CRISES ACROSS THE BOARD IN CORMAC
McCARTHY’S THE ROAD
AITOR IBARROLA-ARMENDARIZ
Uni e sidad de Deus o
This is a alley o ashes—a an as ic a m whe e ashes
g ow like whea in o idges and hills and g o esque
ga dens; whe e ashes ake he o ms o houses and
chimneys and ising smoke and, i nally, wi h a an-
scenden e o , o men who mo e dimly and al eady
c umbling h ough he powde y ai .
F. Sco Fi zge ald, The G ea Ga sby (1925)
When i was ligh enough o use he binocula s he
glassed he alley below. E e y hing paling away
in o he mu k. The so ash blowing in loose swi ls
o e he black op. He s udied wha he could see. The
segmen s o oad down he e among he dead ees.
Looking o any hing o colo . Any mo emen . Any
ace o s anding smoke. He lowe ed he glasses and
pulled down he co on mask om his ace and wiped
his nose on he back o his w is and hen glassed
he coun y again. Then he jus sa he e holding he
binocula s and wa ching he ashen dayligh congeal
o e he land.
Co mac McCa hy, The Road (2006)
Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos, n.º 14 (2009-2010) Se ille, Spain, ISSN 1133-309-X, pp. 81-105
Ai o Iba ola-A menda iz
82
ABSTRACT
This a icle explo es he ypes o c ises ha au ho Co mac McCa hy has, o e ly
o indi ec ly, ep esen ed in his la es wo k o i c ion, The Road (2006). This no el,
which shows he g uesome pic u e o a pos -apocalyp ic wo ld, can be seen o dwell
upon a leas h ee di e en ypes o c ises anging om he awe-inspi ing e ec s o
global ca as ophes o he mo e pe sonal ea s ha indi iduals may eel in quickly-
degene a ing mo al en i onmen s. The main body o he a icle is di ided in o ou
sec ions which y o elucida e he speci i ci ies o each o hese c ises and o see how
hose speci i ci ies a e illus a ed and deal wi h in McCa hy’s no el. The Road can
be said o combine some o he newes ing edien s o he ecen end o end-o - he-
wo ld i c ion wi h ea u es om mo e classical gen es such as Go hic ho o o epic
na a i es. One o he g ea es achie emen s o he wo k is ha i manages o s ike
a balance be ween despai and hope by s udying in g ea de ail how human beings
may eac o disas e s ha hey hemsel es ha e c ea ed.
KEYWORDS: Pos -apocalyp ic i c ion – C ises ypology – Mo al landscapes
–Co mac McCa hy – The Road
RESUMEN
Es e abajo es udia los ipos de c isis que el au o Co mac McCa hy ecoge, di ec a
o indi ec amen e, en su no ela más ecien e, The Road (2006). Es a ob a, que mues a
la espan osa imagen del mundo as una gue a nuclea , se de iene a conside a los
e ec os de al menos es clases de c isis di e en es, que an desde una de ca ác e
más ísico y global has a o as de co e más pe sonal y espi i ual. El cue po cen al
del a ículo queda di idido en cua o pa es que in en an elucida las especi i cidades
de cada una de es as c isis y e cómo apa ecen ep esen adas y son a adas en la
no ela de McCa hy. The Road mezcla elemen os no edosos de la nue a na a i a
del i n del mundo con o os pe enecien es a géne os más clásicos como el e o
gó ico o el ela o épico. Uno de los log os des acables de la ob a es que consigue
man ene un equilib io en e la desespe ación y la espe anza al o ece un análisis
minucioso de las eacciones humanas en e a su p opia aniquilación.
PALABRAS CLAVE: No ela pos -apocalíp ica – Tipología de c isis – Paisajes
mo ales – Co mac McCa hy – The Road.
INTRODUCTION
Al hough nea ly a cen u y apa , he images chosen by Fi zge ald and McCa hy
o show he wo ld in which hei cha ac e s li e bea s iking simila i ies. Bo h o
hem a e “ba en, silen , godless” landscapes (McCa hy 2), dep i ed o any li e
and colo , in which human beings ha e a di i cul ime su i ing he condi ions
ha hey hemsel es ha e c ea ed. Despi e he ac ha hese au ho s belong o e y
dis inc adi ions o he Ame ican no el, one could s ill speak o a s enuous e o
on hei pa o cap u e—and o a icula e in symbolic mo al landscapes—some o
he key ques ions ha hei his o ical pe iods we e posing. As is well known, T.S.
Elio desc ibed Fi zge ald’s imp essionis ic po ayal o he “Jazz Age” in The G ea
C ises ac oss he Boa d in Co mac McCa hy’s The Road 83
Ga sby as “ he i s signi i can s ep ha Ame ican i c ion [had] aken since Hen y
James” (Fi zge ald, C ack-Up 310), and some hing in a simila ein could be a gued
abou McCa hy’s pos -apocalyp ic no el, in his case wi h ega d o he wo ks o
William Faulkne . Bo h w i e s seem eng ossed in i nding wha Elio called “an
objec i e co ela i e”— ha is, “a se o objec s, a si ua ion, a chain o e en s which
shall be he o mula o ha pa icula emo ion; such ha when he ex e nal ac s,
which mus e mina e in senso y expe ience, a e gi en, he emo ion is immedia ely
e oked” (145; emphasis in o iginal). In o he wo ds, Fi zge ald and McCa hy seem
o be a e hose inciden s and images ha would bes con ey symbolically he kind
o socio-cul u al malaises ha hei coun y was su e ing om.
Fi zge ald highligh s he con as be ween he bleak and s e ile “ alley o ashes”
(Ga sby 29) and all he supe i cial a l uence and jo iali y ha seemingly i lled he
li es o mos o his cha ac e s in he pos -WW I yea s. Bu , o cou se, i only akes
Jay Ga sby—and he na a o , Nick Ca away— o do a li le sc a ching o i nd ou
ha , behind hose adian su aces, he e lies a comple e lack o mo al p inciples
and esponsibili y o habi s ha a e soon going o lead he coun y o he auma ic
c ack-up o 1929. As Hemingway, Fi zge ald himsel , and Elio —mos no ably in
“The Was e Land” (1922) and “The Hollow Men” (1925)—had al eady shown,
benea h ha supe i cial p ospe i y, he s able s uc u e o alues was missing, and
wi hou ha essen ial sca olding he indi idual los his/he sense o iden i y. The
pos -wa socie y o he 1920s lacked bo h he i m suppo o a se led communi y,
and a se o p inciples and con ic ions ha could p o ide hem wi h ideals o
he u u e. Mos c i ics ag ee ha he main achie emen in Fi zge ald’s classic is
his abili y o ep esen “ he hollowness a he hea o hings” behind ha açade
o abulous weal h and p ospe i y e iden in he “ oa ing wen ies” (see Cowley;
B uccoli). I Jay Ga sby ul ima ely appeals o us as a kind o exis en ial he o agains
he backd op o hypoc isy ha domina es he social en i onmen , i is because he
is s ill able o cling on o a ce ain mission and an elusi e d eam.
