd need for at least a year, it was too good to be true and they would have been too easily cornered which forced them to move on.

End: Finally getting to their end point, the family reach the sea. However, it is ashen like the rest of the environment and offers no better alternatives to them despite finding greatly needed supplies in an upturned boat.

Plot Outline:

The Road centers on a man and his child traversing across America in hopes of reaching the southern coastline in an ashy post-apocalyptic world. As they trek onward, they are met with few but impactful travelers who reveal the nature of the two characters and just how far the man is willing to go to protect his child. However, once they finally reach their destination, it seems as though their misguided hopes haven't truly solved their problems though they are rewarded with much needed supplies. And as the end draws near, a death that has been depicted throughout the novel finally takes place.

Important Plot Symbols:

• Fire is consistently mentioned by both the man and the child. It represents the goodness of mankind as a whole and the ability to trust in finding a way to survive.
• The revolver initially symbolized the desire to take the easy way out, however as the story progressed it morphed into a weapon to protect their lives.

Style:

McCarthy uses the lack of punctuation to highlight the bareness of the novel. It echoes the loss of civilization and the emptiness the characters are forced to face.

Dominant Theme:

The dominant theme of The Road is that no matter the conditions, mankind will always find a way to survive and protect what it loves. 

Quotes:

Beginning: "If he is not the word of God God never spoke." is said by the man and refers to the purity and hope that the child brings just by his existence and survival.

Middle: "Please dont tell me how the story ends." is also said by the man and refers to his loss of hope and uncertainty of being able to care for the child.

End: "This is what good guys do. They keep trying. They dont give up." is said by the man and is his way of encouraging the boy to always try to survive and of giving him something to believe in.

Literary Elements:

• The vivid and dark diction of The Road sets the stage for much of the novel and highlights the seeming hopelessness of the entirety of their situation.
• The third person point of view also adds to the ambiguity of the book and its suspenseful events.