Book: The Road

The Road by Cormac McCarthy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Like all truly great literature, Cormac McCarthy's The Road illustrates the deeply flawed, yet ultimately hopeful nature of what English majors the world over call "the human condition." It follows a father and his son in a post-apocalyptic world void of living nature and filled with hunger, heartache, and horror. These two characters--known simply as "the man" and "the boy"--live as vagabonds traveling the deteriorating roads with only a shopping cart of their belongings. They subsist mainly on canned goods scrounged from houses in towns long deserted. It seems they've been living this way for years and are headed towards the west coast via the rocky mountains, but no explicit setting of date or location is given (although they do find a can of Coca Cola). We quickly learn the boy embodies innocence and goodness. The man, always the survivor, is fueled only by the hope of protecting the boy. They define themselves as the good guys, always carrying the fire. As a reader you begin to ask, what is the fire and am I its carrier?

McCarthy's writing is crisp and bare. Like Hemingway, the concise style constantly implies meaning and depth. For me, even if I don't understand or fully grasp the philosophy or symbolism of the book (yes, I admit I don't always get it) I am moved simply by the level of meaning hinted at by the writing. It is the author's greatest strength. Although most would not describe the prose as rich, the symbolism and metaphorical applications are. Despite its simple nature, it is on par with books like The Odyssey and Plato's Republic in its universality and potential for moral, spiritual, or philosophical investigation. So many comparisons add depth and require greater contemplation. Most obviously, the road is the journey of life or mortality. Or perhaps it is the intangible truth that lies underneath the falseness and deception of our world today. Or perhaps it is a reflection of an inner struggle. And so on.

There are many themes in the book: human nature, philanthropy, survival, familial love. One of the most interesting is God and spirituality. In a world so barren and brutal as that described in The Road it seems it would be easy to denounce God, his existence, or at least his love for mankind. Many characters do. Throughout the story, though, these characters show us that rather than being forgotten by God, it is us that choose to forget him. Acknowledging he exists makes it harder to bear the horrors of the world. Knowing this, the man constantly tries to shield the boy from the manifestations of perversion and death surrounding them. Although it is at times hurt, the boy's hope continues undying, regardless of what he's seen. The man has long since given up focusing on any hope other than the boy. The boy, however, focuses outwardly, making compassionate suggestions that oftentimes prove incompatible with safe and cautious survival. Although the boy does not know about or understand the concept of God, he and his father do their best to translate that natural inclination towards the Good upon the most recognizable vehicle before them: each other.

An instant classic, The Road comes highly recommended. It is bleak and depressing throughout. Do not let that deter you. Over a weekend I read this book nervously, always fearing the appearance of some horror worse than the last. In one form or another those things are in there, but eventually you realize you are more concerned about the relationship of love between a man and his son.