Morality in The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Added on 2023-05-30
7 Pages1723 Words277 Views
|
|
|
Name
Professor
Course
Date
Morality in The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The novel, The Road by Cormac McCarthy tells a story of a man and his son who
try to escape the horror of a nuclear catastrophe that left all animals and plans extinct
and ashes falls from the sky leaving the ground dry, burned and unproductive. The
duo follows a road hoping that they will reach the coast where they will get a better
life. They are however forced to overcome various challenges including sickness,
starvation and threat of attacks from thieves and cannibals that seem to dominate the
road. In most cases, they find themselves with nothing except some little food and
clothes they find from abandoned houses that keep them alive before they get lucky to
find some more. The novel narrates the story of the two characters in the post-
apocalyptic America with civilization turning most of the people into cannibals that
are willing to do anything so they can continue living and they have not morals to
uphold. Notably, there is a lot of immorality though there are characters like the father
and son who represent ethics.
Morality is an important aspect of any society since people live a life guided by
the principles of ethics which is healthy for cohesiveness and co-existence of people.
There is a strong relationship between psychoanalytic theory and morality as defined
by Freud. Psychoanalysis aims at examining the interaction of conscious and
unconscious elements in the minds of a person by bringing out the repressed fears as
well as the conflicts in the mind by understanding “superego”, “ego ideal and
Professor
Course
Date
Morality in The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The novel, The Road by Cormac McCarthy tells a story of a man and his son who
try to escape the horror of a nuclear catastrophe that left all animals and plans extinct
and ashes falls from the sky leaving the ground dry, burned and unproductive. The
duo follows a road hoping that they will reach the coast where they will get a better
life. They are however forced to overcome various challenges including sickness,
starvation and threat of attacks from thieves and cannibals that seem to dominate the
road. In most cases, they find themselves with nothing except some little food and
clothes they find from abandoned houses that keep them alive before they get lucky to
find some more. The novel narrates the story of the two characters in the post-
apocalyptic America with civilization turning most of the people into cannibals that
are willing to do anything so they can continue living and they have not morals to
uphold. Notably, there is a lot of immorality though there are characters like the father
and son who represent ethics.
Morality is an important aspect of any society since people live a life guided by
the principles of ethics which is healthy for cohesiveness and co-existence of people.
There is a strong relationship between psychoanalytic theory and morality as defined
by Freud. Psychoanalysis aims at examining the interaction of conscious and
unconscious elements in the minds of a person by bringing out the repressed fears as
well as the conflicts in the mind by understanding “superego”, “ego ideal and
![Morality in The Road by Cormac McCarthy_1](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdesklib.com%2Fmedia%2Fmorality-in-the-road_page_1.jpg&w=3840&q=10)
“conscience” (Nass 56). In addition to this, the sense of morality is driven by the
instinctual and biological forces. Freud note that psychoanalytic theory can help in
investigating elements of morality in the society and as it helps in examining the
current thoughts, feelings and desires of a person. The concept of morality in the
novel, The Road can be well understood through the behaviors of the characters and
how they develop throughout the novel.
The term morality is used to refer to the beliefs of what is right and what is wrong
behavior or the degree to which something is considered to be good or bad. It can be
devastating living in a post-apocalyptic period since one is deprived all the basic
necessities and these situations affect the manner in which the person thinks and
consequently how he behaves. The novel portrays two themes of the good versus evil
and civilization has influenced the ethical standards that anyone should emulate. The
survivors of the dying world seem the ones representing the positive life or rather
choosing the good path of life. The path chosen by anyone tends to determine
morality and it indicate ones senses. The father has been on the limelight of guiding
the son through the right path. He encourages his son never to give up as he tells him
that he is the one with fire that will light his entire life by saying “It’s insider you. It
was always there, I can see it” (McCarthy 145). This is demonstrated when they two
finds a house with humans ready to be eaten and the son asks his father “We wouldn't
ever eat anybody, would we? Even If we were starving” (McCarthy 65). In response
to this, the father replies “No. We wouldn’t. No matter what”(McCarthy 65)
Psychoanalytic theory notes that the way a person thinks or acts is influenced by
external factors especially the surrounding which defines the character and morals of
a a person. Despite the father and the son going for days without food, they are not
ready to give up their sense of humanity and turn into cannibals.
instinctual and biological forces. Freud note that psychoanalytic theory can help in
investigating elements of morality in the society and as it helps in examining the
current thoughts, feelings and desires of a person. The concept of morality in the
novel, The Road can be well understood through the behaviors of the characters and
how they develop throughout the novel.
