The Road by Cormac McCarthy

[truth_forest]

Hi,

I am reading 'The Road' and there are many things that I don't understand.
first of all, what does the title signifies?
It's the journey to somewhere, isn't it?

secondly, what is a characteristic of the boy?
why he always say "ok" with his father?

by the way, I like the book but I don't know how to interpret it...

[Virgil]

I recenty bought the book but have not had the chance to read it yet. Hopefully soon. ;)

[B-Mental]

His father was teaching him how to survive on his own...you know, how to survive until he found other people that would make him ok...Its a message of hope... The father was going to die, or at least worried that it might happen before they found any others... The boy says ok to show that he knows this. I was mixed on the book.

[Virgil]

His father was teaching him how to survive on his own...you know, how to survive until he found other people that would make him ok...Its a message of hope... The father was going to die, or at least worried that it might happen before they found any others... The boy says ok to show that he knows this. I was mixed on the book.

You've read the book, B-M. What did you thnk?

[crazefest456]

I was so puzzled after reading the book. Everything about it was just awesome, I mean, I completely forgot about the post-apocalyptic part because the relationship between the father and son was so entrancing. BUT, the ending just threw me off; it partly ruined the book for me (I don't want to spoil it, so I'm gonna be vague). I thought there was something bigger brewing up (through all that foreshadowing)...
This was my first reading anything of McCarthy, so it might be that this is his style of writing and I maybe didn't get it.

[B-Mental]

The book reads well, but I wasn't onboard for the story. I guess he just leaves everything so vague that I kept thinking why are they doing this...Oh, I'd never do that... It is slightly overrated in my opinion.

[crazefest456]

Exactly, I thought he was being vague to show that something, overall, ties all those events (you can't call them events) together. Bits and pieces that the narrator said was very good, but I thought those were pointing to something in the future (or past)...

[Nossa]

I'm reading it next month hopefully. The friend that I'm borrowing the book from said the same remark as B-Mental's. She told me that the book is vague, and makes you think hard in order to understand what the author means. I read a few parts of it, and to tell you the truth I didn't quite understand what was written...but I'm gonna give it a shot next month. Hopefully it's not as difficult as I heard.

[crazefest456]

It's not too hard, I hope you understand it more than I did...
good luck!

[livelaughlove]

I had to read this book for school and it's really dark but it was good. Yes, the title signifies a journey, also because if I remember correctly the boy and his father would follow the road south.

The boy says 'okay' a lot to show acceptance. He knows that there's not much he can do. This world is all he knows - the father lived before things turned apocalyptic but the son hasn't.

Let me know if you have more questions. It wasn't my favorite book by any means but we did spend a couple weeks on it and I had to write an essay on it (though it wasn't my best work lol) so I may be able to help you with some preliminary questions to jump start your thinking. Just let me know!

[Virgil]

I'm reading it next month hopefully. The friend that I'm borrowing the book from said the same remark as B-Mental's. She told me that the book is vague, and makes you think hard in order to understand what the author means. I read a few parts of it, and to tell you the truth I didn't quite understand what was written...but I'm gonna give it a shot next month. Hopefully it's not as difficult as I heard.

I won't have time next month. But shortly thereafter I intend to read it. You know the book club forum is doing books by nationalities this year, and I believe the US is one of the months. Perhaps we can vote for The Road when the US comes around in the book club this year.

[Nossa]

I won't have time next month. But shortly thereafter I intend to read it. You know the book club forum is doing books by nationalities this year, and I believe the US is one of the months. Perhaps we can vote for The Road when the US comes around in the book club this year.

Great idea!!! I can postpone reading the book till we get to vote for it in the book club, or at least till you get the time to read it and we can have a discussion thread! :D


I had to read this book for school and it's really dark but it was good. Yes, the title signifies a journey, also because if I remember correctly the boy and his father would follow the road south.

The boy says 'okay' a lot to show acceptance. He knows that there's not much he can do. This world is all he knows - the father lived before things turned apocalyptic but the son hasn't.