Dispi i ing and da k as he pic u e ha Fi zge ald pain ed o Ame ica on he
e e o he G ea Dep ession may seem, he ha owing landscapes ha McCa hy
depic s in The Road seem s ill mo e hos ile and dis u bing: “Nigh s da k beyond
da kness and he days mo e g ay each one han wha had gone be o e. Like he
onse o some cold glaucoma dimming away he wo ld” (1). Al hough he main
ch onicle o he “Jazz Age” was conscious o how he eas e n pa o he coun y
was al eady becoming an ash heap o ci iliza ion whe e adi ional alues we e
mos ly absen and only shallow, money-d i en people could li e, he e a e s ill
some symbols in he no el—such as he “g een ligh , he o gas ic u u e ha yea
by yea ecedes be o e us” (Fi zge ald, Ga sby 188)— ha speak o he p omise
o ha new wo ld ha he ea ly explo e s had sough . No hing o he kind is o be
ound in McCa hy’s u e ly de as a ed and li eless i c ional uni e se in which he
only hin s o mo ion, colo , and l a o a e o be ound in he main cha ac e ’s ague
and ading memo ies o he pas :
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[…] He slep li le and he slep poo ly. He d eam o walking in a l owe ing wood
whe e bi ds l ew be o e hem he and he child and he sky was aching blue bu he was
lea ning how o wake himsel om jus such si en wo lds. Lying he e in he da k
wi h he uncanny as e o a peach om some phan om o cha d ading in his mou h.
He hough i he li ed long enough he wo ld a las would all be los . Like he dying
wo ld he newly blind inhabi , all o i slowly ading om memo y. (17)
O cou se, he undamen al di e ence be ween he wo no els is ha while
Fi zge ald’s p esen s us wi h a decaden wo ld jus be o e he ca aclysmic down-
all occu ed, McCa hy’s shows he a e ma h o a global disas e . In Kennedy’s
wo ds, “Co mac McCa hy’s subjec in his new no el is as big as i ge s: he end
o he ci ilized wo ld, he dying o li e on he plane and he spec acle o i all”
(“Le Behind”). Unlike The G ea Ga sby, which b ough oge he a ai ly la ge
g oup o people ying o each some una ainable d eams, The Road ollows jus
wo o he las people on ea h, a se iously-ill a he and his en-yea -old son, as
hey a el h ough an incine a ed was eland sea ching o ood and shel e , and
o en escaping om coho s o u hless c iminals. The e a e almos no d eams
le o his pai , who need o occupy all hei ime in s uggling o s ay ali e in
his mos inhospi able o en i onmen s. They walk he in e s a e oads sou h and
eas pushing a g oce y ca and hoping ha hey will i nd a wa me clima e nea
he ocean, o hey know hey would no be able o su i e ano he win e in he
no h. In addi ion, condi ions ha e become so meage and inhuman ha he a he
is o en assailed wi h doub s abou whe he keeping ali e is wo hwhile unde hese
ci cums ances. As Hoyle and kincaid, om he e y i s page, he no el is si u-
a ed “in a adi ion o g ea na a i es o dea h, despai and hope, and shee human
doggedness” (“Two Views”):
[…] He ied o hink o some hing o say bu he could no . He’d had his eeling
be o e, beyond he numbness and he dull despai . The wo ld sh inking down abou a
aw co e o pa sible en i ies. The names o hings slowly ollowing hose hings in o
obli ion. Colo s. The names o bi ds. Things o ea . Finally he names o hings one
belie ed o be ue. Mo e agile han he would ha e hough . How much was gone
al eady? The sac ed idiom sho n o i s e e en s and so o i s eali y. D awing down
like some hing ying o p ese e hea . In ime o wink ou o e e . (The Road 93)
Al hough he cause o his global disas e ha has i lled he a mosphe e wi h
soo and ans o med he ea h in o a g ayish, ba en dese is ne e explici ly
es ablished in he ex , we do know ha i is human-c ea ed and p obably ela ed
o nuclea weapon y: “The clocks s opped a 1:17. A long shea o ligh and hen
a se ies o low concussions. He go up and wen o he window. Wha is i ? she
said. He didn answe . […] A dull ose glow in he window-glass” (54). The signs,
hen, seem ai ly unequi ocal: cha ed woods, l oa ing ash e e ywhe e, desola e
ci ies, pollu ed i e s, and a ew gangs o ma aude s all oo eady o u n wha is
C ises ac oss he Boa d in Co mac McCa hy’s The Road 85
le o humankind in o hei las meal. Blackmo e has main ained in a ecen a icle
linking McCa hy’s no el o he monuclea Ame ica ha he s o y should be ead
as an exho a ion and a wa ning on he human ace’s “inexo able descen h ough
ime and da kness” (c . Vallina 98-99):
I was also w i en and published in he con ex o a plane sho ed owa d annihila-
ion: The Bulle in o A omic Scien is s’ doomsday clock, a moni o o global ension
since 1947, now s ands a i e minu es o midnigh —close han a any o he ime since
he dep h o he second cold wa in 1984. (Blackmo e 22)
P edic ably, a numbe o e iewe s ha e been qui e puzzled by McCa hy’s
d as ic swe e owa d a sub-gen e o science i c ion— he pos -apocalyp ic no el—
ha he had ne e isi ed be o e and which is some imes pe cei ed, no wi hou
some p ejudice, as oo biza e o dese e he a en ion o se ious w i e s (see Chabon
“A e ”). Howe e , The Road s ikes a pe ec balance be ween he na u alism ha
esul s om a des uc ion o such magni ude ha li e and i s ameni ies a e educed
o a minimum and a quasi- eligious belie ha some humane ways o beha io may
su i e in his squalid mo al landscape. Maslin unde lines his con as be ween he
comple e physical de as a ion and he main cha ac e s’ impe us o hang on o hei
humani y by no ing ha “ he a he ’s lo ing e o s o shephe d his son a e made
ha mo e w enching by he una ailabili y o ood, shel e , sa e y, companionship
o hope in mos places whe e hey sca enge o subsis ” (“The Road”). No unlike
Ga sby’s longing o keep his pu e eelings un ain ed in a wo ld in which co up ion
and iolence seem o ha e seized e e y hing and e e ybody, he p o agonis s o
McCa hy’s no el a e aced wi h he unen iable ask o p ese ing hei ai h in a
place whe e hunge , he igid wea he , illness, and human p eda o s h ea en hei
su i al: “We’ e going o be okay, a en we Papa? / Yes. We a e. / And no hing
bad is going o happen o us. / Tha ’s igh . / Because we’ e ca ying he i e. / Yes.
