Cormac Mccarthy wrote "The Road" in 2006. It is a piece of post-apocalyptic fiction, which deals with the horrors of human life in the wake of nuclear fallout. McCarthy does not spare the gore or horrifying scenes throughout this novel and as a result, it leaves the readers questioning human choice and existence.
The horrors of surviving in post nuclear war are explored.
"The Road" centers on a boy and his father and their attempts to survive in this new ashen world. The world is described as an empty place full of violence, cannibalism and death.
The natural landscapes no longer surround them save for the ebb and flow of the vast ocean. Humanity has crumbled and the depictions of the desperate acts committed against one another are stomach churning. The horrors of this world include feasting on babies, locking humans in a basement and culling them for food and, leaving a weak old man to starve and die. This novel is not for the lighthearted and the character of the boy, no older than ten years old, growing up in this horrible place is psychologically mind numbing.
The horrible realities of the world create a new kind of father-son relationship
From the onset, this novel surrounds the struggles of a father to keep his son safe in this life threatening world.
The boy, an innocent soul, is described as the good in the world. His morals are in line with the morals of the world prior to the nuclear disaster. However, this is something that the father rules against. In a world where it is dangerous to even sleep, the father is harsh with his son about their reality. A new kind of relationship is created between them where the boy unknowingly becomes his father's reason for living.
There are times when the father wonders if it would be better to kill his son and spare him from the horrors surrounding them. However, he finds that he is not strong enough to do this, especially in the wake of losing his wife, and instead becomes the boy's protector, promising that as long as he lives the boy will live. The boy's innocence and questions about the world is heart-wrenching for his father putting a strain on the father's sanity.
The relationship, which is supposed to keep the father alive is also slowly killing him.
"The Road" was made into a film adaptation in 2009 with Viggo Mortensen appearing as the man and Kodi Smit-McPhee as the boy. However, if one wants the true experience of McCarthy's vision of "The Road" the novel is a must read. This dark and gruesome novel will leave one questioning the very nature of humanity while guiding the reader towards the light with the character of the boy.
