week 15: Cormac McCarthy's The Road

The style of this novel makes it difficult to read (there are few commas and punctuation in general, nor is the dialogue seperated from the text and there are no chapters or other break signifier) but enhances the novel at the same time. McCarthy writes in a very primitive style writing that, paired with the content of the text, gives the impression of hasty journal entries. The reader is placed into the desperation of the situation by the very rawness fo the writing style itself. The overall effect is creepy and truly sends the reader into the world of the novel. In a time where all hope seems lost who wants to spend time writing correctly?

Another effect of the writing style is to blend the sense of time, place and event into one general action. With no separation of chapters the readers feels as though he is trudging along the road along with the father and the son. Time holds no real place in this novel, the only importance is the events.

Another way that McCarthy emphasizes this is the lack of separation between text and conversation. The readers feels as though conversation with other human beings is almost impossible in this post apocalyptic environment. In fact the novel gives the reader a sense of desperation that intertwines with the growing insanity of the characters. One doesn't know if the characters are actually talking to another being or if they are talking to themselves.

When looking at the actual storyline of the novel, the most interesting element is the contrast between the father's lack of real faith and the son's innocent and almost destructive faith. The father, as the last remains of the pre-apocalyptic world, hopes to only save his son. He battles with his own death and the death of his ideals daily. While the father seems to be stubbornly hanging onto his dying ideals, the son has learned nothing but these ideals.

By being born into this dead world the son knows no other way of life. The son has taken what his father has taught him and has decided to truly beleive in it. Since he has nothing to compare his current situation to, he takes what his father falsely believes and applies it to his environment. In this time and place though helping others can very likely get you killed or worse.

This novel illustrates not just the death of old ideals, but really the death of the beleif in those ideals. The end of the novel illustrates that there is possibly still hope left for those that will beleive in it, while the father dies of his desperation.