Apocalyptic stories fascinate me. Man’s struggle to survive when all is lost holds my imagination. I attribute that to growing up in the 80s when the threat of nuclear war was at its peak and there were dozens of post-apocalyptic tales in book and in the cinema.
I also have a predilection for stories that explore the love between a father and his son. I don’t know whether I’m seeking to consolidate my own childhood experiences or its because Debbie and I are on the cusp of starting a family and I’m trying to weigh up the kind of father I’ll become. Tales and stories from other’s experiences and imaginations may help me shape my expectations; to give me a compass to follow.
I’m sure brief psycho-analysis could find the link between the two genres but in the mean time I was delighted when I come across a tale which combines both elements.
Cormack McCarthy’s “The Road” chronicles the journey of a man and his son as they struggle to survive in a dying world. The fate into which the world has fallen is never fully explained. Everything is dead or dying. Ash and snow fall from the sky to cover what the great fires have destroyed. One can easily imagine a nuclear winter or at least a self-imposed disaster.
If you are new to Cormack McCarthy then the first thing that will strike you is his sharp and sparse writing style. There are no speech marks. There are no apostrophes. There is nothing so bold as a colon or as pompous as semi-colon. This makes the text feel fresh and precise. His intelligence isn’t in multi-syllabic words but in structure and verse. Make no mistake, this is an easy read but it’s a piece of literature that will studied in schools in our own future.
The story picks up a good few years after this disaster. The unnamed man (”Papa) and his unnamed son (”the boy”) are trying to travel south where it may be warmer. There is virtually nothing left; not mankind nor nature. The few scattered people are either emaciated solitary travelers wrapped in stinking, filthy rags delaying their own inevitable death or gangs of men reduced to cannibalism to survive. The infrequent towns and cities are either burned to the ground or scavenged of everything useful.
The tale probes the love the man has for his son. Total and unconditional love. The powerful bond that every man should have for his child. In the bleakness of the dead and the dying the child is the man’s sole light. He tries to shield him from the brutalities of existence and the reality of delaying an inevitable death. Can the man die knowing his son will have to live on alone and without hope?
The man is often haunted by his dreams. Dreams of blue skies and green grass. Dreams of his wife before she took her own life so she couldn’t exist in such a world. The boy is born after the apocalypse and has no knowledge of what the world was like.
The book is intentionally repetitive which builds up the emotional impact of their relationship. McCarthy is at his best when he probes the painful nature of existentialism. He allows his lead character to poetically reflect on many things such as morality:
Do you think that your fathers are watching? That they weigh you in their ledgerbook? Against what? There is no book and your fathers are dead in the ground.
On how to give comfort when there is nothing left to give:
He tried to think of something to say but he could not. He had this feeling before, beyond the numbness and dull despair. The world shrinking down about a raw core of parsible entities. The names of things slowly following those things into oblivion. Colors. The names of birds. Things to eat. Finally the names of things one believe to be true. More fragile than he would have thought. How much was gone already? The scared idiom shorn of its referents and so of its reality. Drawing down like something trying to preserve heat. In time to wink out forever.
On how pointless it is to survive when there’s little hope:
He walked out in the gray light and stood and he saw for a brief moment the absolute truth of the world. The cold relentless circling of the intestate earth. Darkness implacable. The blind dogs of the sun in their running. The crushing black vacuum of the universe. And somewhere two hunted animals trembling like ground-foxes in their cover. Borrowed time and borrowed world and borrowed eyes with which to sorrow it.
And on being stalked by Death:
The black shape of it running from dark to dark. Then a distant low rumble. Not thunder. You could feel it under your feet. A sound without cognate and so without description. Something imponderable shifting out there in the dark. The earth itself contracting with the cold. It did not come again.
What time of year? What age the child? He walked out into the road and stood. The silence. The salitter drying from the earth. The mudstained shapes of flooded cities burned to the waterline. At a crossroads a ground set with dolmen stones where the spoken bones of oracles lay moldering. No sound but the wind. What will you say? A living man spoke these lines? He sharpened a quill with his small pen knife to scribe these things in sloe or lampblack? At some reckonable and entabled moment? He is coming to steal my eyes. To seal my mouth with dirt.
The genius of McCarthy is in his writing. His prose so bleak you can feel the pain through the pages. His efficient description so powerful you can envision every word. A tale to end every tale.
This is an emotionally heavy book with an inevitable ending. There is no plot twist. There is no escape. The beauty isn’t in the plot but in the writing.
