Cormac Mccarthy The Road Symbolism

Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road is about a father travelling with his son through a post-apocalyptic world. The various symbols used by McCarthy illustrate the importance of selflessly moving forward, no matter what the circumstances may be. This idea is proven through the symbolism of Coca-Cola and the flute. Firstly, Coca-Cola acts as a symbol of hope -- something that is very needed by the man and the boy. Upon arriving at a supermarket, the man and the boy discovered two soft drink machines. After reaching into the second one, the man “withdrew his hand slowly and sat looking at a Coca-Cola. [...] I want you to drink it” (McCarthy 23). The Coca-Cola in this passage represents hope, as it demonstrates that enduring through difficult times

In addition, the man saying, "I want you to drink it," symbolizes his selflessness, as this may be the last Coca-Cola on earth, yet he still wants the boy to enjoy it. Later on in the novel, as the man and the boy come across a bunker, they find what to them is everything at that time, and finally, “They sat on [a] cot with a checkerboard between them, wearing new sweaters and socks, and swaddled in the new blankets. [The man] hooked up a small gas heater, and they drank Coca-Cola out of plastic mugs” (McCarthy 148). The man and the boy now being able to enjoy Coca-Cola together, as opposed to just the boy, symbolizes how being selfless always pays off. Additionally, the fact that Coca-Colas still exist in the world implies that as they continue to selflessly move forward, they will continue to discover things they imagined were never possible. Secondly, a flute is used to represent the boy's need to let go of his innocence. As the man and the boy woke up, getting ready to take to the road again, the man “carved the boy a flute from a piece of roadside cane, and he took it from his coat and gave it to