Destination Unknown

Hello blog readers! It's that time of the year again when blogging comes back in full force. This new blog is going to follow my journey as I read and analyze the novel The Road, written by Cormac McCarthy. 

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As a new reader of McCarthy, I didn't know what to expect going into his novel. I have never read any of his work or heard much about him from friends or family. However, the little plot summary I read on the internet drew me into the novel instantly. The Road follows the journey of a man and a boy, later discovered as father and son, who are traveling across a ruined United States. In this dystopian world, the United States and the rest of the planet have been burned and destroyed. Ash covers much of the land and all the animals are essentially dead. All that remains are scattered groups of humans corrupt with violence. As the man and boy travel South in search of food, water, and warmer weather, they encounter many challenges. Although, most of their challenges in the first fourth of the novel involve the need for basic human necessities. 

After reading the first few pages, I am immediately hooked. The author has a unique sense of style, where he emits most of the plot from the readers. His short paragraphs with direct sentences frame the story without giving much detail. This style of writing emphasizes the importance of each sentence as the reader has little information to dissect. Despite his bare minimum writing style, the love the man and the boy share for one another is evident. In a way, his minimalist style emphasizes the relationship between the two characters. For example, Cormac McCarthy doesn’t use quotation marks making the speaker bare and stripped to nothingness. The simple, unembellished statements and questions in which the two characters converse give the reader a clear sense of tenderness and devotion between the father and son. This can be seen when the son asks the father,

“What is it, Papa?” The father answers, “Morels. It’s morels.’ 

‘What’s morels?’

‘They’re kind of mushroom.’ 

‘Can you eat them?’ 

‘Yes. Take a bite” (34). 

The innocent questions and simple answers eliminate the background noise. The direct sentences the author creates allows for the character's raw emotions to be shown. Wordy sentences can often overshadow the emotions of the characters. Short, concise sentences, however, focus the attention of the readers on the meaning of each word. 

As I stated above, I have only read the first fourth of the novel. Most of this section follows the boy and the man as they travel along the road. Throughout this section, they search for food and warmer weather despite the extreme conditions. The author’s use of detached diction in this section showcases the extreme conditions as well as their intense determination for survival. For instance, following the river the man and the boy

“...[walk] out through the woods. The light [is] failing. They [follow] the flats along the upper river among huge dead trees. A rich southern wood that once held may-apple and pipsissewa. Ginseng. The raw dead limbs of the rhododendron twisted and knotted and black” (34). 

This passage encompasses much of what the book is about. The detached diction the author uses showcases the barren atmosphere.  Words like “failing,” “huge dead trees,” and “raw dead limbs” provide a somber description of their setting while expressing their dire situation. The simple vocabulary also showcases the author's detached voice and raw feelings. 

Furthermore, McCarthy, as I am learning, loves to be unique in his writing style. Not only does he have limited punctuation and no chapters, but he switches into flashbacks without warning. One minute the speaker will be in the present, and the next he is remembering his dead wife. Usually, this happens at night when the man has a minute to rest physically and mentally. For instance, as the man lays in the dark he dreams of the past where he says to his wife 

“We’re survivors.” 

‘Survivors?’ she said. 

‘Yes.’

‘What in God’s name are you talking about? We’re not survivors. We’re the walking dead in a horror film” (47).  

Instead of remembering a happier moment, he dreams of the night she killed herself. The quote later goes on to describe her trouble accepting their fate and her decision to die. This flashback gives us insight into the man's past as well as showcase his true dedication to his son. Instead of taking the “easier” road and killing himself, he chooses to fight for survival. By writing the novel out of chronological order, McCarthy is expressing the importance of the present. The past only serves to cause the man pain as he cannot recreate what is lost. Focusing on the present is the only way they can survive day-to-day. Remembering the past will only serve to showcase their grim future. And their future as foreshadowed throughout this section is very grim. 

Thank you all for reading this post. Tune in next week to learn more about their journey along the road.