McCarthy’s Vision of the Future: The Road Goes on Forever

By Chris Manson October 19, 2006 Issue

IWhat happened to the world? No cell phones, no iPods, no Internet porn. Sounds good to me, too, but then there are all those pesky dead bodies rotting everywhere you go. The protagonist in Cormac McCarthy’s instant classic The Road can shield his young son and traveling partner from just so much of it. In this post-apocalyptic nightmare, there’s a constant chill in the air, death is always just a heartbeat away, and dreams are an unpleasant reminder of the world that once was and never will be again.

“Are we the good guys?” the boy asks the man as they attempt to travel south through the barren ruins of what was once…well, the exact location is never specified. The two encounter a few others as they travel along the long, dark roads, pushing their supplies in an old grocery cart and scavenging abandoned homes, stores, cars and boats for anything that will make the journey less miserable. The man is dead set against helping anyone they meet, but on a few occasions the boy helps him find a trace or two of humanity.

For the most part, the other characters in this story are seen as a threat. The man carries a gun with him and leaves with the reluctant child as he ventures off to explore the bleak unknown. When the man finds a Coca-Cola can tucked up inside a looted vending machine, he tells the boy it’s the only Coke he will ever drink.

McCarthy does not explain what events or forces led to this climate of desolation, but he doesn’t need to. The man’s deceased wife is briefly touched on, but the character is never really explored in depth. The dialogue between father and son is a bit stilted, although at one point the speakers’ roles in the conversations appear to have reversed themselves. It’s actually refreshing to read something that makes you think about endless possibilities. The Road may not be the feel-good novel of the season, but it’s bound to generate some lively discussions at book clubs.

The Road is pretty bleak, but it’s also beautiful. McCarthy has fashioned a tale about survival and—this is crucial — the hope that exists in an environment so utterly hopeless. Above all, this is the story of a father’s unconditional love for his son. That’s what makes The Road impossible to put down even after you’ve finished reading it—a reminder that even in the coldest places, you can somehow summon up a little warmth.

McCarthy deploys such masterful prose that despite the novel’s economy, I found myself stopping to re-read a passage here or there. I’ve read some great books this year, but The Road is the only one I’d even consider going back to again despite the stacks and stacks of books I have yet to get to.

If you fancy yourself a writer, Cormac McCarthy will force you to try harder or hang up your pen and paper for good. Whether you’ve read his earlier works or not—I haven’t yet—The Road makes one thing absolutely clear: McCarthy is a necessity for any reader with even a passing interest in great fiction.

The Road, 241 pages, Alfred A. Knopf. Available at bookstores, local libraries, and online booksellers.

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