Examples Of Innocence In Cormac Mccarthy The Road

A Child’s Innocence in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road When violence ravages the face of the earth, millions of innocent people lose hope in humanity as a whole. Children die as wars are fought over land and resources and riches. However, among the bloodshed and conflict, there always seems to be a moral yearning for concord. In The Road, Cormac McCarthy explores the role of these rare peace mongers in an post-apocalyptic world that is kill-or-be-killed. In a world where human decency is no more, a man questions his strict philosophies and principles even as cannibals and thieves run amuck on the road he travels with his young son. McCarthy suggests that with a headstrong determination to protect the children’s innocence and purity, human morality

When the man and the boy leave behind the trapped people in the cellar, the boy becomes confused and anxious, asking his father for confirmation on statements such as “we couldnt help them because then they’d eat us” and “that’s why we couldnt help them” (McCarthy 127). The way the boy asks the man for reassurance after each sentence displays the boy’s unclear comprehension and discomfort with leaving the people behind to be eaten by the cannibals. When the boy brings up the situation again, the boy ensures that “[they’re] the good guys” (McCarthy 129). After the man reinforces the assertion, only then can the boy leave behind the topic and move on. The fact that the boy must establish that he and the man remain the “good guys” after failing to save others substantiates the argument the boy holds a moral compass that the other characters in the novel does

When the man and the boy discover the empty house and take advantage of the abundance of food left behind, the idea of stealing the food troubles the boy. The man confirms the boy’s questions, reassuring him “it’s okay for us to take it… [because] they would want us to… it’s okay” (McCarthy 139-140). Through the man’s words, the boy learns the necessity of stealing from the dead: the dead no longer have need for the nourishment while they, the living, need the food for basic survival. Regardless, the thought of stealing defies the boy’s innocence and morality, as he utters a