Because we’ e ca ying he i e” (87). The Road p o es o be an uncon en ional
pos -apocalyp ic no el because a he han me ely exploi ing he e ec s o human
ha ed and s upidi y, i becomes a pa able o “humani y’s s uggles o econcile
su e ing wi h di ini y, and despai wi h he ins inc o lo e. I s success, and i is
success ul, es s in such a ende dualism” (Hoyle & Kincaid “Two Views”).
Wha seems beyond any doub is ha he book, as Wa ne and o he s ha e
ema ked, is abou he unce ain ies and anxie ies ha U.S. ci izens began o eel in
he wake o 9/11 and he ensuing wa on e o : “In c ea ing an exquisi e nigh ma e,
i does no add o he c uel y and ugliness o ou imes; i wa ns us now how much
we ha e o lose” (Wa ne “Road o Hell”). The ho i ying pic u es ha a he and
son come ac oss du ing hei odyssey a e jus an index o he immense agili y
o na u e w eaking ha oc as a esul o hough less human conduc and a human
ace g adually anishing in a wo ld so bleak and inhospi able ha me e su i al
seems mo e like a mi acle. B ew on poin s ou ha McCa hy shows g ea skill in

Ai o Iba ola-A menda iz
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d awing co espondences be ween con empo a y c ises and ea s, and he kind o
cul u al exp essions ha come o domina e he imagina ion o a whole gene a ion;
“a o m o in l uence mani es ed in i lm and li e a u e gene ally, bu el wi h equal
o ce in he a ena o na ional media cul u e” (122). Some o he episodes in The
Road a e eminiscen o scena ios ha we ha e become amilia wi h in comics,
mo ies, and compu e games in ecen imes, which a e likely o mesme ize he
eade wi h ho o and disgus as he limi s o human c uel y a e cons an ly being
s e ched. Such is he case o he p o agonis s’ disco e y o a cella whe e a g oup
o people a e inca ce a ed and a e slowly being dismembe ed by hei cap o s o
p o ide o hei nex meal:
He s a ed down he ough wooden s eps. He ducked his head and hen l icked
he ligh e and swung he l ame ou o e he da kness like an o e ing. Coldness and
damp. An ungodly s ench. The boy clu ched a his coa . He could see pa o a s one
wall. Clay l oo . An old ma ess da kly s ained. He c ouched and s epped down again
and held ou he ligh . Huddled agains he back wall we e naked people, male and
emale, all ying o hide, shielding hei aces wi h hei hands. On he ma ess lay
a man wi h his legs gone o he hip and he s umps o hem blackened and bu n . The
smell was hideous. (116)
Despi e hese amilia ho o s, o classi y Co mac McCa hy’s The Road as
jus ano he pos -apocalyp ic no el would be a clea ins ance o analy ical myopia,
since he book ob iously anscends he echniques and pu poses o ha li e a y
sub-gen e. Al hough i con ains some o he ypical con en ions o ha i c ional
mode—de as a ed landscapes, ambi alence owa d echnology, bands o hugs—,
he e a e o he elemen s, such as he Go hic-ho o aes he ics and he he oic dimen-
sion o he pai ’s su i al, ha make his no el a much mo e ambi ious en e p ise.
Acco ding o Chabon, “The Road seems o wo k i s way back o he ich s o y elling
bo de land o ho o and he epic” (“A e ”). Ac ually, wha McCa hy o e s in he
book is a diagnosis o he ills o a wo ld in which a a he can no longe be su e
whe he i is mo e sensible o p o ec his son agains all he e il o ces a ound him
o o pu an end o his li e o spa e him a a e wo se han annihila ion. The ac ha
his dilemma becomes he c ux o he no el gi es us a sense o how i edeemably
doomed he wo ld has become a e he unspeci i ed ca aclysm. The main aim o
his a icle is o explo e he ypes o c ises ha a e likely o ha e d i en he au ho
o conju e up such a dismal pic u e o he u u e and o conside whe he some hope
is s ill possible o he ai h ul in such a con ex . As much o he c i icism o The
G ea Ga sby has demons a ed, bo h o hese ques ions a e ele an and p oduc-
i e, a leas i one wishes o de e mine he posi ion ha a pa icula li e a y wo k
should occupy in a ce ain adi ion (Bloom 15-20).
