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Symbolism In The Road Mccarthy

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The Road: McCarthy’s Masterpiece
In recent years, people have started to question the life expectancy of the world. The Mayans predicted the world would end in 2012. Since the world is obviously unharmed, people are left wonder what will happen in the future. Cormac McCarthy explores the mysteries of a post-apocalyptic world in his novel The Road. Published in 2006, the novel tells the story of a father and his son struggling to survive in the harsh, gray world after the “incident.” McCarthy is recognized in articles and books such as Concise Major 21st Century Writers for his dark themes, excellent style, and vivid use of imagery. Readers and critics agree that Cormac McCarthy uses symbolism and characterization in The Road to show the strength …show more content…

McCarthy presents contrasting opinions on God throughout The Road. The author’s thoughts on God’s existence are not a main idea of the novel. McCarthy merely mentions God in passing thoughts or in small conversations with the boy. About a fourth of the way through the novel The Man uses God to reason with The Boy: “My job is to take care of you. I was appointed to do that by God” (77). McCarthy uses direct characterization to convey the many contrasting ideas about God to his audience. The author primarily uses The Man’s thoughts and dialogue to contemplate the actuality of God. In the beginning of the novel The Man states that he does not believe in God because a God would not let people live in such terrible conditions. The only instances The Man speaks of God in a positive manner is when he is talking to his son. The Man leaves the question of God’s existence open, so his son can form his own opinion. God is a symbol of hope for what the world might have in store for the young boy after he dies. McCarthy’s writing causes readers to get mixed signals because he presents differing ideas about the existence of God. One page The Man is praying to God and then the next page The Man is refuting God’s existence. McCarthy uses writing to explore the different theories about the afterlife and God. In a New Yorker review, Robert Coles compares McCarthy to ancient Greek dramatists

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