IndexAuthor and BackgroundSummary Cultural RelevanceFocused Analysis: Book StructureRatingAuthor and BackgroundCormac McCarthy is a beloved American author best known for his rather dark themes and post-worlds -apocalyptic. In his career, McCarthy has managed to publish a total of ten novels, win the Pulitzer Prize for his 2006 novel The Road, and publish an original screenplay titled The Counselor. Since the release of The Counselor in 2013 McCarthy has managed to keep out of the spotlight and maintain a fairly private life, yet fans of the author's work continue to express their appreciation for McCarthy through foundations such as the Cormac McCarthy Society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Charles Joseph McCarthy, also known by his family nickname, Cormac, was born on July 20, 1993 in Providence, Rhode Island, into a rather wealthy family. Cormac and his five brothers were quickly moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, where they would spend most of their childhood. Living in an affluent home surrounded by poverty shacks seemed to pique McCarthy's interest in "the lives lived in the poor homes and underworld of Knoxville" ("Cormac McCarthy"). This interest in examining the lives of people living on the fringes of society would emerge again through his many post-apocalyptic works. McCarthy attended the University of Tennessee only to drop out to join the Air Force, then return to the University to drop out once again. However, undaunted by his lack of a college degree, he quickly began work on his first novel, The Orchard Keeper. McCarthy would later marry his first wife, Lee Holleman, who would bear him a son. Then he would divorce and remarry once again. McCarthy's son Cullen proved to have a great impact on McCarthy as most of his later works such as The Road, The Gardener's Son and The Orchard focused on the relationship between father and son. Perhaps McCarthy's best-known post-apocalyptic novel is The Road. Set in the future, after an unknown event that leaves America covered in ash, a man and his son travel south as they try to survive the dangers of this new "godless" world. Venturing out of his usual comfort zone, McCarthy gave his first television interview to Oprah Winfrey in 2007, admitting that his young son had been the inspiration behind The Road. McCarthy went so far as to tell Winfrey, “I've been thinking about my baby a lot. You have a child when you're older, and it snaps you out of your nap and makes you look at things in a new way” (The Oprah Winfrey Show, 2008). McCarthy's intense instinct to be there for his son is mirrored by the unnamed father in The Road, as the father hides, searches, and starves for the sake of his son. Summary In Cormac McCarthy's 2006 novel The Road, a father and son, also met as the man and boy travel south along American highways trying to escape the harsh northern winters. Set in post-apocalyptic America, the lush green lawns of the world's most nationalistic nation have been replaced by gray skies, fires and ashes. McCarthy never directly states the cause of all this destruction nor where the story takes place, but the reader can assume that the story is set in America because the man says, "these are our streets...the streets state" (McCarthy, page 42). At the beginning of the journey, the manrecounts the day the boy's mother committed suicide due to her lack of optimism for survival. The man carries this bitter memory with him throughout the story as he is constantly reminded of the possibility of dying with only two bullets in his possession. Continuing their journey, the man and boy come across an abandoned grocery store that houses a relic of the old world; a Coco-Cola machine. The man presents this gift to the boy when they both suddenly realize that they will not often encounter pleasures like this. After days spent walking and looking for food, the man and the boy encounter a gang of armed raiders advancing along the road in their truck. Luckily, the pair are only seen by one raider, but the end result of their interaction leaves the man with only one bullet. Most of The Road is filled with scenes of everyday survival customs with the man and the boy, however, towards the center of the novel the two come across a seemingly pristine and luxurious mansion. Unfortunately, all that glitters is not gold, as the two find a group of naked prisoners in the basement who are preparing for a cannibalistic dinner. They immediately flee the house just as the captures return. Further down the road, father and son share a stroke of luck when they find a little piece of paradise in a bunker. Filled with endless amounts of canned food and hygiene products, they hunker down for a couple of days before stocking up on supplies and continuing on their way. Eventually, the man and boy reach the southernmost ocean coast, only to find that no. the more it shimmers with beautiful shades of blue. Nonetheless, they camp for a couple of days and stock up on supplies from an old boat. Unfortunately, at this point the man's mild cough introduced at the beginning of the novel has