Cormac Mccarthy Religion In The Road

Words: 1573
Pages: 7
Open Document
In the novel The Road, author Cormac McCarthy contrasts the extreme religious belief and doubt that comes as consequence to desperate circumstances, through the unnamed protagonist and his son, as he both blames and relies on God through the harsh experiences on the road. McCarthy, through depressing, lonely diction and hopeless imagery focuses on the evil of the world and then contrasts it with the light of Christ emanating through an innocent child as he acts as the last “beacon of hope” and symbol for the last remaining goodness of mankind, causing his father to treat him as if he was a manifestation of God. The man and the boy travel south in a post-apocalyptic world where fundamental morality is abandoned and degenerate, cannibalistic …show more content…
The boy’s divine relationship with the father furthers McCarthy’s theme about the man’s religious doubt and the son’s role in maintaining the man’s belief in a higher power. In the beginning of the novel, the father believes “if [the boy] is not the word of God God never spoke.”, and that the “child was his warrant”(5), which proves the child to be the last vessel for religion in the world. Although the man and the boy live in the same appalling circumstances, the boy continues to have the virtue of God shining through him, because he knows only of evil and suffering of the apocalyptic world, but always continues to effortlessly radiate light, and symbolize goodness, acting as “God’s own firedrake.” (31) McCarthy expresses the goodness of the boy through the symbolism of “carrying the fire.” The fire the boy is carrying is a symbol for the final bits of goodness and the final light of Christ. The boy is the “golden chalice” of the ashened world and his innocence and purity makes him “good to house a god,”(75) and righteous enough to revive the remaining shreds of humanity and morality in the last days. Not only does carrying the eternal “flames” keep the spark of godliness alive on earth, it also keeps God alive in the mind of the man. The man unavoidably is reminded of the light of christ, being that they are “each the other’s world entire.” (6) of McCarthy accentuates the boy’s innocence through the multiple encounters the man and the boy have on the road. The man finds the “thief” who “stole everything” and forces the hopeless man to “get away from the cart”, and take “every goddamned stitch” of his clothes off. (259) The roles are swiftly reversed when suddenly the man becomes a clear portrayal of how“bad
Show More

Related Documents: Cormac Mccarthy Religion In The Road

Cormac Mccarthy The Road Religion

In Cormac McCarthy’s novel “The Road” religion is a prevalent theme he uses. In a way, he connects the father’s teachings advice and morals to show how the son is a symbolic and religious figure. McCarthy portrays the son character as the light and hope for the desolate society. Throughout the novel the father continuously tells the son that they are the good guys and that they will never succumb to the ways of cannibals just to live. Just like the times of Jesus when he was doing missionary work…

Words 434 - Pages 2

Conrad and Mccarthy Essay

How do Conrad and McCarthy make what’s horrible, so interesting? Both Conrad and McCarthy have a way of enticing the reader to feel somewhat repulsed and horrified yet also intrigued. People have a natural tendency to be morbidly curious, for example we become captivated and cannot look away from horrible car crashes. Psychologists and scientists believe that we tend to look at car accidents because the accident provides the observer with a close encounter without being directly involved. Similarly…

Words 2453 - Pages 10

Symbolism In The Road

events more relatable to readers. In The Road, many symbols are used to describe characters and events throughout the novel. Some of the most important symbols in the novel are biblical ones, and the one that is especially important is the symbol of the savior, portrayed through the boy. There are several examples in the text that justify the suggestion that the boy is indeed a symbol for the savior. In the post-apocalyptic novel The Road, Cormac McCarthy uses the boy as a symbol of the savior, meant…

Words 1022 - Pages 5

Here Follows, By Cormac Mccarthy

“Here Follows” by Ann Bradstreet and “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy share a common theme which is believing in something bigger and better than the circumstances around you. Both pieces were written to reflect two different time periods, yet they both come together to produce the same theme. “Here Follows” was written to be a puritans belief on religion. She believed that everything that happened in her life was happening because it was Gods plan for her. One night, she awakens to her house burning…

Words 657 - Pages 3

Ranavalona I of Madagascar Essay example

The west called her The Female Caligula, but if half what they said is true, he was more a male Ranavalona. This famously cruel ruler of Madagascar ostensibly killed between 30-50% of the entire population during her reign via unspeakable means — yet simultaneously, she kept her country independent, repeatedly defeated the combined forces of the English and French, and instigated one of the first industrial revolutions seen outside of Europe. She, uh, also tried making a giant pair of scissors to…

Words 2178 - Pages 9