One can easily allegorize God and Christ but I think that’s too literal. Certainly the child carries a terrible burden and acts compassionately to those who would harm him but I think that simply displays the innocence of youth. For me, the book is a rite of passage under the most desperate of circumstances. An exploration of living without hope of salvation. Where man’s own destruction all but proves that God cannot exist.
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November 11, 2007 at 4:12 am
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May 29, 2007 at 9:17 pm
Mark P
Good luck on your quest to father-hood.
I am set to become a dad on August the 9th.
It still scares the hell out of me…
May 29, 2007 at 11:09 pm
Debbie
Ooh! One day before my birthday! Congrats!
June 1, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Michael
Ooo, I’m off to Amazon to order this - sounds great. Dunno why, but I’ve got a fascination with end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it stories. I loved Stephen King’s Cell because of that atmosphere, although Cell sounds about 12 billion miles away from what you describe here.
June 1, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Matt Mecham
The first half of Cell was gripping.
The second half was a bit blah. By the time Mr Harvard turned up I’d largely lost interest.
You’ll love The Road. I want to read it again already.
June 6, 2007 at 10:08 am
Brian Richmond
Great piece. Cormac McCarthy is such a great writer. As you know, I have my own father/son issues at present and it looks like this will be a must-read for me. Applying my own - purely subjective - interpretation to it, I can see me and my own little boy moving thru our own death-haunted landscape.
Did you ever read Harry Crews? He’s hard to get hold of but his story ‘Fathers, Sons, Blood’ is amazing.
Here’s a quote from the intro he wrote to an anthology of his stuff that came out a few years ago:
“During that year and a half I was jailed in Glenrock, Wyoming, was beaten in a fair fight by a one-legged Blackfoot Indian on a reservation in Montana; picked tomatoes outside San Francisco; had the hell scared out of me in a YMCA in Colorado Springs, Colorado by a man who thought he was Christ; and made friends in Chihuahua, Mexico with a Mexican Airline Pilot who made a fetish of motorcycle saddlebags.”
June 6, 2007 at 10:49 am
Matt Mecham
Brian - good to see you here.
I actually thought of you while reading this book.
I actually went over to your blog and filled in the comment form asking if you’d read this and if not then to do so. I then decided it was probably a little crass and decided not to post it.
If you’ve not read it, then please do. It’s a painful book to read but then you only learn something new when pushed to the extreme.
I’ll have to see if I can track down that book, it sounds great.
June 19, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Richard
The book is even better if you listen to the books on tape unabridged version. I am in the process of listening now and it is my 1st McCarthy book, are his other books as gret as this one?
The narrator alos has a voice that ties right into the “beautiful sorrow of death and inevitability” found in this book. It is a treasure.
Richard
June 20, 2007 at 10:32 am
Matt Mecham
I’ve just finished reading “No Country For Old Men” which I may blog about…
June 20, 2007 at 1:52 pm
shermin
All I can say,is that this book rough tears to my eyes,a best read in a long time,the love and passsion of survival is so intense that I could bear the bleakness of the setting McCarthy created in “The Road” ,with courage.I felt nurtured,more grown and more of a believer in this seemingly back to front world.
Shermin
June 21, 2007 at 2:32 am
Bill Vaughn
There’s nothing new under the sun. Much of the narrative ground for The Road was covered in Walter Tevis’ lost novel, Mockingbird, and a gazillion cheesy science fiction movies from the 50s and 60s. The dystopic march through the charred landscape is old literary news, and McCarthy has brought nothing novel to this well-worn road. A better read by far is Richard Ford’s Lay of the Land. And for pure end-of-days fun nothing beats Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake.
June 21, 2007 at 8:51 am
Matt Mecham
Bill, I think you’ve missed the point of the novel.
The book is about the love and compassion under the most extreme of circumstances. The journey through a post apocalyptic landscape is more of a scene setter than theme for the novel.
I will get hold of those books, though. The end of the world is such fun.
June 27, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Michael
Brilliant - I had forgotten I’d ordered this book. But, I got a nice surprise last night when I opened the Amazon package that I thought contained only my GF’s birthday presents - The Road was in there too!
July 2, 2007 at 5:43 pm
Michael
It was good. In fact, it was the saddest book I’ve ever read. At least, the ending was. There was a sentence at one point that used the words ‘instance’ and ‘class’ - you must have loved that!
