July / USA Reading: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

[Hira]

Another motif that comes up is that of dreams. At a number of places in the novel both the boy and the man experience dreams. Notice what the woman says at one point: "They say that women dream of danger to those in their care and men of danger to themselves. But I don’t dream at all." Now I'm not sure what to make of that rght now, but dreams do figure prominantly. Another motif that comes up is the child. Chldren come up in a few places, besides of course the boy. What does the child signify? Innocence? Continuity? Family bonds?

Most of the dreams in this book are nightmares though. What did that penguin dream signify?

Love the description of the dream or the nightmare with which the book begins.

he had wandered in a cave where the child led him by the hand. Like pilgrims in a fable swallowed up and lost amongst the inward parts of some granitic beast. Deep stone flues where the water dripped and sang. Tolling in the silence the minutes of the earth and the hours and the days of it and the years without cease. Until they stood in a great stone room where lay a black and ancient lake. And on the far shore a creature that raised its dripping mouth from the rimstone pool and stared into the light with eyes dead white and sightless as the eggs of spiders

children are the future. To the man this child held the universe; he was deity. Every hope not just for this man but also for the world was bound up in this boy. If the child survives so does he, so does the past, so does the future. The boy was everything good found in mankind.

You put that well, motherhubbard.

"If he is not the word of God God never spoke"

All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes. So, he whispered to the sleeping boy, I have you.

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What do you think of the ending motherhubbard, now that you've read the book? Particularly the last paragraph, I find that very interesting.

[Tersely]

I finished the book this afternoon. I cried. I hope I have time to talk about it tomorrow.

I stay up until the am hours to finish it. After everything it does make me a little sad.

[DapperDrake]

It was a lot shorter than I was expecting, is it common practice with modern fiction to lower the word count per page in order to make the book look bigger? its just a short story.

well... I didn't like it, I acknowledge the writing skill but I struggled with incredulity pretty much all the way through, it just didn't have the ring of truth. Its like it was more of a metaphor or poem than a real stab at fiction - I have a long list of things that bothered me, things that didn't add up in my mind, but I guess that's not the point :s

someone further back said they cried at then end, well I just sighed and thought "thank God that's done with", the book I mean. I would of been more titillated if it had been a more poetic ending, if they'd both died perhaps - complete the metaphor.

Worth reading but not exactly my favourite read this year, off the top of my head I'd rate it 3rd from bottom of the books I've read this year.

[motherhubbard]

What do you think of the ending motherhubbard, now that you've read the book? Particularly the last paragraph, I find that very interesting.

I felt as though the ending was no ending at all. I think it just shows a continuation. The boy goes on, life goes on, people keep striving. The last paragraph also felt like a continuation because the boy remembered and therefore the past and the beauty of the earth remained. Mankind is tenacious.

well... I didn't like it, I acknowledge the writing skill but I struggled with incredulity pretty much all the way through, it just didn't have the ring of truth. Its like it was more of a metaphor or poem than a real stab at fiction -

I understand not liking the book. It was kind of an outline rather than a story. But I think that it suited the situation. Very little meant anything anymore. It focused on the man and the boy, humanity, means of survival and I think hope. I did wonder if he would have been able to get this published if it were a first book.

Virgil- Have you finished yet? I’ve been thinking of the female archetype that you mentioned a ways back. There is another woman at the end and I wonder what you have to say about her.

[Virgil]

No, I think I have about forty pages left. I will sign off in a minute to go read. I'm a little tired so I still don't know if I'll finish.

[Tersely]

I would of been more titillated if it had been a more poetic ending, if they'd both died perhaps - complete the metaphor.

Like I said I was a little sad to see one go (and sorry if this is a little off the discussion flow) but does it ever bother anyone else when books kind of drop off like that? We have really no idea what happens to the human race or what becomes of that boy even though we are given a hint that the adoptives are nice. I'll probably wonder all week what could happen to that boy. Ack. Hate that.

[Agatha]

Well, I've finished. I don't read fictional books usually, it's not my favorite literary genre, but I really like this book. Although at the beginning McCarthy's writings was a bit weird and annoying, after some 50-40 pages I got used to it. Especially those short dialogues were very interesting idea in my opinion(My favorite is conversation between the mother and the father). It's a pity that we don't know very much about mother- she seemed for me very interesting character.
I liked that McCarthy wanted to show readers not only struggling for survival, but also struggling for humanity. Although the boy and his father were looking for food, place to sleep etc., I think that they were desperately also looking for a sign of humanity and they really want to keep their human dignity in spite of whole situation.(the boy would say: “we won't be like those bad people)
Vision of destroyed and desolate America was shocking and terrifying sometimes. Although all descriptions were very short and brief, they were believable and suggestive. The whole scenery was very dark and bleak... and when I was reading, sometimes the book resembles a bit some poems... Maybe because of the dialouges. don't you think?

