In The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, a boy and his father are forced to find tactics to stay alive such as “carrying the fire.” By using this phrase, hope is instilled. The father teaches the boy to carry hope inside him. Their fire is the reason they are able to continue on the journey. At the end of the fathers journey, when he is passing, he tells his son, “It’s inside you. It was always there. I can see it” (McCarthy 279) When he says the fire is inside him, he means that the boy holds ambition and belief in his heart. The boy’s fire stems from his compassion and kindness. When he says, “Papa please don’t kill the man” (McCarthhy 256) it shows how caring he is even towards those that have wronged him. Proving that he holds his fire through generosity. …show more content…
He is described as a savior to others. When the man talks about his son, he says, “What if I said that he's a god?” (McCarthy 172) Showing that not only does he ignite hope but is also viewed as a god. Throughout the book, the boy is a source of hope for the man. He is the fuel to his fathers fire. When his son is sick and dying, the man says to himself, “You have to be quick. So you can be with him. Hold him close. Last day of the earth.” (McCarthy 250) By saying this, it becomes evident that the man is not able to continue without the boy in his life. Without the boy, the man would no longer be carrying the fire and no longer wish to