The road is a depressing, grueling, and beautiful novel. It follows two nameless travelers, a father and son, on their journey South in post-apocalyptic America. They are cold and miserable just like the setting, and they are all either of them have. The father's only goal is to keep his child alive, and the child follows him full of hope for a better life.
Cormac McCarthy's writing style is what sets the apocalyptic novel apart from the thousands of others. The novel has no chapter breaks and drags out every grueling moment. This accentuates the man and son's' journey as an endless and grueling journey. McCarthy doesn't give a break or leave the characters ever, as a reader the endless hardship and misery are felt. They wander in a depressing gray and broken word, brought to life with McCarthy's description of the setting. The wet and dirt are felt as the two hold onto each other day after grueling day. The flow of writing creates a slow pace, the characters are never transported from one landmark to another. The reader never misses a tedious and painful step the characters take. When the characters are awake the reader is viewing their actions and follow them through they day until they finally sleep.
The flow of writing also makes all the situations the father and son find themselves in feel random, as if watching a live stream of their travels. A segment could be comprised only of the characters setting up camp, walking, looking, eating. But the next line they could run into a group of a Blood Clan members (cannibalistic and violent groups of survivors) and barely fight them off/run away with the few resources they have. The reader witnesses the aftermath, the emotional pain, all in vivid unrelenting detail.
While the story can sometimes be slow, at the same time feels very real. The story isn't a brave hero battling super mutants and conquering the wasteland. It is a frightened father trying to be brave for his son, trying to survive in a grueling and unforgiving landscape. The characters are trying to find hope in a place without hope, and the reader never misses a moment.
Hey Ged,
ReplyDeleteI had a superb time reading your blog post. "The Road" was my second choice for free-choice reads, but I was too infatuated by the writing style of Toni Morrison. I'm particularly interested in post-apocalyptic societies, and how characters deal with the struggles they are presented with. I guess what I'm curious in here is how the society came to be the way it is. Is "The Road" similar to "Handmaid's Tale", where the initial creation of the society is not described until later in the novel? I guess there are many questions with my book as well right now. In "Beloved", even through the first quarter of the novel, Morrison focuses mostly on character development, but still manages to leave a whole bunch of unknowns. Have you learned about the past experiences of your characters at all?
Thanks,
Dom
The origins of the disaster remain unknown. However from the signs of the scorched earth and dead foliage, a nuclear attack seems possible. The author also reveals details of the Man's life before the blast and his wife, and that she actually killed herself after the world turned to hell. This detail adds more depth and sadness to the Man and helps propel his character forward. The Boy was born into the disaster and knows no other life.
DeleteI thought your take on the writers style and how it affects the novel was really insightful and well done. How do you think this further develops the relationship between the man and the boy?
ReplyDeleteI think it will affect how they deal with future situations, as well as how they interact with one another as things become harder further along in the novel.
DeleteA really nice overview of the style and its effect. Some specific examples of the writing style (quotes, details, etc.) would help illustrate your ideas even further.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I will add those things in the next post.
DeleteGed, I very much enjoyed reading your post. I thought you raised some good points that I hadn't considered. The randomness of the events in the story was something I had never thought about, but after reading your post, I definitely agree. Also, when you say the book is like watching a livestream of the characters' journey, I think you nailed it. I also like your explanation of how the novel's pacing affects the audience's view of the characters' journey.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about you, but I am curious to find out how the world got to be the way it is in the book. I also have to believe that since there is still 3/4s of the book left to go, the characters are going to meet up with even nastier people than those cannibal guys. I must say, I think there will be some even bigger obstacles ahead for these characters.
Thanks for the comment Jonny. To answer your question about whether or not I am curious about how the world is how it is, I am not. I don't really care about that aspect about the book, because I don't really think that that's what the story is about, and it is about the characters. I image they are going to be running into some very nasty things in their future journey, and their journey will only get harder.
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