The Road - How Does Cormac Mccarthy Entertain His Readership free essay sample

The Road text response How does Cormac McCarthy entertain his readership in his text, The Road? Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road, winner of such highly acclaimed awards such as the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the James Tait Black Memorial Award, is based in the dystopian, post apocalyptic world that is North America. It follows the journey undertaken by a father and son who follow the road from the north to the south of America in search of a warmer climate. However, their journey is not straightforward. The storyline reveals the state of anarchy that society has become, and how the slow but guaranteed demise of the human race has pushed the last remaining people to resort to surviving by any means necessary. All moral and ethical codes are forgotten, as murder, theft and cannibalism are exercised by some. The quality that differentiates the father and son from the other desperate survivors is their unwavering religious beliefs and moral code, which is portrayed in the storyline as them continuing to live as the ‘good guys’. We will write a custom essay sample on The Road How Does Cormac Mccarthy Entertain His Readership or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This theme prevails no matter what problem they may face. An example of this theme used by the author is when the father and son find a fellow survivor near death. Rather than either ignore the man and carry on, or view him as a source of nutrition, they give him a meal and stay with him for the night, giving him comfort, company and warmth with a fire. The writing style that Cormac McCarthy uses is one that is both simplistic and extremely detailed. These styles come together to create descriptive phrases that make the reader feel that they are a part of the masterpiece. McCarthy uses a brilliant mix of figurative language and symbolism, which is the reason that Cormac McCarthy is able to consistently and thoroughly entertain his readership throughout the text. The use of language, and in particular for this novel the figurative language, is always a big gamble with success and failure. The way he conforms his writing with a minimalistic and simplistic manner, yet at the same time grabbing the attention of many is astounding. He portrays horrific settings and encounters that are always very effective in making the reader feel a sense of dread and sadness as if it was something that had happened to them. His use of onomatopoeia and similes is one that is unrivalled and can be seen from the first couple of pages, for example, ‘The Nights dark beyond darkness and the days more gray each one than what had gone before. Like the onset of some cold glaucoma dimming away the world’. I believe this is a very effective use of a simile as it paints a very descriptive picture in a person’s head and is something that can be thought of and even felt by the reader. Another great use of onomatopoeia is when the author uses the line, ‘the slight fizz coming from the can’ as this is something we all know of and can relate to in our real lives. The novel is one that is able to subtly but rather effectively demonstrate many symbolic references throughout that are able to give a real sense of a higher meaning to the words we see before us. The use of religion throughout the novel is an example of how Mr McCarthy used symbolism. This is evident in the way that the father will refer to himself and his son frequently as the people to â€Å"Carry the Flame†, a flame that resembles the salvation of mankind in the form of the son, with him holding close the morals and values that used to make them human but has been evidently lost by others. Another example of symbolism is the use of a single gun to signify hope and salvation. It is in this upside down world that a symbol readily associated with death and devastation is seen as salvation by the father and son, because in this world death is seen as a better option than living. This can be seen with the father often reminding his son of the way to commit suicide in times of desperation, ‘You know what to do, in the mouth, point up, and shoot’. This is a very confronting scene as it demonstrates that even though the father and son have maintained the high moral ground and lived their religious beliefs, they are still victims of the mutating evil that is the world they are trying to escape. The use of themes in the text is something that I believe adds a certain type of diversity, a story that is different from others yet still using themes that are universal and easily relatable. It engages a reader mentally and emotionally, keeping them thinking long after finishing the text and referring it back to their own experiences. The themes of paternal love, good versus evil and environmentalism are themes that not only bring up large debates between people, but cause the reader to question their own beliefs and positions if they were in the same situation. Paternal love is the bond shared between a father and son, a bond that is unique in its qualities and depth of emotion and can not be replicated. In The Road the paternal love between the two main characters is tested and strained, with debate and guidance about how to maintain their religious beliefs despite the woe and misery that surrounds them. Another theme used is the age old battle between good and evil. This battle is played out as between the father and son, and the rest of the world, as well as being within the father and the son themselves. These battles depict good as the underdog, and the constant swaying of strength between good and evil feeding the hope of the reader that the father and son will prevail at the end like the fire drake, rising from the ashes and bringing with it a rebirth. In conclusion, I believe that it is the successful mix of figurative language, symbolism and the use of themes that Cormac McCarthy has used that is the reason behind his ability to continue to entertain his readership throughout the text, The Road. As well as being an entertaining read, the book has profound lessons to teach in relation to the strength of individual moral beliefs and how they influence decision making even in the most dire of circumstances. I leave you with this quote, â€Å"If trouble comes when you least expect it, then maybe the thing to do is expect it. † I think this is a rather interesting idea and that when I think of this, I always have the urge to read the book again.