Cormac
McCarthy's ominous novel, The
Road, utilizes the demise of 'The Father' to expound the meaning of
the book which is it is possible for something beautiful to exist in the midst
of malevolent influences. The idea of something beautiful was established
through the love of the father for his son and his quest which is implemented
for the sole purpose of keeping his son safe and alive. The beginning of his
demise is indicated when McCarthy wrote "On the fine snow, a thin mist of
blood" (McCarthy 9). Albeit the conspicuousness of the indication of his
inevitable expiration, The Father continues to press forward in the face of the
possibility of death. The Father was later described in the book as "very
weak, and for all his speeches he'd become more faint of heart than he'd been
in years," (McCarthy 61). The text above implies that The Father is
growing feebler and more dispirited a position that would immobilize the will
and determination of many. The Father and his son attempt to survive in a
land of total destruction both physically and morally, but even with this fact
and his dejected composure, his love for his son still endures. The Father's
love continues until "when he lay down , and knew that he could go no
further and that this was the place where he would die" (McCarthy 90). Cormac
McCarthy included The Father's acknowledgment of his ultimate sacrifice to
epitomize the meaning of the book which is also defined through the strength of
the beauty of his undying love and devotion towards his son. This is also
interpreted through by the inverse relationship of his health and devotion
towards his child; the weaker he gets the more the love for his son pushes him
on to protect him until he took his last breath.
