Symbolism In The Road By Cormac Mccarthy

The Road by Cormac McCarthy develops themes through its characters. The main characters of the novel are both are close although they have contrasting personalities. The use of dialogue along with literary elements to pushes forward the developing theme. McCarthy develops a theme of self-preservation versus altruism. McCarthy portrays the man threw the novel as a symbol of self-preservation due to the fact that he will only fight for his son as well as himself, never for others. "Their birth in grief and ashes. So, he whispered to the sleeping boy. I have you" (54) it will not matter what kind of outcome McCarthy will always choose to protect given the choice. “What if I said he was a God?” (172) McCarthy characterizes the boy as holy and

The boy has the desire to lend a hand to everyone they can; for example, the man they came across, “. . . give him something to eat.” (163) to the man that, “ . . . looks like a pile of rags fallen off a cart.” (162). this simile in the novel also contributes to the imagery of the environment including the hardships of this post-apocalyptic world. His innocence contributes to the altruism, “Do you want to die? . . . I dont care. . .” (85) McCarthy places the boy in a possible situation that would put himself in knowing danger to help another and consequently leaving this father. McCarthy has also shown his caring nature by having the boy always persisting to split anything equally, “Now you . . .”(100) McCarthy is having them both be considered equals. The boys does not yearn to be behind the gun, “I dont want the gun.” (70) because there is an association that people who kill others are considered terrible people. Trying to always find the value in people McCarthy uses the motif of “Carrying the fire.”(283) to symbolize that there is still hope and a path through the chaos. As The Road progresses the is a shift around the end the novel where the boy matures and loses the innocence he posses because he is exposed to harsh images like, “. . . charred human enfant headless and gutted . . .” along with “ . . . huddled against the wall were naked people . . . a man with his leg gone . . . the