Philosophical Essay on Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road': Tragedy and Hope

This essay delves into Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road', analyzing the profound themes of tragedy, survival, and hope in a post-apocalyptic setting. It examines the father and son's journey through the American West, highlighting their struggle to 'carry the fire' amidst immense suffering. The essay explores the theological issues, the inevitability of death, and the importance of human relationships in defining the purpose of life. It also discusses the film adaptation, emphasizing the allegorical representation of life's journey and the will to survive. The contrast between the vastness of life's possibilities and the limitations of individual existence is explored, as well as the moral dilemmas faced by the characters. Ultimately, the essay concludes that human hope and determination can be established even in the face of the universe's indifference.

Running head: ESSAY
PHILOSOPHICAL ESSAY ON ‘THE ROAD’ BY CORMAC McCARTHY
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1ESSAY
Tragedy is a very powerful tool of expressing emotion in a literary work. The expanse of the
human suffering is triggered by the emotions of the characters and the background of the
literary works (Williams, 2013). The masters of tragedy have always looked forward to
convey the concept of tragedy and lead the readers to the argument of how to deal with the
suffering. The Road, is a similar powerful novel by Cormac McCarthy, which highlights the
travels of a nameless father and a son, through the rugged American West for ‘keeping the
fire’ going.
In the novel, The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, the writer expresses the immense power of the
human beings to adopt and live in the emotional state of the theological issues. The
inevitability of death is the primary factor of living a life. The urge to live is just another step
towards death (Bloom, 2014). One of the examples of such an event is when the Man is
forced to kill a cannibal in order to save the Child. The human relationships and the value of
life accordingly is the significance of the purpose of life. In McCarthy’s, The Road, the post-
apocalyptic America, and the struggles of the son and the father represents the death of the
earth as well as humanity. However, the tiny speck of fire is the hope that makes mankind
survives in the times of the utmost disaster.
A similar representation has been reflected in director John Hillcoat’s film adaption of the
book to the popular film, The Road. The film is an allegorical representation of the journey of
life. When the Woman commits suicide, not being able to withstand the perils of life, the
Man and the Child embarks on a journey with the motto of ‘carrying the fire’. The religion of
the survivors is the will to live and the journey is the worship of life (McSweeney, 2013). The
various adventures by foot, little food and fighting the cannibals become the highlights on the
road to survival. The will to survive, not for self but for others, leads the Man to safely reach
the Child to the coast, where he dies. The endless roads are not limited to the death of a
person, but to the greater purpose of life which lies ahead for the survivors. Death is not a

2ESSAY
hurdle, but a way to move forward. Long shots in the film show the endless possibilities of
life in the film. On the contrary, the close-up shots of the Man represent the limitedness of
life. The pains of suffering, and the will to survive, are contrasting ideas, which are reflected
at the same time. The chaos of life seems indifferent to man’s will to survive. The Man is
very particular about his boy. In the midst of the chaos of survival, he tries to make sure to
prepare the child for the future, so that in his absence, the child can find a way to fit in the
post-apocalyptic world. The harsh world has no sense of pity and the child needs to learn the
morals of life to survive in the ruthless earth (Titlestad, 2013). In one of the scenes, the Man
is forced to kill a cannibal. Herein, comes the argument of morality. However, if the situation
is believed to be beyond the rules of the present world, then the chaos of the situation
demanded action to stabilize the situation.
Returning to the book, the horror and the tragic elements are more of symbolic
representations of the human values which can be measured in the balance of the religious
ideas. The book is not a religious one, which preaches human ideologies. However, it
represents will and determination, which are propelled by the horror and tragic elements
(Søfting, 2013). The belief in God strengthens the will in the times of despair according to the
Man but in the case of the Child, he is more comfortable in talking to his dead father than to
God. The mere belief in the existence is not enough to understand the chaos of life. However,
understanding the understandable might help to find some solace in times of chaos.
McCarthy, in this context highlights that belief in God, might strengthen the will, but it the
actions of the Man, which ensure the survival of the child (Stark, 2013). The most tragic
element is the passing away of the Man, leaving the Child alone, but as every cloud has a
silver lining, the Child too finds a family which ensures his survival and the will of the Man
of ‘keeping the fire’.

3ESSAY
The universe is the test of human beings’ existentiality, but its serenity and indifference, is
the only way to establish human hope.

4ESSAY
References:
Bloom, H. (Ed.). (2014). Cormac McCarthy. Infobase Publishing.
McSweeney, T. (2013). " Each Night Is Darker-Beyond Darkness": The Environmental and
Spiritual Apocalypse of The Road (2009). Journal of Film and Video, 65(4), 42-58.
Søfting, I. A. (2013). Between Dystopia and Utopia: The Post-Apocalyptic Discourse of
Cormac McCarthy's The Road. English Studies, 94(6), 704-713.
Stark, H. (2013). 'All These Things He Saw and Did Not See': Witnessing the End of the
World in Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Critical Survey, 25(2), 71-84.
Titlestad, M. (2013). The Logic of the Apocalypse: A Clerical Rejoinder. Safundi, 14(1), 93-
110.
Williams, R. (2013). Modern tragedy. Random House.