Let me know if you have more questions. It wasn't my favorite book by any means but we did spend a couple weeks on it and I had to write an essay on it (though it wasn't my best work lol) so I may be able to help you with some preliminary questions to jump start your thinking. Just let me know!

Hopefully we'll have a discussion on the book, either in the book club, or in a separate thread. Maybe you can participate with us and share your thoughts on the book with us :)

[Virgil]

Great idea!!! I can postpone reading the book till we get to vote for it in the book club, or at least till you get the time to read it and we can have a discussion thread! :D

Great! I don't know the order of the countries, so we'll either do it on our own or be part of the book forum. :)

[hearmeoutx]

I read the book, finally after reading about 10 pages and then setting it aside for a few months. By the end of the book, I was just in awe. I absolutely loved the book. However, the ending nearly ruined the book for me as well.

[Virgil]

I read the book, finally after reading about 10 pages and then setting it aside for a few months. By the end of the book, I was just in awe. I absolutely loved the book. However, the ending nearly ruined the book for me as well.

Well then, please don't tell us the ending. :)

[Walter]

Readin it later also sounds good for me.

[crjs1]

I have just finished it and am also in awe, the 'vaugeness' which some posters alluded to, in my opinion adds to the atmosphere of the book and fits the context of the setting. Though in saying that the book can be vauge it must be also said that McCarthy so poetically and fully realises the characters of the Man and boy and their relationship, you can almost see them. Really its a great read.

[Tersely]

The narration of the story was definetely unique. It was a first for me, that type of layout...so it was difficult to get ahold of what was going on. I didnt particularly care for that ending either, I thought it could have been so much more.

[Zippy]

I'm a recent convert to Cormac McCarthy having started with No Country for Old Men before moving on to The Road. At the moment I'm about half-way through Blood Meridian and plan to read all his work.

I have to say, based on my limited experience, I feel that The Road is the weakest book so far. Don't get me wrong, it's still of a high standard and beautifully written, but it just isn't as good as the other two books I've read.

McCarthy seems to enjoy creating vague characters. The protagonist in Blood Meridian for instance is only known as 'the kid' and even after 130 pages I still feel as though I know nothing about him. I had the same problem with the characters in The Road. The man and his son don't really come alive for me the way I would expect from an author who is, according to critics such as Harold Bloom, one of the four best authors writing today. The exception so far is No Country for Old Men. Perhaps it's because it's set in the modern era, but this had the most sympathetic characters for me.

However, McCarthy's work doesn't seem to be about characters but landscapes. There's a tremendous sense of being lost in the landscape in all the books I've read so far. The land seems to swallow the characters whole and they're powerless to prevent it.

Zippy.

[daisyday]

I'm a recent convert to Cormac McCarthy having started with No Country for Old Men before moving on to The Road. At the moment I'm about half-way through Blood Meridian and plan to read all his work.

I have to say, based on my limited experience, I feel that The Road is the weakest book so far. Don't get me wrong, it's still of a high standard and beautifully written, but it just isn't as good as the other two books I've read.

McCarthy seems to enjoy creating vague characters. The protagonist in Blood Meridian for instance is only known as 'the kid' and even after 130 pages I still feel as though I know nothing about him. I had the same problem with the characters in The Road. The man and his son don't really come alive for me the way I would expect from an author who is, according to critics such as Harold Bloom, one of the four best authors writing today. The exception so far is No Country for Old Men. Perhaps it's because it's set in the modern era, but this had the most sympathetic characters for me.

However, McCarthy's work doesn't seem to be about characters but landscapes. There's a tremendous sense of being lost in the landscape in all the books I've read so far. The land seems to swallow the characters whole and they're powerless to prevent it.

Zippy.

Totally agree with you, The Road is not his best book.
I believe that McCarthy allows the reader to build the characters in their own minds by deliberately not going into lengthy descriptions of them or explanations for their actions, and for me, that works.
I still think the Border Trilogy constitutes his finest work

[nebish]

Like most modern Americans, McCarthy's work suffers from excess, it seems to me: excessive violence in BM, excessive landscaped desolation and crossings (The Border trilogy), too much incident and plot (various); and too much floridity in his prose. For me, Suttree is the real masterwork, in which the autobiographical under-pinning restrains that need to carve tattoos on every part of the body..and Suttree himself is a real character rather than a cipher or concept.

