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Narrative Voice In John Gardner's 'The Road'

630 Words3 Pages

Prisha Mitra
Mrs. Broe
ENG2DB-02
20 November 2015
The Road: A Guide for Analysis
Narration/Conflict
What is your novel’s narrative voice? (first-person; third-person, limited POV; third-person, omniscient POV)
The Road is narrated in third-person omniscient POV.
Consider the implications of this narrative voice (bias, etc.)
Third person omniscient POV gives McCarthy the ability to escape the “claustrophobia” of a single POV and expands the capacity of a deeper understanding. Not only are readers able to get inside the minds of multiple characters and dig deeper into their emotions and relationships, but we move away from the limited train of thoughts because every character will tell a story differently. We are able to see past the singular train of thoughts and observe how multiple characters interpret and react to the situation at hand. An advocate for this point of view names John Gardner says, “In the authorial omniscient, the writer speaks as, in effect, God. He sees into all his characters’ hearts and minds, presents all positions with justice and detachment, occasionally dips into the third person …show more content…

Describe while considering the implications of this choice.
The Road’s narrative is written in a disjointed narration. With the use of flashbacks and time-altering devices, this technique portrays stories of when the man and the boy had lived in a better life. This provides readers with a juxtaposition between the old life they had experienced previously, compared to the conditions they are facing now. Personal growth or innocence lost are the most common uses of this technique; however, The Road used this technique to shows the man and the boy’s long journey of misery and degradation.
Describe the primary or initial conflict in this novel. What type of conflict is it? (Person vs. Self, Person, Nature, Society Technology or Mr. Wood’s, “Machine”)
What other conflicts are present in your novel so

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