But, you know, fancy experiencing an ice-cold Coca-Cola for the first time - wonderful.
July 5, 2007 at 12:23 am
Steve
I too have kind of an obsession with apocalyptic themes, and found this book very enjoyable. I think my interest in “end of the world” themes began when I read “On the Beach” by Nevil Schute years ago. If you haven’t read it, I strongly suggest anyone who enjoyed reading “The Road”, to read that as well. I also have a four year old daughter, and books that have a strong parent-child bond running through them seem to really hit me hard.
This was my first Mccarthy book, but I definitely intend to read more.
July 10, 2007 at 9:22 pm
Kim
For the first time in years I sat and read a book cover to cover this past weekend. First time McCarthy reader but it certainly won’t be the last one. I am a post-apocalyptic lit fan and have been since I, too, read Shute’s On The Beach as a teen. The sheer hopelessness of the situation contrasting with the incredible love the people share in both novels brings me to my knees. I also loved The Stand. Your review was beautifully done.
July 23, 2007 at 1:31 pm
Joann
Finished reading THE ROAD, and just finished reading the comments here. For me, this book and the scenario vividly shows there is a God, as the underground room that the Father found was filled with all the things he and his son needed most at the moment, and they were able to survive with the provisions of food and clothing, warmth, etc. that was found in this room…..Another reason to believe that God exists and provides was, at the exact time the Father died, a “good” survivor, not one of the bad people, showed up to take the “son” of the dead man with him, to provide for and protect. God still works for His own, even in times of absolute struggle and need.
July 31, 2007 at 5:23 pm
Anonymous
I also Just finished reading it in a single sitting without putting it down, which is something I rarely do. I thorughly enjoyed, the style of the prose, the rich vocabulary and the thematic strands of both the hopelessness and the ongoing love between father and son. Having my Own son only slightly older than “the boy” it is easy to relate to the need “the father” has to protect and care for him……The greatest gift from father to son was to insure that amid what appeared to be utter futility that the boy must go on - Why? Because he carried the light, you may pass on nothing else, but if you can teach that you have done something worthwhile.
August 10, 2007 at 4:16 am
Barb
I just finished reading this book and also enjoyed it. A pleasant surprise. I really enjoyed your review. It is beautifully written. Here’s mine:
Life after John Grisham: Suprise read - THE ROAD by Cormack McCarthy
September 12, 2007 at 2:28 am
JD
For all of you who are reading McCarthy for the first time - I would suggest some older stuff. Blood Meridian is fantastic, as well as Suttree. These are not easy reads, but well worth the effort. The language in these novels is incredible, and the writing is impeccable. McCarthy is quite “Faulknerian”, but also embodies a Flannery O’Connor like use of the grotesque in his characters. The notable difference between McCarthy and O’Connor being that McCarthy does not include the chance at redemption for his characters that O’Connor inevitably did.
November 2, 2007 at 2:54 pm
Chekov
I’m sorry to say it, but McCarthy’s writing irritates the hell out of me. The lack of punctuation certainly does not make his prose precise. The opposite is the case. What really, really rankles more than anything else, is the use of nouns as verbs (which clearly he thinks is highly innovative). If I read about one more pair of “oaring” arms or “glassing” the valley, I’m going to throw the overrated piece of dross out a train window.
November 2, 2007 at 3:06 pm
Matt Mecham
Poetry is art, not the result of the science or structure of the written word.
November 6, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Chekov
Firstly Matt, at the risk of seeming too much of a tired old literalist, McCarthy’s novel is prose, not poetry and therein lays the problem. In an attempt to conjure a lyrical medium for his rather derivative dystopia, McCarthy reverts to this irksome, windy attempt at prose poetry. His sentences are at best inelegant.
I haven’t read McCarthy before, but I’ve read plenty of this type of dystopian novel which flirts with being categorised as science fiction but attempts to transcend that. The Road is a passable attempt, but ultimately it is just too reminiscent of too many other better realised worlds and the dissection of the father / son relationship isn’t sufficient to elevate the novel beyond this.
Compare this novel to Updike’s Toward the End of Time, where he produces a distinctly original world and writes with 10 times the lyricism that McCarthy can muster, despite not resorting to flatulent gimmicks in his prose.
December 6, 2007 at 1:36 am
jay
Chekov, this is a piece of art. Its OK not to like it but I thought it was genius and I’m a picky reader. This realized world has no hope for humanity yet they still have hope and some have God still in spite of dismal outcome.
