Cormac McCarthy's use of imagery in the last paragraph of The Road creates this sense of contrast between the natural world and the post-apocalyptic landscape that the characters must navigate. The brook trout are described, with their polished and muscular bodies, vermiculate patterns, and white edges of their fins that wimple softly in the flow. However, the powerful imagery also conveys a sense of profound loss, suffering, and hopelessness.
McCarthy's description of the trout's patterns as "maps of the world in its becoming" (287), emphasizes the connection of all living things and the fact that everything in nature has a purpose and place in the world. The sensory details of the trout's “smell of moss in your hand” (287) and texture create an image in the reader's mind that emphasizes the beauty and complexity of the natural world that has been lost in the novel's setting. The loss suggests that there is no hope for redemption or salvation and that the only response is to keep moving forward, as seen by the image of the trout moving down the stream.
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He also describes the deep glens as being "older than man and humming of mystery” (287). This description conveys a sense of timelessness as if the glens possess a spiritual or supernatural quality. The personification in this description further emphasizes the mystery and wonder of these deep glens, emphasizing the fact that they are not simply backdrops, but key parts of the natural world. The imagery of the glens reinforces the theme of the importance of nature in The Road. Throughout the novel, the man and the boy constantly hide in glens on the side of The Road to hide from “the bad