C ises ac oss he Boa d in Co mac McCa hy’s The Road 87
1. DIFFERENT TYPES OF CRISES IN THE ROAD
Among he main easons o he success o McCa hy’s no el—winne o
he Puli ze P ize o Fic ion in 2007 and an Op ah Win ey-Club a o i e—and
he i lm adap a ion—p emie ed only wo yea s la e —, one is he abili y o plug
di ec ly in o ou un emi ing end-o - he-wo ld ea s. The ha owing scena ios o
apocalypse in bo h media seem sca y p ima ily because hey a e a om an as ic
o my hical; in ac , hey a e o en augh wi h echoes o disas e s ha he plane
has al eady wi nessed—ea hquakes, nuclea allou s, dese i i ca ion, e o is a -
acks, and so on—. Fukuyama had al eady announced in 1992 he end o his o y
and socie y, a leas as we had known hem un il hen, when he demise o he las
communis egimes seemed qui e ine i able and he libe al capi alism o he Wes
appea ed o p e ail. Howe e , on he h eshold o he 21s cen u y, i soon became
e iden ha he ghos s and anxie ies eme ging du ing he Cold Wa pe iod we e
no gone and ha , in ac , mo e pos -mode n o ms o e o we e inc easingly
cas ing shadows on he human ace (see G ay 219-22). I would be impossible o
w i e a comple e lis o he ea s hiding behind he mos con empo a y e sions o
A mageddon: om eligious con l ic s and e hno-na ionalis an agonism o global
wa ming and haza dous gene ic enginee ing. Wha seems unques ionable is ha ,
despi e scien i i c ad ances and e e -g owing new channels o communica ion,
he old wo ld o de is quickly b eaking down and impending dange s loom la ge
on he ho izon. I is hose dange s—o c ises— ha a e p obably he mainsp ing
o The Road, which, as McCa hy s a ed in an in e iew, he “had no idea whe e i
was going” while he w o e i , al hough he knew pe ec ly “whe e i was coming
om” (Conlon W i e ). As I see i , he e a e a leas h ee ypes o c ises dis inc ly
ep esen ed in McCa hy’s no el and hey e e us, al e na i ely, o he condi ions
on he plane a la ge, mo al alues in his coun y, and his own anxie ies as a pe son
and a w i e in his mid-70s.
In an a icle published in Time Magazine on Janua y 28, 2008, Le G ossman
wonde ed: “Wha ’s behind ou [new] appe i e o he apocalypse? Is i a way o
con on ing deep-sea ed, species-wide ea ? O is i some hing mo e—migh he e
be some hing abou he end o he wo ld ha we jus can’ wai o ?” (54). O cou se,
i could be said ha his appe i e has been ai ly cons an in Wes e n ci iliza ion
om he days o he Old and New Tes amen (“Book o Re ela ions”) o some o he
high mode nis s men ioned abo e. Ne e heless, i is also a ac ha no his o ical
pe iod has wi nessed such an e up ion o end-o - he-wo ld images and na a i es
as he beginning o he new millennium (see Rambo 100-1). Books and mo ies
such as Alan Weisman’s The Wo ld wi hou Us o Shu e’s On he Beach, F anny
A ms ong’s The Age o S upid o Mel Gibson’s Apocalyp o, a e all seen o ap in o
ou collec i e unconscious and ha supp essed ea o wha may hide benea h he
ex emely agile enee o ci iliza ion ha has so a kep us om global annihila-
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88
ion. Acco ding o Gabilondo, apa om showing al e na i e, pagan e sions o
ou deep-sea ed ea s, wha cha ac e izes hese cul u al a e ac s is he way hey
end o spec acula ize he escala ing con l ic s be ween di e en ac ions. Indeed,
“ he e en s o bo h 9/11 and he wo Gul Wa s s and o he ul ima e spec acles
ha hen egula e and eo ganize he isualiza ion o he public spaces and sphe es
in bo h i elds, he Wes e n and he Muslim” (Gabilondo 239). As explained ea lie
on, The Road does no e eal a p ecise explana ion o he o igin o he wo ldwide
ca aclysm; ye , he e a e some angen ial e e ences and eligious unde ones ha
can easily be linked o ou p esen -day eali ies: “On his oad he e a e no god-
spoke men. They a e gone and I am le and hey ha e aken wi h hem he wo ld.
Que y: How does he ne e o be di e om wha ne e was?” (32). The no es o
p o es and despai hea d in he a he ’s oice sugges s ha he has been an un ai
scapegoa o a poli ical—and/o eligious—o de ha ne e ca ed much abou he
consequences hei ac ions migh ha e on o dina y people. The cold, silen , a aged
landscapes ha become he adema k o he no el should hen be unde s ood as he
o eseeable esul o he compe i ion and clashes be ween new echnologies, on he
one hand, and old ideologies, on he o he . As Jue gensmeye explains, i may be
ue ha unce ain y now domina es he basis o cul u al—and na ional—iden i y
and ha some imes he e ec s o poli ical ac ics a e no comple ely con olled
(227), bu in many ins ances anonymous indi iduals a e s anded on ba en oads
no unlike he one McCa hy ep esen s in his no el:
[…] He walked ou in he g ay ligh and s ood and saw o a b ie momen he ab-
solu e u h o he wo ld. The cold elen less ci cling o he in es a e ea h. Da kness
implacable. The blind dogs o he sun in hei unning. The c ushing black acuum
o he uni e se. And somewhe e wo hun ed animals embling like g ound- oxes in
hei co e . Bo owed ime and bo owed wo ld and bo owed eyes wi h which o
so ow i . (138)
Bu , o cou se, he consequences o he global ca aclysm would no ha e
been so e ible i he ew emnan s o humankind had no g adually degene a ed
in o beas -like c ea u es all oo eady o p ey on each o he in o de o gua an ee
hei own su i al. Se e al e iewe s and c i ics ha e ound a ce ain con inui y
be ween McCa hy’s ea lie no el No Coun y o Old Men and The Road in he
sense ha bo h p esen us wi h a uly Hobbesian wo ld in which, no longe bound
by socially-o ganized mo al p inciples, human beings become icious b u es who
show absolu ely no me cy o sympa hy o he weake membe s o he species:
[…] They passed wo hund ed ee away, he g ound shudde ing ligh ly. T amping.
