The first thing that I always look for when starting a new book is who are the characters. My first instinct being to take a mental note of each character, and most importantly, what their name is. As I read the first page of The Road, my instinct went off. The first note of a character was when it said "he". So far, not a problem. There are a lot of books that leave the character's name out of the loop for a bit to try to draw the reader in and describe the character first. As I carried on, McCarthy continued to use "he" and also "the man" and "the boy". Only being roughly twenty pages into the book, I still thought to myself "Don't worry, McCarthy has to give me their names, I'm only a few pages in." But to my surprise, being a quarter of the way done with the book, McCarthy has not revealed the characters names, and he won't. Being seventy pages in with no names leads me to believe that if he hasn't told the reader their names by now, he never will.
So far, the only characters are known as “the man” “the boy” and kind of “the wife” (she is only in it for a couple pages so she is a little wishy washy).
The first character that is introduced is the man. Although there is not much known about him, it is for certain that his child means the world to him. Actually, he is the world to him. He even says that if his son were to die, then he would kill himself to be with him. Stating that “...the boy was all that stood between him and death” (29). Throughout the two’s journey in this apocalyptic world the man is doing everything he can to keep his kid safe and happy. This is especially shown when rummaging through an old vending machine where the man finds a Coke. Instead of doing the “smart” thing and saving it for when they both need a drink, he gives it to his son and tells him to enjoy it because it could possibly be the last one he ever has. The one thing that is shown to give him joy is seeing his son smile. By using his survival skills he is able to protect his son at all costs.
So far, most of the book has been focused on the man. However, the son is clearly an integral part. But the son is really just...there. The boy is clearly fairly young so it is expected that he cannot contribute much to the two’s survival, but for most of this section all that the son has been doing is just being there. In some cases being too scared to move or even talk to his father. The book is only a quarter of the way done, so there is most likely more to come. However, there has been one conclusion that can be drawn to contrast the man and the son. The son shows empathy for others and wants to be an overall good person. When walking down a state road there is a burned man who is limping and struggling. The boy’s first instinct is to help the man by either giving him something of theirs that they don’t need, or just physically helping him move because he is very battered. The father firmly puts an end to the boys generous thoughts by just telling him that they cannot help him. The boy is all that the man has, and vise versa. However, the boy is willing to go out of his way to care for others. To the father, there are no others, it is just him and his son.
Not much has been shown of the wife, as she has only been mentioned a few times. However, in those few times it is clear that she has a completely different mindset from the man. The wife apparently has had many conversations with the man long ago about death and whether or not they should end their lives to avoid the pain that is to come in this apocalyptic world. She is all for killing herself and her family to end their later suffering. The man firmly disagrees with her beliefs as he wants them to be a family and try to make things work. Without himself and her, the boy could not survive. Yet, from the last thing heard from the woman, it is clear to think that she is dead because she killed herself. The boy asks his father “‘She’s gone isn’t she?’ And he said: ‘Yes, she is’” (58) Although this could mean she has just left them, it is pretty safe to say that she died by her own hands. This “death” has affected both the man and the boy greatly as the man dreams about her, and the boy mentions her regularly.
I am enjoying how each of you (in the group who are reading this book) have picked very different aspects to write about! Do you think the man would continue if he didn't have the boy? And regarding the lack of names, perhaps they are in a world where names no longer matter? Or maybe they are unnamed so that each of us can see ourselves in them?
ReplyDeleteI agree that is very strange, and rather frustrating that the names of the characters haven't been revealed. What I am hoping for, is that McCarthy will do what we saw in "The Handmaid's Tale" and leave clues for the reader to pick up on. Hopefully at some point we will be able to solve the mystery of the names!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post because I thought that your blog entry had a nice conversational writing style. It seemed very casual while still providing all of the necessary information about the characters. Also, I was wondering how you feel about the characters not having any names? Does it bother you at all, or do you get used to it? Do you think that there is a reason that they are not given names?
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ReplyDeleteWell, everyone pretty much already said what I would have said, especially as it relates to the lack of character names.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that the man's relationship with his son would be different if his son were older? Is it the son's vulnerability that influences the father's behavior?
Also, do you think McCarthy is trying to suggest something by having the son be so kind and compassionate, even though he's mainly lived in a world without such qualities? Is this in innate part of humanity that we lose as we age?