[Istanbul]

I loved ' the road' , I haven't read any of his other works so I can't compare. I do wonder why he omitted the punctuation marks.

[Robert Jordan]

I just read The Road and found the description of a post apocalyptic world frightningly descriptive. I found the relationship between the boy and his father very engaging. This book was a page turner. I finished it in one day. And I'm glad that McCarthy didnt go into too much description as to how things got to be the way that they were. You start out already in this living hell and that is the way it is. Not much explanation just pure narrative genius. A great modern book in my opinion.

[Joreads]

I was so puzzled after reading the book. Everything about it was just awesome, I mean, I completely forgot about the post-apocalyptic part because the relationship between the father and son was so entrancing. BUT, the ending just threw me off; it partly ruined the book for me (I don't want to spoil it, so I'm gonna be vague). I thought there was something bigger brewing up (through all that foreshadowing)...
This was my first reading anything of McCarthy, so it might be that this is his style of writing and I maybe didn't get it.


I have to agree I loved the book up until that point. My impression was that it was written with a Hollywood ending in mind. I also thought the ending was rushed it was almost like he thought to himself gee I need to wrap this up now. That all being said I still loved the book.

[Kafka's Crow]

I think it is a very basic allegory, maybe even a Christian tale of goodness and charity (the Son and Father). It has a very traditional ending. In another thread I called it the "American Pilgrim's Progress."

[Equality72521]

....is being made into a movie....



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbLgszfXTAY

[Virgil]

I've known this for quite a while and I've been waiting for it to come out. I wish it would. No movie out there now really appeals to me.

[Veva]

True, this has been the only thing on my list lately... with Burton's Alice in Wonderland....:banana:

[samirvak]

what are some good topics of discussion for this book?-thank you in advance

[Mark F.]

The Road seemed a little too simplistic to me. I understood what he was trying to do with the vagueness and the simple language but at times it felt like a sham. I prefer his earlier, Faulknerian work, especially Suttree and Blood Meridian. The Border Trilogy was great as well.

[Indian Boy]

I think you are all overanalyzing the title of the book and the boy's "ok's". In my opinion the book is a simple story about a father and son trying to survive in a dark post apocalyptic time. The real idea behind the story is a father's love for his child, and his concern that the boy would not be able to survive if something were to happen to him. This builds the interest in the story b/c we are always wondering what would happen if the father dies.

I'm somewhat perplexed why everyone has a hard time with the title, 'The Road'. The entire story is based on the father and son following the road. So what's the problem with saying, "Oh I get, the road symbolizes the actual road." ???

the boy's Ok's. I think it's just because the kid is young and naive and that's how he answers. It's simple and it works.

[TheFifthElement]

the boy's Ok's. I think it's just because the kid is young and naive and that's how he answers. It's simple and it works.
I don't think youth and naivity account for it. By rights the boy is probably less naive than children of the same age in current society. But the boy was born post-apocalypse and in the post-apocalyptic world economy, sparsity is everything. The boy's answers are sparse and economical because that's all he knows and all he will ever know. There's no room for fancy talk, everything is stripped bare including language. It's all about survival, living by the bare minimum.

It's one of the things I especially like about The Road compared to the other McCarthy novels I've read. The language is less lyrical, more repetitive, more sparse but so is the world he describes, I think that's the point. The language reflects the theme.

[mpeachhead]

I agree. The Road is the most accessible of any of McCarthy's novels. The prose is sparse and economical just like the landscape. Some say the novel is depressing, but the metaphor of the father and boy "carrying the fire" is one of the most beautiful themes I've ever encountered. In addition, I love the scene where the man discovers the sextant in the wrecked sailboat. He describes it as a thing of beauty. It's a relic, perfectly preserved from the world of man.

That novel is filled with unspeakable violence and depravity but peppered with moments of sheer beauty.