Behind hem came wagons d awn by sla es in ha ness and piled wi h goods o wa and
a e ha he women, pe haps a dozen in numbe , some o hem p egnan , and las ly a
supplemen a y conso o ca ami es illclo hed agains he cold and i ed in dogcolla s
and yoked each o each. All passed on. They lay lis ening. (96)
C ises ac oss he Boa d in Co mac McCa hy’s The Road 89
This highly dys ophic image o human na u e poses one o he c i ical ques ions
in he no el: Can good and g ace—as pe soni i ed by he young boy, who is he only
one willing o gi e and assis when e e ybody else is aking and abusing—su i e
in a con ex whe e all signs o ci iliza ion and social ules ha e disappea ed? No
doub , his heme has been ea ed in o he li e a y classics, such as Hea o Da k-
ness and Lo d o he Flies; howe e , i ecei es a new wis in McCa hy’s no el as,
in his ully-de as a ed wo ld, no sense o di ec ion o sign o au ho i y emains. In
Kennedy’s opinion, The Road p o es o be one o he au ho ’s majo wo ks p ecisely
because, he e, “ he ace-o o good and e il” (“Le Behind”) does no seem o
be sca olded by g eed, acism, o any kind o de ian ideology—o he han me e
su i al. Wha he book eally con on s us wi h, hen, is no only he des uc ion
o he plane bu , mo e impo an ly, he collapse o he alue sys em and he mo al
es ain on which humans had elied o build hei bonds and ela ions (see Hudock
122-24). McCa hy e eals how quickly hose basic p inciples may go down he
d ain once i gu es o au ho i y and guiding doc ines ha e disappea ed:
In hose i s yea s he oads we e peopled wi h e ugees sh ouded up in hei
clo hing. Wea ing masks and goggles, si ing in hei ags by he side o he oad like
uined a ia o s. Thei ba ows heaped wi h shoddy. Towing wagons o ca s. Thei
eyes b igh in hei skulls. C eedless shells o men o e ing down he causeways like
mig an s in a e e land. The ail y o e e y hing e ealed a las . Old and oubling
issues esol ed in o no hingness and nigh . The las ins ance o a hing akes he class
wi h i . (28)
In e es ingly, he las ype o c isis o be conside ed in his a icle, ins ead o
ein o cing he p e ious wo, seems o push he na a i e in exac ly he opposi e
di ec ion. A e seeing all he decay and mise y caused by human iolence and he
g adual disappea ance o mo al alues, he eade is immedia ely in oduced in o a
mic ocosm in which lo e, ca e, and ende ness p e ail. As he na a o no es a he
beginning o he no el, a he and son ep esen “each he o he ’s wo ld en i e” (4),
and he book would ha e old an u e ly di e en s o y had he ela ionship be ween
hese wo cha ac e s aken a di e en o m. The a he ’s undamen al mission is o
p o ec he child om all he awness and b u ali y o he pos -apocalyp ic se ing:
“Now you know. I may happen again. My job is o ake ca e o you. I was appoin ed
o do ha by God. I will kill anyone who ouches you. Do you unde s and?” (80).
On he o he hand, he a he is conscious ha he boy is “his wa an ” (3) o a
leas wo impo an easons. Fi s , his waning li e would make li le sense in hese
dange ous ci cums ances i i we e no o he ac ha he is con inced ha he e
may s ill be a u u e o his son. Secondly, he a he is also made awa e a se e al
poin s in he na a i e ha , had he no been p i y o he ca e and compassion ha
he child shows when hey come ac oss o he badly wounded o de anged humans,
he himsel could easily ha e been b u alized he way mos o he s ha e been. E en
Ai o Iba ola-A menda iz
96
anguish o ha ing o cope wi h all so s o dep i a ions, a psychological o u e is
added e e y ime he con empla es wha would happen o he child i hey ell in o
he hands o hese icious gangs. In his ega d, Mo due commen s ha “ ew will
ead The Road wi hou unning o hei own child en and holding hem close. Few
will ead i wi hou a wo y o he wo ld hey will inhe i ” (“The Road”).
The a he ’s anxie ies a e u he agg a a ed by his la e wi e’s elonga ed
shadow, which alls upon him whene e he ealizes ha his abili y o keep his son
sa e is only a he limi ed. Be o e commi ing suicide, his wi e had in ac old him
ha i i we e up o he , she would ha e aken he son along, since ha seemed he
igh hing o do in such a iolen and dep a ed wo ld: “No, I’m speaking he u h.
Soone o la e hey will ca ch us and hey will kill us. They will ape me. They’ll
ape him. They a e going o ape us and kill us and ea us and you won ace i .
You’d a he wai o i o happen. Bu I can . I can ” (58). O cou se, hese wo ds
mus be deeply eng a ed in he a he ’s mind, o he ac is ha he e idence ha
he keeps encoun e ing on he oad cons an ly adds weigh o his wi e’s a gumen s.
Ye , despi e all he ho o s and dehumanisa ion ha he pai o pilg ims wi ness
du ing hei jou ney, he a he obs ina ely hangs on o he hope ha he e may be
a be e u u e o his son. The e a e imes when he is emp ed o ollow his wi e’s
ad ice and use he las bulle in his e ol e bu , mo e o en, he is oo much he
su i alis o su ende o he ci cums ances (see Hoyle & Kincaid).
A numbe o eade s o he no el ha e a gued ha he man’s de e mina ion
g ows so s ong du ing he s o y ha we could e en speak o a deg ee o masochism
and bellige ence in his a i ude. One canno deny ha he main o ce d i ing him is
pa en al lo e: “He s ood lis ening. The boy didn s i . He sa beside him and s oked
his pale and angled hai . Golden chalice, good o house a god. Please don ell me
how he s o y ends” (78). Ne e heless, he e a e momen s when his conduc is
colo ed by an Old-Tes amen undamen alism and an obs inacy ha seem o su pass
he legi ima e limi s o his s uggle o su i e. Na u ally, o he s would con end ha
his s ong de e mina ion needs o ake on hose s e n nuances i we bea in mind
ha he o ces he is acing a e no hing less ha he las scou ges o humani y and
he plane . To some ex en , his mission is o ashion a new, al e na i e eligion ha
can be opposed o he ba ba ism and mo al decadence ha he obse es a ound. Fo
his pu pose, acco ding o Clea e, he u ns his innocen son in o a “mo al compass”
allowing him o disce n whe e g ace and me cy lie in such a apidly-degene a ing
uni e se (“Ha owing Po ai ”). As he con i des ea ly in he no el, “I he [ he boy]
is no he wo d o God God ne e spoke” (3). Again, his a emp s o u n sac ed
e e y hing his son says and does gi e us a measu e no only o how impo an i is
o him o p o ec he ew hings ha a e s ill pu e in his hea ily pollu ed wo ld,
bu also o his need o ecall hose ea lie ea u es o humani y ha a e g adually
disappea ing om he ace o he plane (see Hudock).
