The Road Review

War in American Culture: Third Writing Assignment.

A review of The Road, by Cormac McCarthy.

The Road is a grim harrowing tale set in a gray, dying world. An unnamed man and his son journey along the road through a burned ashy land south to the coast where they hope to find something better. Starvation and exposure threaten every step of the way. Large bands of cannibals travel the road searching for food and slaves. Packs of road agents wait in ambush to rob and murder the weak and unwary. The novel conveys the idea that life is hopeless. It is bleak, depressing and horrific the whole way through. However this serves to make the relationship between the man and his son and their journey all the more vital. Even when the situation is hopeless, we find hope in our next generation and that hope sustains us day after day. And you must also be willing to fight to keep that hope alive. The novel convincingly illustrates this philosophy via the unending struggles that plague the protagonists through their entire pilgrimage.

The novel is aptly titled. Not a page goes by where the road is not mentioned. It is indeed the road that they travel on. They travel on the remnants of a huge network of roads that connected civilization. But the road is more than the surface they tread on, it is their only constant companion besides each other. It is constantly on their minds, no decision can be made without consulting the road. If they build a fire, can it be seen from the road? “ If they make camp, do they have a good view of the road in both directions? It brings them safety, food, terror and chaos in equal measure. I believe the author chose the title because it is artifact they travel on, the only remnant of a shattered civilization. The road is both a static character and an antagonist during our protagonists’ journey.

The principle protagonists are the man and the boy, his son. They are never named. The man’s primary motivation is exemplified in the opening words of...