The term morality is used to refer to the beliefs of what is right and what is wrong
behavior or the degree to which something is considered to be good or bad. It can be
devastating living in a post-apocalyptic period since one is deprived all the basic
necessities and these situations affect the manner in which the person thinks and
consequently how he behaves. The novel portrays two themes of the good versus evil
and civilization has influenced the ethical standards that anyone should emulate. The
survivors of the dying world seem the ones representing the positive life or rather
choosing the good path of life. The path chosen by anyone tends to determine
morality and it indicate ones senses. The father has been on the limelight of guiding
the son through the right path. He encourages his son never to give up as he tells him
that he is the one with fire that will light his entire life by saying “It’s insider you. It
was always there, I can see it” (McCarthy 145). This is demonstrated when they two
finds a house with humans ready to be eaten and the son asks his father “We wouldn't
ever eat anybody, would we? Even If we were starving” (McCarthy 65). In response
to this, the father replies “No. We wouldn’t. No matter what”(McCarthy 65)
Psychoanalytic theory notes that the way a person thinks or acts is influenced by
external factors especially the surrounding which defines the character and morals of
a a person. Despite the father and the son going for days without food, they are not
ready to give up their sense of humanity and turn into cannibals.
![Morality in The Road by Cormac McCarthy_2](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdesklib.com%2Fmedia%2Fmorality-in-the-road_page_2.jpg&w=3840&q=10)
Notably, the environment is forcing people to choose the kind of life that they
want to live. The boy seems to be so good and he is ready to retain this behavior no
matter the challenge. In fact, he has equipped himself with instruments that will scare
anybody with ill mind. This is demonstrated when the boy acknowledges that “And
we’re carrying the fire” (McCarthy 66) which shows that the two have weapons to
fight any enemy that may come their way. Clearly, the boy is the ambassador of good
moral behavior as he has unwavering principles and it is clear that he is not willing to
entertain anyone who will lead him to become bad boy. The boy has a helping hand as
he is sympathetic with the man who was struck by lightning. He says “He’s been
struck by lightning. Can’t we help him? Papa?”(McCarthy 25). This shows that the
boy understands the essence of helping others. The boy tries to avoid as much as
possible anything that may make him a bad boy and he is see rejecting the gun that is
offered to him by his father in several instances throughout the novel. For instance, he
would say “I don’t want the gun” (McCarthy 36), this is despite his father asking him
to take the gun. The son is aware that the gun has the potential of killing. There are
characteristics that have been used in the novel to distinguish between the good and
the bad boys. Some of the rules that define good morals as listed by Wielenberg are;
“Don’t eat people, don’t steal, don’t lie, Keep your promises, Help others and Never
give up” (Wielenberg 4). These are some of the principles that the man tries to teach
his son by doing what is right despite other people having abandoned morality.
As stated earlier, the novel does not only present the good part of life, but there
are some people who have chosen the bad things which constitute immorality. While
the world changes, a person is left to make up his mind and choose the path the best
fits in. This is where the psychoanalytical theory comes in as a person, through his
conscious mind chooses the path that his feelings, thoughts and desires lead him. The
want to live. The boy seems to be so good and he is ready to retain this behavior no
matter the challenge. In fact, he has equipped himself with instruments that will scare
anybody with ill mind. This is demonstrated when the boy acknowledges that “And
we’re carrying the fire” (McCarthy 66) which shows that the two have weapons to
fight any enemy that may come their way. Clearly, the boy is the ambassador of good
moral behavior as he has unwavering principles and it is clear that he is not willing to
entertain anyone who will lead him to become bad boy. The boy has a helping hand as
he is sympathetic with the man who was struck by lightning. He says “He’s been
struck by lightning. Can’t we help him? Papa?”(McCarthy 25). This shows that the
boy understands the essence of helping others. The boy tries to avoid as much as
possible anything that may make him a bad boy and he is see rejecting the gun that is
offered to him by his father in several instances throughout the novel. For instance, he
would say “I don’t want the gun” (McCarthy 36), this is despite his father asking him
to take the gun. The son is aware that the gun has the potential of killing. There are
characteristics that have been used in the novel to distinguish between the good and
the bad boys. Some of the rules that define good morals as listed by Wielenberg are;
“Don’t eat people, don’t steal, don’t lie, Keep your promises, Help others and Never
give up” (Wielenberg 4). These are some of the principles that the man tries to teach
his son by doing what is right despite other people having abandoned morality.
As stated earlier, the novel does not only present the good part of life, but there
are some people who have chosen the bad things which constitute immorality. While
the world changes, a person is left to make up his mind and choose the path the best
fits in. This is where the psychoanalytical theory comes in as a person, through his
conscious mind chooses the path that his feelings, thoughts and desires lead him. The
![Morality in The Road by Cormac McCarthy_3](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdesklib.com%2Fmedia%2Fmorality-in-the-road_page_3.jpg&w=3840&q=10)
End of preview
Want to access all the pages? Upload your documents or become a member.
Related Documents