I consider him a living literary legend and his body of work will be studied for many decades to come.
December 6, 2007 at 1:47 am
jay
The novel to me was a profoundly stirring tale of parent/child love and the sacrifices we should be ready to make for the ones we bring in to the world.
I am a big tough guy and I woke my wife up crying at the end because I bought in to the concept of the genuine father /son love relationship and how truly beautiful it is. I have two sons and wondered if the lack of a name for the father is because I should insert my own there and do my damn best to love my boys like that.
January 12, 2008 at 4:02 am
Kirk
The Road made my blood run cold. I love it when a novel does that for me.
Thank you Mr. Mc Carthy!
January 22, 2008 at 7:52 pm
hk
My first McCarthy, and i cannot put it down, despite the “darkness”.the lack of punctuation did fritz me somewhat, but will definitely recommend this book
February 8, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Dangelli
I just finished reading this book and it was really an emotional journey especially as it relates to the boy who knows nothing of the past and is very doubtful of the future that lies ahead and the fathers journey know his days are numbered and there is little or nothing he can do to shield the boy from the impending days ahead. First McCarthy novel … it makes me wonder how he came up with such an idea … where in the depths of the human are such thoughts conjured up? it takes a serious thinker to come up with such a spell binding piece of work expression hope when things seem so desolate ….
February 11, 2008 at 2:22 am
Mike
First time McCarthy reader myself. Wow. The Road! Finished it in one sitting, and I rarely do that as well. I really like the style of the book. Short sentences and paragraphs. I was reminded of Charles Bukowski. Just in the style.
I felt strange after reading it, and still feel strange two days later. Comforatably strange though. What an experience!
February 26, 2008 at 3:59 am
nmc
Oh my is it sad. He must have experienced a lot of emotional pain some time in his life. It’s very good thus far. A little difficult to read at times. I have to reread some paragraphs to understand what he meant.
February 26, 2008 at 8:43 pm
paulos
i dont like it. too fake.
March 6, 2008 at 9:49 pm
maurice
I read this book on a week long business trip to Vegas, some irony in that juxtaposition for sure, and I have never sobbed so much in public in my life. The story is absolutely haunting. In between reading sessions the book sat on my hotel nightstand and every time I walked by I would look at the book and a knot would form in my stomach. I have NEVER cared for characters in a book as much as I cared for these two. My heart broke with every paragraph.
It has been several weeks since reading it and it still invades my daily life. Thoughts of the hardship, the love, the despair and finally, my lack of religious faith. How would my choices expose them selves in a similar situation, would I have the strength and grace to carry the fire…
March 14, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Colin
I too so loved this story. Thanks for the writings Matt. “The man is often haunted by his dreams. Dreams of blue skies and green grass.” This was a particularly interesting part of the book, the way good dreams meant bad things and vice-versa. Anyway, I recorded an album for the RPM Challenge (rpmchallenge.com) and the third song on the thing is about the road. You can get it here:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EVJ1RR6D
April 6, 2008 at 11:38 pm
Frans
Just spent a weekend reading ‘The Road’ starting with a literal hangover from Friday and ending with a rhetorical hangover from the book Sunday morning. A harrowing read, but I am not convinced it truly captures the authentic bindings between Father and Son. The son was too questioning of his father, the father too permissive of his son. The desolation of the journey and the hopeless goal does not speak of ultimate love. It does speak of our futile attempts to preserve our destiny in the face of insurmountable odds, and pass on such hopelessness to prodigy in an effort to get it right somehow. Enjoy it nevertheless, a classic read.
June 24, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Ellie
I am partway through the book and loved reading your review. I am utterly depressed and engulfed in the book at the moment. I am torn between regret in having picked it up and appreciation of reading a modern day classic.
August 9, 2008 at 2:33 am
Manny
Matt, you accurately described my very own sentiments about this classic work. I have a four year-old son that I often thought of while navigating this novel. Even with all the books and films to date, it is rare for me to starkly imagine survival in such impossibly but realistically dire circumstances presented in “The Road.” The audio version, as movingly and convincingly narrated by Tom Stechschulte, heightens the experience. The movie version comes out in November 2008, and a 12-year old actor plays “the boy,” whom I rendered to be an 8-year old. Initial reviews indicate faithfulness to the book but I will not be surprised if it fails to capture and convey McCarthy’s images, fears, dilemnas, and hopes.