[ennison]

"No Country For Old Men" is the most "accessible" of his books having been obviously written with the aim of being taken up by the film makers, which it was.
Is there violence in McCarthy's novels? Well obviously, yes but his vision of the world includes acceptance both of the violence inherent in the human condition and in American history. Outsiders looking into America are very aware of a divided and incredibly violent society in a way that many Americans living in peaceful communities in a continental-sized nation are probably completely oblivious of. The frontier life of 17th to 19th century America has left its mark on the modern American psyche. McCarthy is an intelligent and I'd say awestruck observer of that. Does he overwrite? To some extent but the later books are very paired down in terms of language. He takes ordinary people seriously. That's one thing I like about him.

[Dark Muse]

I have heard a great deal about McCarthy, and heard it speculated that he will become a modern classic, I have also heard that his books tend to be quite bleak and dark which had stirred my intrigue. Than I saw the previews for the movie The Road, and was able to borrow a copy of the book from my sister, and so I set myself to reading the book before seeing the movie.

I have to say it really is quite an easy and fast read, as well as being rather engaging. I really enjoy the narrative style of the book, there is a minimalist quality to it, that works quite well with the story. Considering the nature of the story, he does quite well in keeping it from really seeming to drag. To write a story wear really nothing actually happens, and still keep it interesting would be quite the task.

One of the things I find most interesting about the story is the way in which the main characters a man and his son, are never named and throughout the story are referred to simply as "the man" and "the boy" I think doing this serves two different purposes. For one thing it speaks of the loss of identity, in a world that itself has been erased of its identity, and is cast in nothing but the constant grayness, the things of which a person uses to define themselves have disappeared and the importance of some idea of individual self no longer truly matters.

This idea of "who is anybody" anymore is one that does recur through the story. There is one rather interesting scene in which the man fails to recognize his own reflection in a mirror.

The other reason for this lack of assigning a specific identity upon the characters is the way in which it becomes than, that it could be any man, any boy, anyone. The reader can attach their own personal identities upon the characters.

Another interesting facet of the story is the way in which it is not explained just how what happened came to happen (at least not from the point in which I am at) The reason why is rendered insignificant, all the matters is that it did happen. I think this is another way of trying to make the story more personalized. By refusing to propose any particular ideology or theories in what led up to this bleak state of the world, no one can than feel isolated from the event. Each individual can interpret their own personal causes or reasons for why it happened, so no one is removed from the story by being given a scenario that is in contrast to what they believe.

[Eryk]

Another interesting facet of the story is the way in which it is not explained just how what happened came to happen

Nuclear war is the most likely cause.

The clocks stopped at 1:17. A long shear of light and then a series of low concussions.
Brilliant flash of light, and a burst of electromagnetic radiation from nuclear explosions damaging electrical systems. Severely cold weather and reduced sunlight from large amounts of smoke and soot ejected into the stratosphere. Another possibility is a comet or asteroid ("impact winter") but when asked about this McCarthy said that we'd probably destroy ourselves before that happens.

What a book. Bleak, sometimes horrifying, but mostly bleak with lots of suspense, and then the ending... I don't want to say anything to give it away, but I was very moved.

[Dark Muse]

Yes, there are perhaps clues about what happened, but still I think it is significant that it is not plainly spelled out, and the suggestions offered within could be interpreted in various different ways depending upon what an individual believes.

[LitNetIsGreat]

I must break the tide of applause that this book has received and say that I didn't like it. It is true that I did not devote enough time to it (which seems to be the thing recently) but I just disliked his narrative style so much that it turned me off almost immediately.

[Eryk]

I must break the tide of applause that this book has received and say that I didn't like it. It is true that I did not devote enough time to it (which seems to be the thing recently) but I just disliked his narrative style so much that it turned me off almost immediately.

I don't like his eccentric punctuation, dialogue, the sparse Hemingwayesque prose with Thomas Wolfe flourishes. Other than that I loved it. :lol:

I've read No Country for Old Men and now this, and I might be done with McCarthy now. But I have to say that The Road was one vivid and affecting piece of storytelling, for me.

