Good And Evil In Cormac Mccarthy's The Road

The line between good and evil is often blurred, even more so in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. ‘The Road’ is a horrible beauty about a man and his son’s journey to the coast. In this post-apocalyptic world, everything that once was is no more and everything that was once known is questioned. Does the small difference between life and death tip the balance of good and evil? Can some evil doings be justified and even be considered as good? In this world of conflict, the answer is not so clear. Is the man who commits murder to protect his son any different from the man who eats a person to save himself from hunger? In a world of survival, why is a man who is only trying to survive branded as evil? The man constantly assures his son that they

The man and his son are the ‘good guys’ easily distinguished from the ‘bad guys’: those on the other side of the line, the evil, the thieves, murderers and cannibals. But however different they may be, the father does stumble on the line that supposedly separates good and evil.

Although his father teeters along the line of good and evil, the boy is undoubtedly good. He doesn’t understand the need to hurt others in any circumstance, even when they are a threat to his survival. He not only pleads for the life of a thief but also wants to help him. The boy does not stumble the thin line separating good and evil but rather, he does not even see the line. Too good to truly understand that a small evil is sometimes necessary. But is his goodness good or a danger to their survival? Readers are left wondering where they stand on the scale of good and evil. There is an awareness that the line is thin and given certain circumstances, we might find ourselves on the wrong side. The story shows readers how the balance of good and evil is easily tipped and the difference is not so clear. Cormac McCarthy’s ‘The Road’ offers no comfort or reassurance but is a beautiful enchantment of wisdom, love and