The Road

Have you read "The Road?" It's a book that merits some discussion.

Cormac McCarthy creates a nearly lifeless post-apocalyptic world of burnt ash and destruction, and amid the desolation, explores the beauty of a father-son relationship and the essence of what it means to be human. His book poses a couple of problems directed at the morality of this generation, which are more than troubling: the nature of man’s relationship to nature, God, others . . . and how one can live through the hopelessness of desolation.

To be honest, the book became a bit tedious, but the author’s goal is to lead the reader through continuous strife as the man and his boy sought life day after day. Ah, isn’t that what life feels like sometimes? It’s definitely not a feel good story, but nonetheless a vital one that carries much weight. I started feeling ashy by the end of this one.

I had some thoughts about this book, and they won’t go away:

Amid the chaos and destruction, why is there no innovation, no attempt to rebuild? Is Cormac saying that there’s nothing worthwhile in our culture and society to rebuild?
Where is man’s refuge from the evil of the world, if it can no longer be found in the placid environs of nature?
How can man relate to God in the midst of suffering?
Why does hope never die?

Also, good and evil: the man defines “good” by the behavior he does not do, rather than by the positive actions he takes. For example, the father and son agree that they will never resort to cannibalism, because that’s what bad people do; however, the son points out that they are not helping others--feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. In fact, their lack of compassion leads to death for others, which the son points out. This parallel between the rule of law and the law of love is one to be explored further, but it’s a hint about what McCarthy is getting at with this story.

Is he concerned about leaving the destroyed and decayed world to the next generation; the guilt of having children and not leaving the world a better place? Have we not learned love and gratitude in all things, by destroying the world and focusing on survival above all else? What is the legacy we are leaving for future generations?

Where does God reside? The man seems to be cursing God for his abandonment in the burnt wasteland, while the spirit of God continues to live in humanity in the soul of the child, who has no recollection of the world before it has been destroyed. Is this a messianic story exploring the hope of renewal and restoration because of the birth of a child? God also resides in the hope that senselessly drives the man toward a better place. This hope is all that he has, yet he is cursed by it.

Because we have not loved each other well . . . we have destroyed the world. What legacy will we leave our children?