[Modest Proposal]

I read a--very rare, considering the author--interview with McCarthy and he mentioned some scientific explanations for the apocalypse. He mentioned some Santa Fe scientific group that he frequents and talking with the scientists about several logical explanations. He seemed not too concerned with the 'reason' the earth was destroyed, but more concerned with the relationships in the wake. More importantly, he was CONSPICUOUSLY reluctant to suggest it was the clichéd 'nuclear war' or 'global warming' that tend to seem politically ham-fisted.

[Dark Muse]

I don't like his eccentric punctuation, dialogue, the sparse Hemingwayesque prose with Thomas Wolfe flourishes. Other than that I loved it. :lol:

Haha considering I am actually a fan of Hemingway and his prose and writing style, that is probably one of the things that I do enjoy so much about this book.

[Virgil]

The book was a lit net book club one month last year and was discussed fairly extensively here: http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36194. I think there may be another thread on the book as well.



One of the things I find most interesting about the story is the way in which the main characters a man and his son, are never named and throughout the story are referred to simply as "the man" and "the boy" I think doing this serves two different purposes. For one thing it speaks of the loss of identity, in a world that itself has been erased of its identity, and is cast in nothing but the constant grayness, the things of which a person uses to define themselves have disappeared and the importance of some idea of individual self no longer truly matters.

This idea of "who is anybody" anymore is one that does recur through the story. There is one rather interesting scene in which the man fails to recognize his own reflection in a mirror.

The other reason for this lack of assigning a specific identity upon the characters is the way in which it becomes than, that it could be any man, any boy, anyone. The reader can attach their own personal identities upon the characters.


I think that is quite insightful. I think the notion of identity and what remains of our identity given the circumstances is important to the novel. I think the circumstances reduce humanity to bare animal existence, and at that point all identity is secondary.

Oh the movie is fionally comng out this month. I'm not much of a movie goer, but I definitely intend to see it.

[Dark Muse]

I think that is quite insightful. I think the notion of identity and what remains of our identity given the circumstances is important to the novel. I think the circumstances reduce humanity to bare animal existence, and at that point all identity is secondary.

I am a big fan of the 20th century literature that focuses so much around the ideas of identity angst which was born up out of the war. I think that is one of the things that I enjoy about The Road, there are aspects of it which remind me of that.

[Virgil]

I'm a fan of that identity angst as well. ;)

[Pryderi Agni]

The trailers for the movie has made my hungry for the book. Guess I'll read it one of these days. Good premise, though.

[Indian Boy]

I read this book twice before seeing the movie. I'm going to have to take my stance here and defend, who I think is one of the greatest living writers today, in Cormac McCarthy. The guy is dark and yes, he is also bleak at times. But isn't that what makes him so great? How many books have you read that contain barely any story line, barely any hope, simple dialogue, but still won the pulitzer prize and was made into a movie? Probably none. That's what makes this guy and his book, "The Road" so great. It is dark and it's terrifying and one some other level, it's a story about love and compassion and everything else that is wonderful between a father and his son.

Just to add, I saw the movie the other night. I thought it was pretty good, and stayed pretty true to the book, other than a pointless story line about the mother which adds absolutely nothing to the movie. But for those of you who see it soon, notice that there is no ash in the movie but it's always mentioned in the book. Also, a little off the point but I thought the boy in the movie was absolutely terrible. Poor actor is giving that kid too much credit. Plus, in the movie the boy is about 9 or 10 years old. When I read the book I pictured the boy younger, closer to 4 or 5 years old. How old do you guys think the boy was in the book? I'm curious.

[Virgil]

Yes, I remember the boy being around five, six at the oldest.

[Jozanny]

I am still the odd woman out on Cormac. I like Slate's term for the book, "nuke porn" and as nuke porn I still think it had more stunts than integrity. McCarthy wrote it much in the style of a soft pornography film, in fact, as he is always c--- teasing the reader.

As I posted in the book club thread, it isn't a bad novel, but I in no way bow down to McCarthy's minimalism as a great literature monument; I should have read Blood Meridian first, because The Road so disappointed me that I haven't yet opened his more critically acclaimed work.

I barely have any recognition, but I have been publishing long enough to know a hack job when I see one; I am guilty of the same, and there are hack jobs that are nearly great literary works, like The Count of Monte Cristo--because this represents Dumas at the apex of his ability.

