Cormac Mccarthy’s the Road- Theme of Hope

The pass is set some era in the future after a spherical catastrophe. The Road follows the story of a nameless take and son, possibly the uttermost of the wide guys, as they travel along an abandoned stretch of passage populated with occasional marauders and cannibals. The post-apocalyptic setting plays upon the publics fear of terrorism, pandemics, genocide, and weapons of mint candy destruction. Since the cause of the destruction remains unanswered, it is left open to the mind to halt assumptions.The Roadi is set somewhere in the south eastern United States. in that respect is mention of distant mountains, s eeral rivers and creeks, and a coastline. The landscape and the aviation argon soaked in thick, gray ash. Vegetation has been destroyed. There be no fish in the water. When snow go, it collects the ash in the air and f eithers to the earth already gray. The setting is the main antagonist in the book, because it is the government issue one adversity the fore puzzle and son move over to endure. This creates the theme as the father continually struggles to take note his assent and carry the go off.The rigor he faces with his son feeds him question his trustingness in hu realityity and graven image, except in the end, it is his son who makes him examine that your can always assume accept in the most difficult of times. The son and the man continually inquisition among the debris in the aftermath of the cataclysmic event for morsels of diet and warmth. though they are forced to breathe thick ash in the air and travel in constant c honest-to-god, they continually trudge forward. It is apparent that the father is slowly losing his religious belief in humanity and their situation, and parts of him wish it could scarce all be over.They essential bring food and clean water, and they must constantly hide. There are marauding groups of cannibals who look upon the man and male child as nonhing more than meat. The lone bullet in the ma ns gun is saved for the boy, who has been instructed on how to kill himself should something happen to the man. This recent boy, the only hope in a dismal environment, is all that matters to the man. You cheat how to do it. You put it in your mouth and point it up. Do it industrious and hard. Do you understand? Stop crying. Do you understand? (113).This shows that the father does not trust his son to be able to survive in this environment, and he would much rather have him pop off easily than have to onrush survival and risk suffering. The man and boy encounter few mint in this story. Most of Abraham 2 those they do come across are brutish because everyone is starving and fighting for survival. Almost all the people in this story are constantly on the move. The father trusts no one, his aim is to make it to the south, to the coastline. However, neither warmth nor bounties of food are found at once the man and the boy finally r all(prenominal) the edge of the water.The shor eline is just as cold as the mountains were, and everything is the same drained of life, bitterly cold, and hopeless. Though the boy wants to write a message in the sand to the good guys the father finds it hard to stay positive. What if the bad guys saw it? I shouldnt have said that, we could write them a letter (245). Though through it all the boy is salve able to hold on to hope that at that place is still good in the world. Yet, father also starts to question his faith in god, which contri preciselyes to his pessimistic attitude.The father subconsciously focuses attention on the questions of God, does he exist? If so, is he present, or has he vacated the premises? Is he good? Does he care? It become clear that the fathers faith in god is shaky after all the incidences he has witnessed. In one case, when he meets an elderly blind man, the father tells him how only god could know what is going to happen. The blind man then says, There is no god and we are his prophets (170). Th is shows that the old man has lost all faith in god. He believes that they have been left there to fend for themselves.The father says nothing to oppose the statement and seems to push it in to the back of his mind. The old man later mention, Where men cant live gods pabulum no better (172). Referring to how it is near impossible to keep your faith in such hard times. Later in the novel when they find a flare gun, the father shoots it off as a celebration. His son asks if eitherone could see it, to which the father asks Like god? (246). The flare is symbolic in the understanding that they shot it in to nothing but smog and pollution but could still make it out, even though no one from any further away would be able to.This make the father attend that god can work in the same way, and even though you cant see him, he could still be present. over time, the boys optimism starts to work on the fathers hope in the future. He starts to trust in his son and understands that he is abl e to make the serious decisions. He also regains some of his hope for the future through it all. Were still here. Alot of bad things Abraham 3 have happened but were still here (269) His love for his son continues to make him strong and he braves each day even though he knows he will die soon from sickness.At one point the boy asks him what the bravest thing he has ever done was. The man replies, Getting up this morning (272). In time the father comes to see how much his son has matured and is able to make the right decisions. The father notices how the boy always went out of his way to process people and had a good moral compass. The child begged to give food to the old man even though they knew he would die, as sound as returning clothes to a thief even though he didnt deserve it. The father tells the boy that he has been carrying the fire himself this whole time inside of him, Its inside you. It was always there. I can see it (279).In the end, the father realizes that he must trust his son to survive on his own and that there is hope for the future. He promises the boy that he will never leave him, but he cannot keep death at bay. The man finally succumbs. And the boy still tender in years, but aged through his challenging experiences must find his own way. Despite the setting, the father learned from his son that you can always keep hope alive, no matter how hard times get. You have my whole heart. You always did. Youre the best guy. You always were. If Im not here you can still lecture to me. You can talk to me and Ill talk to you. Youll see (279).