Cormac's work often dramatizes the
opposition between good and evil, with evil sometimes emerging
triumphantly. What does The Road ultimately suggest about
good and evil? Which force seems to have greater power in the novel?
(200 words)
It suggests good will triumph, because in the last chapter the boy gets picked up by the few good people left. There was evil in the story, but it was mostly people just trying to keep themselves alive. This text actually seems to be more optimistic given the ending compared to other texts by the same author, such as No Country for Old Men and Blood Meridian. Although the grim, dystopic future explored in The Road clearly presents a dog-eat-dog world where the strong prey on the weak for survival, at the same time the way that the father and his son manage to survive against all the odds, and in many ways act as a force for good, indicates that this novel, at least, supports the supremacy of good against evil. This is shown with the repeated exhortation of the father to his son to "keep the fire" and the way that after the father's death, the boy connects with "one of the good guys" The man pulled back the hood from his face. His hair was long and matted. He looked at the sky. As if there were anything there to be seen. He looked at the boy. Yeah, he said. I'm one of the good guys. The way that the boy finds a family he can be part of and where he will be loved and protected seems to indicate hope, which is captured in the symbol of the fire, that the boy is told to keep burning and to keep hold of in his spirit. Even though the text ends without a secure "happy ending," there is enough hope to give the reader the impression that the forces of good are still greater than the forces of evil in this text, and despite the significant doubts that remain over the boy's future, there is enough hope to in turn give the reader hope about what will happen to him.
Cormac McCarthy has made it very clear that there are certain aspects of "evil" in The Road: the Bloodcults, or cannibals, have a very profound effect on the personalities of the characters. The father and his son are constantly in fear of their lives being taken by these cannibals. They discover in an intact mansion that these monsters kidnap and keep sick people in a cellar beneath the floorboards. We know in reality that these acts are considered inhumane, and logically, evil.
In contrast to the Bloodcults, the man and his son are willing to do whatever it takes to survive. Early on in the book, the man shoots a cannibal in the head when his son is attacked. A common belief is that no wrong is done at the cost of family; meaning if you steal a piece of bread, unless your family is starving you will be condemned to severe punishment. Regardless of evading the cannibals, the man and the boy seek what food they can and suffer. The boy constantly wonders if they are starving to death and questions his father whether or not they will start eating people too. His father continually tells him that they are the "good guys" and that they "carry the fire".
When these groups of characters come together, Cormac not only emphasizes that the good guys always come out on top (sometimes very close encounters when they barely get out alive) but he makes the reader believe that the good guys will prevail even at some costs. We assume the father is dying, but it will not mean that the boy gives up and stops "carrying the fire". I firmly believe that the good guys will always come out on top. The cannibals believe they have nothing to lose, which makes them reckless. The boy and the man will not give up easily.
It suggests good will triumph, because in the last chapter the boy gets picked up by the few good people left. There was evil in the story, but it was mostly people just trying to keep themselves alive. This text actually seems to be more optimistic given the ending compared to other texts by the same author, such as No Country for Old Men and Blood Meridian. Although the grim, dystopic future explored in The Road clearly presents a dog-eat-dog world where the strong prey on the weak for survival, at the same time the way that the father and his son manage to survive against all the odds, and in many ways act as a force for good, indicates that this novel, at least, supports the supremacy of good against evil. This is shown with the repeated exhortation of the father to his son to "keep the fire" and the way that after the father's death, the boy connects with "one of the good guys" The man pulled back the hood from his face. His hair was long and matted. He looked at the sky. As if there were anything there to be seen. He looked at the boy. Yeah, he said. I'm one of the good guys. The way that the boy finds a family he can be part of and where he will be loved and protected seems to indicate hope, which is captured in the symbol of the fire, that the boy is told to keep burning and to keep hold of in his spirit. Even though the text ends without a secure "happy ending," there is enough hope to give the reader the impression that the forces of good are still greater than the forces of evil in this text, and despite the significant doubts that remain over the boy's future, there is enough hope to in turn give the reader hope about what will happen to him.
ReplyDeleteCormac McCarthy has made it very clear that there are certain aspects of "evil" in The Road: the Bloodcults, or cannibals, have a very profound effect on the personalities of the characters. The father and his son are constantly in fear of their lives being taken by these cannibals. They discover in an intact mansion that these monsters kidnap and keep sick people in a cellar beneath the floorboards. We know in reality that these acts are considered inhumane, and logically, evil.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast to the Bloodcults, the man and his son are willing to do whatever it takes to survive. Early on in the book, the man shoots a cannibal in the head when his son is attacked. A common belief is that no wrong is done at the cost of family; meaning if you steal a piece of bread, unless your family is starving you will be condemned to severe punishment. Regardless of evading the cannibals, the man and the boy seek what food they can and suffer. The boy constantly wonders if they are starving to death and questions his father whether or not they will start eating people too. His father continually tells him that they are the "good guys" and that they "carry the fire".
When these groups of characters come together, Cormac not only emphasizes that the good guys always come out on top (sometimes very close encounters when they barely get out alive) but he makes the reader believe that the good guys will prevail even at some costs. We assume the father is dying, but it will not mean that the boy gives up and stops "carrying the fire". I firmly believe that the good guys will always come out on top. The cannibals believe they have nothing to lose, which makes them reckless. The boy and the man will not give up easily.