Written by Ken Caudill on 15 November 2008
Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is a study in evil set in a post-apocalyptic America where nothing grows. Roving bands of cannibals prey on the weak to survive. A father and son walk an unnamed road south through a man-made hell seeking warmth knowing that winter is on the way. Their journey is the simple backbone of McCarthy’s story.
Like Samuel Clemens’ Huckleberry Finn and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, it is what is revealed along the way that rivets the reader to the novel. This is not another post-apocalyptic sci-fi story. Those looking for a rehash of Mad Max will be sorely disappointed. Nor is this novel for those with weak sensibilities. McCarthy’s novel is set in a harsh reality where finding the remains of a human baby barbecued over an abandoned campfire is not an unusual occurrence.
The Road is, at heart, a morality play. The remnants of the consumer society devolve quickly into marauding bands of barbaric cannibals with no goal other than survival at the expense of anyone weak enough to be eaten. The two main characters survive by scavenging from the last of hoarded consumables and clinging to the faith that they are “the good guys.” The suspense in the novel comes from not knowing if this last light of human decency will be extinguished. It is the love between father and son that propels the narrative.
McCarthy’s sparse, crafted prose is entirely suitable for the wrecked world he creates. There is no green. There are no animals other than an occasional stray dog. The earth is charred and the words in the story are burnt down to the bare minimum. The Road is an impressive work of art from a true American master.
Read it.
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