worsened and is now violent and accompanied by blood. As the couple leaves the beach and walks through the nearest abandoned town, the man is shot in the leg by an arrow fired by a hidden sniper. Despite his best efforts to bandage the wound, the man ultimately accepts his fate and lies down to die in the boy's arms. The story ends with the boy meeting on the street with a new man who welcomes him into his family, one that includes a little boy, a little girl and his wife. The reader can hope for the best for the boy as he struggles to remain a good boy within his new family and in this new world. Cultural Relevance McCarthy's 2006 novel, The Road, seemed to capture the public's attention by creating a world that managed to dissolve the natural barriers that introduced common law and morality into modern society. At first glance, one might argue that The Road is centered on the theme of the lack of religion and morality, however, the exact opposite is what makes this novel so relevant to a nation of Christians. According to the Pew Research Center on Religion and Public Life, Christians make up 70.6% of the American population (Wormald, 2015). With this statistic in mind, what makes the story so compelling for readers is the man and boy's determination to preserve their morality by adhering to Christian-inspired guidelines. This is highlighted over and over again, particularly when the boy feels guilty for eating the abundance of food they found in the bunker and says, "we're sorry you couldn't eat [this food] and we hope you it's not." safe in heaven with God” (McCarthy, p. 146). Despite the lack of property distinction in this chaotic world, the boy still seems to respect the eighthcommandment: “thou shalt not steal” (Exodus 25:2). This recurring theme emerges again when the dying man reminds the boy "[he] must bring the fire", the fire being a metaphorical hope for the future. (McCarthy, p. 278). This is strikingly similar to Christianity's main concept of holding on to hope until heaven arrives. Viewing The Road as a novel with Christian themes, every choice made by the man and boy becomes increasingly interesting as readers are left to decipher what they think. would do in survival situations. This is why The Road will always have some relevance to society, as humans know that it is human nature to say one thing about survival and do the other when you are actually in the moment. This exact concept actually takes hold of the dying man in the novel, as his plans to take his son to heaven with him crumble when he realizes that “[he] cannot hold [his] dead son in [his arm]. [He] thought [he] could, but [he]can't” (McCarthy, pg. 279). Perhaps this phenomenon is why people seem to freeze in emergency situations. These types of flight-or-fight situations have even appeared in popular sitcoms like Full House Season 5 Episode 10. In this episode, Becky goes into labor with twins and her husband, Jessie, who is usually calm and collected, goes so crazy that his appendix has to be removed (“Becky in Labor | Full House). While this example is inherently entertaining, the unexpected response to an emergency situation that humans will always struggle with is exactly what makes works like The Road forever culturally relevant. No matter how much humans advance in technology, it is very unlikely that human nervous systems will reach a point where the “flight or fight” response is no longer necessary. Ultimately, what makes The Road culturally relevant and relatable to many readers is the man's determination to do anything to keep his son safe in the book. Parents often say they would do anything for their children, even going so far as to say they would take a bullet for them. This sense of responsibility and devotion to one's blood is seen several times in The Road as the man always puts the boy first. When a street cleaner lunges at the boy in an attempt to harm him, the man "aimed his gun and fired" (McCarthy, p. 66). It's easy for someone, living with the convenience of modern technology, to say they would do anything for their child. Extreme dangers aren't usually as prevalent in quiet suburban life, however, the fact that The Road presented a world where danger is just around the corner really put parents in the position of wondering how far they would go to their children. The circumstances surrounding McCarthy's terrifying world pose a complicated question: Would one kill to protect their child? Focused Analysis: Book Structure McCarthy's novel, The Road, is written without using many conventional grammatical and structural formats typical of novels. The Road has no quotes, chapters, or named characters within its pages. Unlike most chapter books, The Road does not have marked chapters. At first, readers may notice this and not think about it, however, these stylistic choices actually help further develop the tone of the world in which the man and boy exist. The lack of division within the book creates the illusion that the journey the man and boy face is endless and tireless. This is evidenced when man looks around the world and observes, “no list of.