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ASHES AND HOPE: HEALING THROUGH HUMAN BOND IN CORMAC
MCCARTHY’S
THE ROAD
D . P. Mohana
Assis an P o esso , Depa men o English,
Sona College o A s and Science, Salem
mohananishan [email protected]
Ms. J. Sanjana
II B.A. English, Sona College o A s and Science, Salem
[email protected]
h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17283371
Abs ac
Wa lea es an unimaginable des uc ions, su e ings and loss o he wo ld. I has b ough des uc ion o
human li e, p ope y, en i onmen and he ci iliza ion. The no el, TheRoad w i en by Co man Mc Ca hy
gi es a haun ing ision o he pos -apocalyp ic wo ld illed wi h dea h and cons an low o ashes. In he
backg ound, Co man es ablishes a deep human bond be ween he a he and his son who ep esen s human
esilience and powe o hope. This pape p esen s he consequences o he wa and also explo es how g ie
has been na iga ed in he lens o in e pe sonal a achmen , om hei su i al h ough he bu n landscape
by dealing wi h ma aude s and cannibals o hei ela ionship becoming a cen al pilla o hope. I highligh s
he concep , humani y is no ully ex inguished, and he e is hope and po en ial o ebuild he kindness.
Keywo ds: Des uc ion, ashes, hope, cannibals, dea h, wa , human bond.
The Road mani es he des uc ion o he en i onmen caused by unspeci ied nuclea wa .
The wo ld aces unp edic able loss o na u al esou ces and humani y. The se ings and he
mood o he no el c ea es a haun ing ision o hede as ed wo ld. I e inces he wo ld illed
wi h ashes whe e he sky appea s da k and g ay blocking he sun and c ea ing a “nuclea
win e ” wi h no li e o exis s o su i e. The e appea ed a o al ba en space abandoned by he
people whe e no social o de o go e nmen exis o p o ec he humani y. In con as he wo ld
po ayed wi h b u ali y and cannibalism whe e iolence akes uppe hand and people u ned
o sa age y.
The a he p o agonis o his no el jou ney wi h his young son in sea ch o new wo ld in
he sou h. They wish o seek a wa me clima e and cou ly humani y as hey ace psychological
desola ion in hei own land. The son who was bo n o su i e in he s e ile ea h had no seen
plan s and animals o he sun and he moon. All he comes ac oss is ashes and g ey and co pse
all a ound. The a he and he son bea he beacon o hope o su i e in he pos -apocalyp ic
wo ld o e coming he b u al gangs who hun humans o ood and su i al.
“The blackness he woke on hose nigh s was sigh less and impene able. A blackness o hu
you ea s wi h lis ening. O en, he had o ge up. No sound bu he wind in he ba e and
blackened ees. He ose and s ood o e ing in ha cold au is ic da k wi h his a ms ou held o
balance while he es ibula calcula ions in his skull c anked ou hei eckonings.An old
ch onicle. To seek ou he up igh . No all bu p eceded by a declina ion. Eyes closed, a ms
oa ing. Up igh o wha ? Some hing nameless in he nigh , lode o ma ix” (McCa hy '14)
The a he and he sonse ou ca ying hei basic needs like ood, blanke s and ools
a elled h ough he moun ains and desola ed oads. On hei jou ney hey happen o
encoun e o he su i o s and cannibals who p ey on he people. The a he expe iences lung
in ec ion badly bu p o ec s his son om app oaching dange s. On he oad he aide s and
b u al gangs’ p ey on he poo a ele spa icula ly women o bea child en o hem.The
jou ney made he a he and son esilien and sel -healing whe e he a he p edic s he dange s
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and becomes cau ious o he son’s su i al. He p o ec s him om agg essi e men who y o
seize hei belongings whe eas he son appea s o be innocen and compassiona e owa ds
o he beings. He eels empa hy o he s uggles o co-su i o s. They encoun e hena u e’s
engeance on humani y as hey ep esen emo ional esonan jou ney. Bo h expe ience physical
and emo ional pain bu hope empowe s hei s uggle.
The boy becomesa symbol o hope o he a he who is desc ibed as “ca ying he i e”.
Though he is innocen , he is compassiona e and po en ial o enewal. His p esence gi es hima
pu pose o li e and o shield. When he exis ing wo ld is de as a ed, he hope o he a he helps
hem o endu e.When hey encoun e he cannibals a ound he son ques ions his a he , “We
wouldn' e e ea anybody, would we? No. O cou se no . E en i we we e s a ing?” (McCa hy
136). This shows ha bo ha e “good guys”. I indica es hei mo al s eng h and hopes o keep
he lame ali e.