The Road is McCarthy capitalizing on his fame, name recognition, and style for money, and he wasn't trying very hard to do anything else. I could hear the subtext in every chapter, "I'm coy and I'm cute and you, my reader, love my little tap dance here..."

But I couldn't really buy his courtship.

***
Let me expand on these sentiments now that the cats have eaten and I am on my coffee waiting for my plumbing to settle:

The Road is obviously the work of a master craftsman, that is evident to anyone trained and seasoned in the literary arts as long as I've been. It has a careful sequential structure locked in upon itself--something Kingsolver could pick up on if she cared--and it is in some respects a brilliant homage to survivalist literature. Virgil and I found a number of goodies on that score.

But a homage, and a narrative that enjoys using its allusions to toy with its audience, to me does not a great work of literature make--and my nose knows that Cormac is capable of exerting himself beyond the conventions that he uses to hook and bait. This is exactly what disappoints me. The man is capable of breaking some eggs, and I wish he had truly tried--but he chose to rest on his laurels.

[sixsmith]

***
Let me expand on these sentiments now that the cats have eaten and I am on my coffee waiting for my plumbing to settle:

The Road is obviously the work of a master craftsman, that is evident to anyone trained and seasoned in the literary arts as long as I've been. It has a careful sequential structure locked in upon itself--something Kingsolver could pick up on if she cared--and it is in some respects a brilliant homage to survivalist literature. Virgil and I found a number of goodies on that score.

But a homage, and a narrative that enjoys using its allusions to toy with its audience, to me does not a great work of literature make--and my nose knows that Cormac is capable of exerting himself beyond the conventions that he uses to hook and bait. This is exactly what disappoints me. The man is capable of breaking some eggs, and I wish he had truly tried--but he chose to rest on his laurels.

I think I remarked earlier that 'The Road' was somewhere in the vicinity of 'Suttree' and 'Blood Meridian' but upon a re-reading, I suspect that that statement was ill considered. I think the cloying approbation afforded to 'The Road' is partly due to McCarthy being under- read for so long. Nevertheless, I can't entirely share your cynicism here Jozanny. I see the conventions to which you refer and i grant that the narrative perhaps treads a fine line at times. But i think McCarthy's prose, his imagery, and ultimately his commitment to an unflinching portrayal of the human condition, makes 'The Road' a powerful and illuminating, if not a great, novel.

[Veho]

I'm reading this book at the moment, nearly half way through, but I'm just curious to know what people would feel in this situation. I know it's all hypothetical because, ultimately, we're not, but would you want to keep surviving? I know it's easy for me to say this, considering I'm not in that situation, but I'd rather die. I just couldn't live with the constant threat and fear of being taken by the 'bad guys'.

I think McCarthy does a excellent job in maintaining the desolation and bleakness. It unceasing and terrible.

[Dark Muse]

On the one hand I would feel the continuing to live would just prove to be ultimately rather pointless in that situation. But on the other hand I am a fight to the bitter end kind of person. It is in my nature to be a survivor and never admit defeat so for personal reasons I proably wouldn't just let myself die.

It would be tempting to become one of the cannibals, but I don't imagine human's taste very good, and they can be so disgusting and dirty I would be afraid of catching a disease from eating them.

But it would be coold to start up my own barbarian clan.

[neilgee]

I finished this novel today and I was pleasantly surprised by it because I wasn't impressed with the sparseness of McCarthy's style in the beginning [although his style grew on me as the novel progressed] and there was an element of that "Oh no, not another post-nuclear-war fantasy".

I liked the way McCarthy describes the survivors and how social order breaks down to the extent that even a "good guy" like the Father in the novel can kill first and ask questions later. Survival of the fittest and all that it means when it's every man for himself.

Was nobody else struck by the scene where the boy appears to have a glow around him? I know it's the father's delirium but I thought there was an association with the halo of Jesus Christ in all that. The boy is the only one in the novel who shows any pity for his fellow survivors. It's not impossible to read into it that the boy is the Second Coming if you take into account the chaos the world is in. Even if you remove all the Biblical associations it still seems like the boy is the nearest thing to a "pure" human being that the World is capable of producing in those kind of social conditions.

