Survival In Cormac Mccarthy's Novel 'The Road'

906 Words4 Pages
Michelle Davis D’Angela ENG 4U1 June 1st, 2012. Survival of the Fittest If there were no food left on earth, and scarce humane means of survival, what lengths would you go to, to continue that meek existence? Would you give up your morals or would you try and keep every lasting piece of sanity left from earth with you? Cormac McCarthy’s novel, The Road, depicts this kind of struggle for survival through a Father and Son in a post apocalyptic time period; a time period after a nuclear holocaust, where there is no food, no life, and no morals. There are no longer any rules, just humans trying to live through the ashen days and nights. In this, the idea of survival as not only a physical means but also through a mental sense is a reoccurring…show more content…
For example, the father shows his resourcefulness and commitment to keeping his son alive. The Father knows that there are people in the world that are dangerous and cannibalistic and therefore having a weapon would be useful. The Father has a gun with only one bullet and he knows that if he was ever to use it, it would not be enough. For this reason, “he whittled fake bullets from a tree branch with his knife, fitting them carefully into the empty bores of the cylinder... the gun looked as if it were loaded.”(125-126) In doing this, the Father shows his resourcefulness because even though he knows they would not actually be able to harm anyone, it would be enough to scare any enemy off. Moreover, the world in which the Father and Son are currently living, is always cold and the clothing they have enough is only good for minimal warmth. However, the father comes across various abandoned places where he gathers supplies he has and creates things, such as warm water proof shoes(84), so that they can keep from freezing to death. This example also expands on the Fathers resourcefulness and will to survive. In brief, it is plane to see that the Father’s wits help to develop the theme of survival as physically trying to do
Open Document