Much o he despai we expe ience while eading he no el de i es no so much
om he mys e ies and pe pe ual haza ds a ising in a dying wo ld bu , a he , om

C ises ac oss he Boa d in Co mac McCa hy’s The Road 97
he ac ha no signpos s o ci iliza ion a e o be ound anywhe e. Mos o he
alues and ins i u ions ha man has depended on o build up communi ies, such
as iendship, educa ion, and poli ics, o lib a ies and go e nmen , no longe bea
much signi i cance in his wo ld. People do no ca e abou money, social posi ion
o e en ha ing a home o li e in. Se e al e iewe s ha e de ec ed a numbe o sa-
i ical elemen s in he book, o McCa hy qui e clea ly sugges s ha he a i i cial
socie ies we ha e de eloped would no las e y long i a massi e disas e o his
kind should occu (see Chabon). In his ega d, i is in e es ing o obse e ha one
o he mos e ealing encoun e s ha he pai ha e du ing hei aimless pilg image
is wi h an old agabond named Ely—a e he p ophe Elijah, pe haps—who has
g own ex emely cynical o all human d eams and alues. The a he has one o
he longes exchanges in he no el wi h his des i u e s aggle who comes ac oss
as hal eal cha ac e and hal o acle in his pos -apocalyp ic Ame ica: “How long
ha e you been on he oad? / I was always on he oad. You can s ay in one place.
/ How do you li e? / I jus keep going. I knew his was coming. / You knew his
was coming? /Yeah, his o some hing like i . I always belie ed in i ” (179). The
old man’s iews—al hough he is almos comple ely blind—p o ide us wi h a good
summa y o he kind o belie s ha a e likely o eme ge in his squalid and b u al
con ex in which, as he explains, “The e is no God and we a e his p ophe s” (181).
Na u ally, he a he ies a i s o esis he da k con ic ions o his doomsaye
who, basically, li es like an animal and would us nobody, no ma e how help ul
o gene ous hey we e o him. Tha is why he is so su p ised by he p esence o he
boy and his unusually sympa he ic a i ude. Ne e heless, when he a he sugges s
ha he e is some hing di ine abou he child, Ely is again qui e ca ego ical abou
he possible implica ions:
The old man shook his head. I’m pas all ha now. Ha e been o yea s. Whe e men
can li e gods a e no be e . You’ll see. I ’s be e o be alone. So I hope ha ’s no ue
wha you said because o be on he oad wi h he las god would be a e ible hing so
I hope i ’s no ue. Things will be be e when e e ybody’s gone. (183)
The Road is, o cou se, a e y se e e c i ique o a “cau e ised” and mos ly
de-s o ied wo ld in which mos o he emaining su i o s a e e e ing o hei
p e-social, animal na u e o me- i s iolence. Unlike o he pos -apocalyp ic s o ies
such as Independence Day o I Am Legend, McCa hy does no seem so in e es ed in
digging in o he o igins o he ca as ophe o con i ing ex e nal o ces h ea ening
he su i al o he human ace. As a gued ea lie on, he end-o - he-wo ld is mo e
awe-inspi ing he e p ecisely because i a ises om he collapse o he social and
e hical alues ha had allowed humans o domina e he plane . The no el—and he
i lm adap a ion—is mo e unse ling and g uesome because he au ho does no need
o eso o gene ically-modi i ed i uses o in ade s om ou e space o jus i y he
ex eme iolence and des uc ion:
Ai o Iba ola-A menda iz
98
[…] By hen all s o es o ood had gi en ou and mu de was e e ywhe e upon he
land. The wo ld soon o be la gely popula ed by men who would ea you child en in
on o you eyes and he ci ies hemsel es held by co es o blackened loo e s who
unneled among he uins and c awled om he ubble whi e o oo h and eye ca ying
cha ed and anonymous ins o ood in nylon ne s like shoppe s in he commissa ies
o hell. (192)
As was he case in some o McCa hy’s ea lie wo ks—Blood Me idian and No
Coun y o Old Men, mos no ably— ai h in goodness seems qui e an anomaly in
hese se ings whe e mu de e s, sadis s, and psycho ic sca enge s do hei bes o
b ing he las aces o humani y o an end. Despi e McCa hy’s decla ed Ca holic
belie s, he has a e ibly di i cul ime con incing his eade s ha he e is s ill he
possibili y o ollowing a se o basic mo al p inciples, e en when hose a ound
you ha e all su ende ed o hei animal ins inc s. Maslin explains ha much o
he impac o he no el “comes om he absolu e lawlessness o i s backd op as i
unde mines he a he ’s only emaining ce i ude: ha he mus keep his boy ali e
no ma e wha dange be alls hem” (“The Road”). As will be seen below, i is his
he oic s uggle o main ain a glimpse o hope and a sense o pu pose ali e in such
a dep essing si ua ion ha makes he book pa icula ly mo ing.
4. PERSONAL CRISIS: CAN HOPE AND GRACE SURVIVE IN A
DYING WORLD?
Mos eade s and e iewe s ha e ag eed ha his is he cen al dilemma ha
McCa hy’s no el ies o un angle. In his ega d, Mo due admi s ha “Ten pages
in o his book, I was dep essed, e en oubled by i s one. Bu he e’s a momen um
ha pulls you on none heless, a momen um ha migh pa ly be iden i i ed as hope”
(“The Road”). Indeed, al hough i is ue ha he ex emely basic plo o he no el
g ows in suspense due o he cons an h ea o he killing wea he —which makes
he main cha ac e s huddle unde a p and blanke s—, he un emi ing need o i nd
wa e and ood in all kinds o p emises, and he equen sigh ings o hose nomadic
b u es, he eal c ux o he s o y is whe he he a he will e en ually use he bulle
emaining in his gun o pu an end o his son’s mise ies. As Clea e explains, g ace
is supposed no only “ o know how o go on li ing bu also when o die” (“Ha -
owing Po ai ”). I is no wonde ha agains he backd op o human degene a ion
ha McCa hy ske ches, he a he should equen ly eel bese by doub s abou
whe he he will ga he he cou age o make he igh decision a he c i ical mo-
men . These dis u bing hough s come o him when he s ands in he p esence o
p e-apocalyp ic wo ies which, o cou se, in compa ison wi h his cu en o deals,
seem a he i ial:
C ises ac oss he Boa d in Co mac McCa hy’s The Road 99
He sa by he window in he g ay ligh in an abandoned house in he la e a e noon
and ead old newspape s while he boy slep . The cu ious news. The quain conce ns.