Despite McCarthy's brevity I thought it was still an incredibly moving and I'm not ashamed to admit there were tears in my eyes as the boy says "I'm really scared" to his father on his death bed.

I thought it was terrific stuff and I will look out for his other novel now.

[Dark Muse]

Was nobody else struck by the scene where the boy appears to have a glow around him? I know it's the father's delirium but I thought there was an association with the halo of Jesus Christ in all that. The boy is the only one in the novel who shows any pity for his fellow survivors. It's not impossible to read into it that the boy is the Second Coming if you take into account the chaos the world is in. Even if you remove all the Biblical associations it still seems like the boy is the nearest thing to a "pure" human being that the World is capable of producing in those kind of social conditions.

I agree, I saw the boy as representing something of the last hope for humanity within the story. Particuarly there was that currious repition of the idea of "the fire inside" which the father spoke of to the boy, but was never really explained to the readers.

[Virgil]

I finished this novel today and I was pleasantly surprised by it because I wasn't impressed with the sparseness of McCarthy's style in the beginning [although his style grew on me as the novel progressed] and there was an element of that "Oh no, not another post-nuclear-war fantasy".

I liked the way McCarthy describes the survivors and how social order breaks down to the extent that even a "good guy" like the Father in the novel can kill first and ask questions later. Survival of the fittest and all that it means when it's every man for himself.

Was nobody else struck by the scene where the boy appears to have a glow around him? I know it's the father's delirium but I thought there was an association with the halo of Jesus Christ in all that. The boy is the only one in the novel who shows any pity for his fellow survivors. It's not impossible to read into it that the boy is the Second Coming if you take into account the chaos the world is in. Even if you remove all the Biblical associations it still seems like the boy is the nearest thing to a "pure" human being that the World is capable of producing in those kind of social conditions.

Despite McCarthy's brevity I thought it was still an incredibly moving and I'm not ashamed to admit there were tears in my eyes as the boy says "I'm really scared" to his father on his death bed.

I thought it was terrific stuff and I will look out for his other novel now.

I don't know about Jesus, but it is a religious allusion.

[dfloyd]

No Country for Old Men, The Road, and Blood Meridian and in that order Enjoyed No Country and Blood Meridian, but felt The Road was not up to the other two. Way too much repetition, and there have been other and better books about a nuclear holocaust. There are a couple of other McCarthy novels I want to read, but he is by no means as great as some would have you believe. Hemingway is certainly a better writer.

McCarthy is an easy and fast read and capable of building excitement. I certainly like him better than Philip Roth or Don DeLilo, but i"m not into post modernism all that much. I'd rather read Dostoevsky, Dickens, or Tolstoy if there are any left I haven't read.

[ennison]

Oops Ennison. Can't you spell. Surely you mean pared down.
"All The Pretty Horses" is brilliant but "Outer Dark" is better - grim symbolic gothic beautiful

[Bandanna]

I feel like I'm not going to come across a book as great as this in a while. My English teacher recommended I read it and we eventually had to read it for class. I would really just like to talk about it with someone, no one in my family really enjoys a novel the way I do. It would be especially hard to talk with them about a book such as this one without them focusing on the superficiality of the novel and not understanding the theme of it. Does any one else like this book as much as I do?

[Virgil]

It's a great read. There are several discussion threads already on this. If you do a search you will come up with them.

[Indian Boy]

Can't say if I liked the book more than you, but I did enjoy the book enough that I've read it three times. I've read several Cormac McCarthy books and the best way I'd describe him is dark. Everything about his stories are dark and I especially like that. I also find it admirable that as an author he slightly strays from the typical story book ending and from all of the books I've read by him, they end in a way that's unfullfilling to some.

In The Road I loved they way CM hung such a dead and hopeless world in the readers imagination and then had a loving father and son as the characters having to endure it.

I'd have to say my favorite part of the book is when the father and son enter the house with the white pillars and they find the people in the cellar. One of the creepiest images I think I've ever had from a book.

So by all means if you post some thoughts on this book I'd love to hear them.