MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Discussion: "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

Abecedary · 11-01-2009, 07:14 AM

Thanks for starting this thread and thanks for your thoughts, Ea.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

I took a break from reading Infinite Jest to read The Road in time for this discussion, and the two writing styles couldn't be farther away from each other. Where Wallace can literally go for pages on end without introducing a period (and these are dense pages, mind you), McCarthy isn't afraid to have a sentence that's comprised of a single word. And because he's carefully chosen every word he's written, it works to great effect. The language is sparse, but exact. He paints a vivid picture, but doesn't get bogged down in detail. After reading the book, I'm not sure if I even want to see the movie, because I know my interpretation and visualization won't match the filmmakers'.

As for the book itself, I don't recall if he ever indicated what the exact cause of the devastation was. All we know is that it's years after some cataclysmic event. I think it's safe to say it's the result of nuclear war, but again, it's never explicitly stated.

Also, I think McCarthy wants us to sympathize with the characters and their journey/struggle, but doesn't want us to get too close to them. Notice that he never gives either of them a name? They are simply 'the man' and 'the child'. He tells us of their story, but from a distance.

And while I too initially thought the ending wrapped things up a bit too tidily, I'm not so sure of that after further thought. All we know is that the father wanted to get them to the coast. But then what was his plan? I'm not sure if he had one. The pair eventually made it to the coast, and then the father's role is done. All we know is that the child ends up with a group who says they will look after him. But will they risk their lives to save him at the first sign of trouble? We don't know. And that uncertainty is part of what makes the story great. We have some resolution to the events presented in the book, but nowhere near enough to truly feel comfortable with the outcome.

I originally checked out an ebook version of this from the library, but about halfway through, I knew it was something that I'd want to reread and share, so I ordered a hardcover copy from Amazon. Even if someone doesn't find the story appealing, the book should be read just to marvel at McCarthy's mastery of words. I also picked up a copy of the Border Trilogy, and I'm hoping the writing there is as good as this was.

11-01-2009, 07:14 AM	#6
Abecedary Exwyzeeologist Posts: 535 Karma: 3261 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: :PRS-505::iPod touch:	Thanks for starting this thread and thanks for your thoughts, Ea. WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD! I took a break from reading Infinite Jest to read The Road in time for this discussion, and the two writing styles couldn't be farther away from each other. Where Wallace can literally go for pages on end without introducing a period (and these are dense pages, mind you), McCarthy isn't afraid to have a sentence that's comprised of a single word. And because he's carefully chosen every word he's written, it works to great effect. The language is sparse, but exact. He paints a vivid picture, but doesn't get bogged down in detail. After reading the book, I'm not sure if I even want to see the movie, because I know my interpretation and visualization won't match the filmmakers'. As for the book itself, I don't recall if he ever indicated what the exact cause of the devastation was. All we know is that it's years after some cataclysmic event. I think it's safe to say it's the result of nuclear war, but again, it's never explicitly stated. Also, I think McCarthy wants us to sympathize with the characters and their journey/struggle, but doesn't want us to get too close to them. Notice that he never gives either of them a name? They are simply 'the man' and 'the child'. He tells us of their story, but from a distance. And while I too initially thought the ending wrapped things up a bit too tidily, I'm not so sure of that after further thought. All we know is that the father wanted to get them to the coast. But then what was his plan? I'm not sure if he had one. The pair eventually made it to the coast, and then the father's role is done. All we know is that the child ends up with a group who says they will look after him. But will they risk their lives to save him at the first sign of trouble? We don't know. And that uncertainty is part of what makes the story great. We have some resolution to the events presented in the book, but nowhere near enough to truly feel comfortable with the outcome. I originally checked out an ebook version of this from the library, but about halfway through, I knew it was something that I'd want to reread and share, so I ordered a hardcover copy from Amazon. Even if someone doesn't find the story appealing, the book should be read just to marvel at McCarthy's mastery of words. I also picked up a copy of the Border Trilogy, and I'm hoping the writing there is as good as this was.