A eigh he p im ose closes. He wa ched he boy sleeping. Can you do i ? When he
ime comes? Can you? (28)
Because o he magni ude o he o ces ha he is acing h oughou hei jou ney,
his decision acqui es he my hic esonance ha we associa e wi h hose con on ed
by Huck Finn and Hen y Fleming in Twain’s and C ane’s classics. Sla e y and he
mili a y code o hono we e deeply- oo ed ules and ins i u ions ha nobody could
simply o e look when one el p essed by an u ge o ansg ess hem. Howe e ,
wha uni e sal o ce could be mo e compelling han a a he ’s—o mo he ’s—lo e
and he ins inc o p o ec hei son? In Hoyle’s opinion, because o he o e whelm-
ing powe o hese sen imen s, he a he “has made an ex ao dina y bu den o
himsel [and] has also come o belie e ha i mus and should be a pain ul yoke”
(“Two Views”).
[…] The boy was o e ing on his ee . He asked o be ca ied, s umbling and slu ing
his wo ds, and he man did ca y him and he ell asleep on his shoulde ins an ly. He
knew he couldn ca y him a .
He woke in he da k o he woods in he lea es shi e ing iolen ly. He sa up and
el abou o he boy. He held his hand o he hin ibs. Wa m h and mo emen . Hea -
bea . (122-23)
As obse ed abo e, he hi d ype o c isis ep esen ed in McCa hy’s no el
seems o bea a mo e pe sonal cha ac e , since i is closely ela ed o he a he ’s
illusions and ea s conce ning his child’s u u e. Chabon obse es ha he hough s
o his nameless p o agonis “a e so o en p esen ed wi hou hi d-pe son a ibu ion
ha a imes he e ges asymp o ically nea o being he no el’s na a o ” (“A e ”).
Indeed, he e a e passages in he no el in which he bounda ies be ween cha ac e ,
na a o , and implied au ho appea o collapse and we hea a ende oice which
could be a ibu ed o any o hese na a i e cons uc s: “All hings o g ace and
beau y such ha one holds hem o one’s hea ha e a common p o enance in pain.
Thei bi h in g ie and ashes. So he whispe ed o he sleeping boy. I ha e you”
(126). The ac ha many o he eelings exp essed by he p o agonis a e sha ed
by mos p ogeni o s a ound he wo ld is success ully used by he au ho o aise he
emo i e empe a u e o he ex . Fu he mo e, he eade lea ns om ea ly on in he
book ha he a he su e s om a g a e espi a o y illness—p obably he esul
o ha ing been b ea hing smoke and ashes o a decade—and ha he is somehow
li ing on bo owed ime. This also adds o he d ama ic conno a ions o his ea s,
as we know ha he egula bou s o bloody coughing will e en ually kill him:
[…] He descended in o a g yke in he s one and he e he c ouched coughing and
he coughed o a long ime. Then he jus knel in he ashes. He aised his ace o he
Ai o Iba ola-A menda iz
100
paling day. A e you he e? he whispe ed. Will I see you a he las ? Ha e you a neck
by which o h o le you? Ha e you a hea ? Damn you e e nally ha e you a soul? Oh
God, he whispe ed. Oh God.
In spi e o he epea ed p o es s and accusa ions aised agains a God ha seems
o ha e abandoned he wo ld and le humans o i nish o he li le li e ha emains
on he plane , The Road should be ead as a highly spi i ual wo k o i c ion. I is
ue ha he a he is p ima ily p esen ed as a p agma is so na owly ocused on
his son’s su i al ha he e is almos no oom le in his hea o human sympa hy
and solida i y. Thei encoun e s wi h o he human beings, no ma e how badly-
hu and ino ensi e hey may seem, a e so deeply ma ked by his suspicion and
ins inc o sel -p ese a ion ha he pai a e ine i ably condemned o isola ion. Ye ,
as Hellman has a gued, his lo e o he boy is so in ense ha his hopes manage o
keep a l oa in an unce ain spi i o ai h: “[...] his is no abou eligious doc ine.
Ra he i is abou he spi i ual ai h people need o su i e, ha hey need o sus ain
hem in hese oubled imes, and ha has no hing o do wi h doc ine” (“A e he
Apocalypse”). Some c i ics ha e said ha one o McCa hy’s majo achie emen s
in he no el is o s ike a pe ec balance be ween he kind o sel -cen e edness
necessa y o su i e in such a des i u e en i onmen and he humani a ian eelings
ha would be equi ed o make ha su i al wo hwhile. The a he does ce ainly
embody mo e clea ly he o me o hese a i udes, always a aid o “enkindl[ing]
in he hea o he child wha was ashes in his own” (163), hus he e ains om
i nding much pleasu e in he ew momen s o espi e ha hey enjoy du ing hei
o uous jou ney. His mission is so e iden in his mind and his ime so sho ha , as
men ioned ea lie on, a no e o ana icism may some imes ing in his oice. On he
o he hand, he boy usually comes ac oss as al uism pe soni i ed, since hei sa e y
is equen ly pu a isk by his in ui i e ealiza ion ha su i al in a dehumanised
wo ld would be absolu ely meaningless. The kind o edemp ion and sal a ion ha
he aspi es o is de i ni ely b oade han his a he ’s and, as Chabon poin s ou , “i
e ges explici ly on he messianic” (“A e ”). This becomes mos e iden e e y
ime hey mee hose hal -naked and sla -like i gu es on he oad whom he child
always wan s o assis o ake along:
The man squa ed and looked a him. I’m sca ed, he said. Do you unde s and? I’m
sca ed.
The boy didn answe . He jus sa he e wi h his head bowed, sobbing.
You’ e no he one who has o wo y abou e e y hing.
The boy said some hing bu he couldn unde s and him. Wha ? he said.