A one poin o hei jou ney he a he and son happen o ind a hidden unde g ound cell
illed wi h un ouched ood. As hey we e s a ing days oge he i o e ed hem he hope in he
o m o wa m h and o quench hei hunge . Though i is empo a y ul illmen ha pa icula
momen made hem eel sa e, inges and es .Ca ying he i e is a ecu ing ph ase which
ep esen s keeping human goodness, mo ali y and lo e ali e.Hope is a mo al beacon in a wo ld
ha has los i s way.
“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.” (McCa hy 87)
Though he man and he boy expe ience a haun ing explo a ion o su i al hope explo es
he human bonding be ween hem. This o ms he emo ional cen e o he no el as hei bond
is he uncondi ional lo e and us hey had on each o hem.The a he seems o be he i e who
is ie ce and sac i icial. He eaches his son o su i e and shields him om dange . Though he
was ill he mo i a es him when hey encoun e di icul y on he oad. The son appea s o be
innocen and compassiona e e enwhen he was exposed o he ha shness o he wo ld. He is he
mo al compass o his a he who eminds him o “ca y he i e”. Th ea ened by iolence and
s a ing hey ne e ga e up he spi i bu su i ed as good people wi h hope as hei weapon.
Mos o he human encoun e s appea o be in ea , iolence o be ayal as he wo ld is illed
wi h cannibals, hie es and despe a e su i o s. This shows how a e he human bonding
appea s in his no el. The no el also explo es bonding h ough loss. The mo he adds dep h o
he no el's explo a ion o despai , su i al, lo e and choice. The b u al condi ion o he wo ld
o ces he mo he o end he li e as she sees dea h as a ional and me ci ul op ion. “No I'm
speaking he u h. Soone o la e hey will ca ch us and hey will kill us”. (McCa hy 58)
The a he chooses o li e and o sa egua d his son whe eas he mo he chooses dea h as
he choice o escape om heapocalyp ic wo ld. “I should ha e done i a long ime ago. when
he e we e h ee bulle s in he gun ins ead o wo.” (McCa hy 57) This quo e highligh s he
hopelessness and ea o unsa e wo ld. The mo he ’s loss c ea es a close and in ense bond
be ween he a he and he son.The a he plays a pi o al ole ill he end. He guides his son o
mo e on a e his absence in hissocie y. When he boy pes e ing his a he “A e we going o die
now?” (McCa hy 92) He encou ages him ha hey will su i e ill he end. A he las eso , he
boy is os e ed by ano he amily sugges ing ha human bond s ill exis in he wo ld, e en a e
de as a ing loss. When he boy's mo he choose dea h, his a he leads he boy o a newe wo ld
whe e humani y s ill exis .
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The no el also mo es wi h s eam o consciousness as he a he d eam o his happy days o
p e-wa . McCa hy blends agmen ed hough s and in e nal e lec ions o e lec he a he
hough s, memo ies and ea s. He expe iences d eams, lashbacks and isions be ween he pas
and p esen . The au ho explo es he inne li e o a he who ies o p ese e his soul and his
son’s in a dying wo ld. The Roadexplo es he wo ld wi h dea h, des uc ion and despai whe e
auma becomes a cons an o ce in he li es o he a he and son. The a he is auma ized by
he loss o his wi e and he old wo ld ull o colou s. The boy was b ough up in he wo ld o
s a a ion, dea h and c uel y. Bu his mo al s eng h was his a he who has gi ed he boy hope
and i e o sus ain and seek a new wo ld o humani y.
McCa hy inally sugges ha hough he wo ld is educed o uin, de oid o human lo e and
mo al cou age, hope and i e can endu e i s o al des uc ion. Though i does no p omise o gi e
sal a ion bu a i ms he alue o holding hope e en in ashes all a ound. McCa hy’s The Road
s a s wi h da kness engul ing he wo ldbu ends wi h a no e o hope and i e.The Road is no
jus a s o y o loss and su i al bu i ’s a spi i o hope o ca y he i e.
Wo k Ci ed
McCa hy, Co mac. The Road. Macmillan Publishe s I eland Limi ed, 2006.
Da is, John. “Li e a y Analysis o The Road by Co mac McCa hy.” Penn S a e Uni e si y, 2 Oc .
2018, h ps://si es.psu.edu/johnda is/2018/10/02/li e a y-analysis-o - he- oad-by-
co mac-mcca hy/
“The Road: The Themes and Symbolism in Co mac McCa hy’s Mas e piece.” G adeFixe , 2020,
(link una ailable). h ps://g ades ixe .com/ ee-essay-examples/ he- oad he- hemes-
and-symbolism-in-co mac-mcca hys-mas e piece/
“The No el The Road by Co mac McCa hy.” S udyCo gi, h ps://s udyco gi.com/ he-no el-
he- oad-by-co mac-mcca hy-essay-examples/