[motherhubbard]

I liked that McCarthy wanted to show readers not only struggling for survival, but also struggling for humanity. Although the boy and his father were looking for food, place to sleep etc., I think that they were desperately also looking for a sign of humanity and they really want to keep their human dignity in spite of whole situation.(the boy would say: “we won't be like those bad people)

Possible spoiler

I like this comment. I agree, but I think that the boy and the man were so different in this quest. I don’t think the father would have considered trusting the man at the end. The father was protecting humanity by protecting the boy, but the boy had to consider more than that. When the boy told the father that he was the one who had to worry about everything he was right. Although the father worried about so many things they all came back to only the boy. I doubt he would have continued if the boy had died. It’s an interesting look at strength.

[Agatha]

Possible spoiler

I like this comment. I agree, but I think that the boy and the man were so different in this quest. I don’t think the father would have considered trusting the man at the end. The father was protecting humanity by protecting the boy, but the boy had to consider more than that. When the boy told the father that he was the one who had to worry about everything he was right. Although the father worried about so many things they all came back to only the boy. I doubt he would have continued if the boy had died. It’s an interesting look at strength.

SPOILERS!!!
I also think that the man wouldn't have continued his journey if the boy had died. The boy was the only reason why the man wanted to keep going the journey. Sometimes I thought that the boy was much stronger that his father and the boy was a mainstay for his father. And ending... Frankly I was surprised that the boy survived, I thought that they both would die. I think that the ending was positive. It wasn't of course: And they lived happily ever after But.. Boy survived, wasn't alone, so there's a chance for human race

[lugdunum]

Wow!
Finished reading the book last night and cried just like you Motherhubbard.

I liked the book more than I thought I would. I found the style hard to get used to at the beginnng but I think that it helps you get into the atmosphere of the book. Like you have to go little by little, one (hard) step at a time, along with the characters.

Mc Carthy succeeds in creating this chaotic and oppresive atmosphere and at some points I was glad to put down the book and go out to get some fresh air and see blue sky, sun, trees, birds etc.

The relationship between the boy and his father is full of hope and love which is a total contrast to the world they live in. I really liked their dialogues. Simple, nothing superfluous and yet both meenings and feelings are perfectly conveyed.

children are the future. To the man this child held the universe; he was deity. Every hope not just for this man but also for the world was bound up in this boy. If the child survives so does he, so does the past, so does the future. The boy was everything good found in mankind.

I agree with you that the child represents the future and hope. When they meet the blind old man on the road the old man says "when I saw the boy I thought I had died" like he's an angel. You can almost picture a cherub. At one point it says: "He (the man) sat beside him and stroke his pale and tangled hair. Golden chalice, good to house a god" . There you can

Besides, as you said the man and the child play different roles. I think that "the man" feels that he has to protect the child and teach him everything that he can so as to enable him to carry on after he dies.

The child knows what he has to do: "carry the fire". He is aware of his role and you can see how he tries to breathe (new) humanity into others (including his father). He is constantly reminding him that they are the good guys and that they should be doing the right thing. He always wants to share with others and especially with the other little boy who, like him, would represent the future.

And at the end (as you pointed out, Motherhubbard) when he says that he is the one who has to take care of everything ou can see that he has fully accepted his role and that he knows what he is expected to do.

I found the child to be endearing because at some points you can see how innocent he still is even though he's living in a world where there is no room for it. I almost cried when they find the bunker with all the beds and all the food he says: "Why is this here? Is this real?"

What I still don't get is the thing about dreams. And I don't undestand why the man tells the child that when he'll start dreaming of rich land and nice things that will mean that he's lost hope. Am I missing out something important here? What do you think about dreams?

Also there is a paragraph at one point that I am not sure what to think about.
It's at about 1/3 of the book when they see the little boy and the dog. It says:

The dog that he remembers followed us for two days. I tried to coax it to come but it would not. I made a noose of wire to catch it. Threre were three cartridges in the pistol. None to spare. She walked away down the road. The boy looked after her and then he looked at me and then he looked at the dog and he began to cry and to beg for the dog's life and I promised I would not hurt the dog. A trellis of a dog with the hide stretched over it. The next day it was gone. That is the dog he remembers. He doesn't remember any little boys.

What is this? How come all of a sudden the man is the narrator? And who's "she"? Can someone explain?

[eyemaker]

Believe it or not, I just bought this book yesterday and I'm about to start reading this after settling all my errands.

[Virgil]

Finished last night. It wa incredibly touching. A wonderful novel. Frankly I McCarthy should get the Nobel prize for this.

[lugdunum]

Finished last night. It wa incredibly touching. A wonderful novel.

It does take some time to get out of the book and back to colorful earth.

I wish it went on a little bit more. Just to make sure the boy's doing ok!

[Virgil]

It does take some time to get out of the book and back to colorful earth.

Yes! I keep seeing grey ash everywhere. I was completely absorbed. How did McCarthy do that? It's really just a simple story.

I wish it went on a little bit more. Just to make sure the boy's doing ok!

It would be nice, but I think this was a natural ending.

[DapperDrake]

I must confess I did have a strong urge to buy lots of canned food once I finished the book