He looked up, his we and g imy ace. Yes, I am, he said. I am he one. (277)
Al hough he exchanges be ween a he and son also show he concision and
sob ie y e iden in he na a i e as a whole, hey o en con ain a ly icism and
C ises ac oss he Boa d in Co mac McCa hy’s The Road 101
complexi y ha cap i a e he eade s. Messen has ema ked ha McCa hy’s use
o he English language achie es a undamen al and uni e sal “my hic esonance”
(133) ha akes his wo ks beyond na ional and cul u al bounda ies, and ends o
gi e hem an epic quali y. As I ha e a gued elsewhe e, his is pa icula ly ue o
his la es no el, in which he employs all his s ylis ic skills o p o ide us wi h “a
sense o he unb eakable bond exis ing be ween a he and son”—and hei sha ed
ideal o a be e wo ld—while, a he same ime, ne e upse ing he d ama ic e-
s ain ha he pos -apocalyp ic en i onmen demands (“Co mac”). Two o h ee
e ains ha he wo main cha ac e s epea o each o he in o de o con i m hei
ai h seem enough o keep hem going unde he du ess o hei mise able condi-
ion. They a e ce ainly among he ew “good guys” who a e “ca ying he i e”
(136) in a sel -immola ing wo ld des oyed, pa adoxically, by in ense combus ion,
whe e g ace and hope seem jus echoes o he pas . Pe haps he clea es e idence
o he au ho ’s own ea s o mo ali y and pe di ion is o be ound in he closing
pa ag aph o he no el which, cu iously, h ows us back o he beginnings o li e
on he plane . Ye , e en he e, one could al eady i nd signs and p emoni ions o
he kind o ending ha was o come. Al hough he boy does appa en ly i nd a ca -
ing amily a e his a he ’s an icipa ed demise, i is s ill unce ain whe he a eal
egene a ion will eally be possible in he ma e ial and mo al was eland ha man
has p oduced (see Kunsa 69-72):
Once he e we e b ook ou in he s eams in he moun ains. You could see hem
s anding in he ambe cu en whe e he whi e edges o hei i ns wimpled so ly in he
l ow. They smelled o moss in you hand. Polished and muscula and o sional. On
hei backs we e e micula e pa e ns ha we e maps o he wo ld in i s becoming.
Maps and mazes. O a hing which could no be pu back. No be made igh again.
In he deep glens whe e hey li ed all hings we e olde han man and hey hummed
o mys e y. (307)
5. CLOSING REMARKS
Some schola s and e iewe s ha e a gued ha i is qui e impossible no o ead
Co mac McCa hy’s The Road as an a e e ec o he e en s o 9/11 and he Gul
Wa s. Blackmo e, a e conside ing some o he nuclea policies o he mos ecen
U.S. Adminis a ions, obse es ha “i we admi ha we oo a e on he oad, ha
we a e as onishingly ew s eps om a line leading o he wo ld’s dea h, hen we
migh choose o li e as i i ma e ed and no e e nally look away om ou nuclea
li es” (31). The e is li le doub ha he desola e and awe-inspi ing pos -apocalyp ic
landscapes ha McCa hy ske ches in he no el a e, a leas pa ly, in ended as a
wa ning and an exho a ion o hose who a e s ill con ibu ing o he p oli e a ion
o echnologies and weapons ha may endange ou ci iliza ion. Mo e impo an ly,
hough, con empo a y end-o - he-wo ld i c ion also se es he pu pose o mak-

Ai o Iba ola-A menda iz
102
ing us, o dina y eade s, awa e o he possible esul s o he global c ises ha we
a e al eady expe iencing. In his ega d, Gabilondo a gues ha he wi nessing o
wo ldwide ca as ophes is no longe a mime ic p ocess o indi idual (dis)iden i i -
ca ion bu , a he , he iewe is inco po a ed in o he i c ional cons uc — e o is
scena io, nuclea win e , alien in asion—whe eby “he o she is eposi ioned as
jus one mo e elemen o he allego y o globaliza ion” (259). The no el can be
seen o pu sue his massi e inco po a ion o he eade ship by in oducing some
eminde s ha we a e walking on ha i nal oad whe e li e has been educed o i s
minimal exp ession:
They picked hei way among he mummied i gu es. The black skin s e ched upon
he bones and hei aces spli and sh unken on hei skulls. Like ic ims o some
ghas ly en acuuming. Passing hem in silence down ha silen co ido h ough he
d i ing ash whe e hey s uggled o e e in he oad’s cold coagula e. (204)
As has been s essed a di e en poin s in his a icle, e en mo e oubling
and dep essing han he des uc ion caused by hose deadly echnologies, is ha
p oduced by hose who managed o su i e he i s yea s a e he holocaus and
ha e now become beas s o p ey always eady o sodomize, slaugh e , and ea hose
who come ac oss hei pa h. I McCa hy’s ea lie i c ion had al eady made him
an ou s anding membe o wha Wa ne calls “ he Tough Guy adi ion”— ha is,
a g oup o w i e s showing an a i ni y o he go hic, he iolen , and he nihilis ic
(“Road o Hell”). The Road clea ly o e s his c udes ep esen a ion o how pi iless
and dep a ed human beings can become wi h each o he : “Oh Papa, he [ he boy]
said. He u ned and looked again. Wha he boy had seen was a cha ed human in an
headless and gu ed and blackening on he spi ” (212). Cannibalism is, o cou se,
o en picked ou in he no el as he mos ho endous “mo al c ime” ha humans
could commi agains each o he , bu McCa hy does no spa e us he de ails o
many o he e ol ing i uals ha speak plainly o he ex emes o deg ada ion ha
alues and p inciples may unde go in speci i c ci cums ances.
All he des uc ion and b u ali y con ained in The Road would de i ni ely make
McCa hy one o he mos ap candida es o a p ize awa ded o c ea o s o global
nigh ma es. Ye , as Maslin and o he s ha e emphasized, “ his na a i e is also il-
lumina ed by ex ao dina y ende ness” (“The Road”). In e es ingly, his b igh e
pa allel s o y is also he esul o a c isis ha bo h he p o agonis and he au ho
could well ha e unde gone simul aneously. Bo h o hem—p o agonis and au ho —
li e and w i e unde he p essu e o knowing ha hey will no be able o p o ec
hei o sp ing o e e in his c uelles o wo lds. This ac obliges hem o del e in o
al e na i e esou ces ha will allow hem o en e ain a ai h in he u u e ha hey
canno eally i nd in he si ua ions whe e chance o mis o une has placed hem. I
is ha epic s uggle o c ea e hope ou o despe a ion and o p ese e g ace when
all mo al alues a e collapsing ha The Road aspi es o cap u e in he endi ion o
C ises ac oss he Boa d in Co mac McCa hy’s The Road 103
he a he -and-son ela ionship. One canno be su e whe he he wo ld will become
a b igh e and sane place he ea e , bu wha seems undeniable is ha hese pai s
ha e played hei pa in he i nal a emp s o sa e i om comple e annihila ion.
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