Book Club: “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy
Author: Nathan Pereira
Nathan is changing lives in his gap year as a Yipiyap Tutor. Think you could be a future Yipiyap?
The Road by Cormac McCarthy was my choice for our first book club. Reading the book, I felt two types of dread; the dread of the man and the boy walking through a decaying world, starving while they narrowly survive encounters with those who have rejected any sense of humanity out of desperation to keep living; and the dread of realising I’d picked an extremely bleak book for a relaxing evening!
As I entered the Zoom call, I expected a black screen of exhausted faces. What I didn’t expect was for the team to actually enjoy the book, even more than I did!
A father and son story
Fourteen years after it was written, The Road is still a nightmare reflection of our own world. Its complex themes of religion, environmentalism, morality, humanity, and our purpose, were all centre-stage of the discussion. Everyone brought along insightful opinions about McCarthy's novel.
The character of the man was especially contentious. Some saw him as a perfect father, protecting his son from a malevolent world, while others saw him as a senseless and irrational decision-maker. This kind of thought-provoking discussion was what made the evening entertaining. Even after I’d read the book, seen the film, thought about what it all meant on my lunch breaks, and read the Wikipedia page, I was still hearing new ideas that I hadn’t thought of.
Post-apocalyptic themes
What I found challenging was McCarthy’s writing style. There’s meticulous detail in his descriptions of an annihilated world but the importance of the narrative doesn’t become apparent until the end. The man and the boy’s conversations are often limited to a few words. Cryptic flashbacks are scattered throughout their journey. The man and the boy’s encounters with bad guys like cannibals and rapists, and the good guys don’t impact the narrative like in other literature.
However, our discussion gave me a greater appreciation for McCarthy’s writing. The story itself feels symbolic of the themes of the novel. The road is a metaphor for life. Carrying the fire symbolises the hope that survives despite the man and the boy living in a dying world; maybe when there’s no God, it’s up to men to become saviours.
From a struggle to survive to familial love
The Road turned out to be a fitting choice for the book club. I was glad to hear how enthusiastic everyone was about this book and I thoroughly enjoyed the intelligent discussion. On our subsequent game night, answers referenced The Road such as carrying the fire and canned peaches. This only proved how impactful McCarthy’s novel had been to us all.
My favourite point of the discussion though was to hear that, like me, others in the team found some optimism from McCarthy’s writing. 2020 has been a miserable year for many but perhaps The Road can remind us all to stay hopeful even on the worst days, to always remember the limitless best of humanity and enjoy those moments of respite - whether it’s sharing a can of food and a conversation with your son around the warmth of a fire, or discussing an excellent book with the team on a video call!
Quick Facts: The Road by Cormac McCarthy
When did Cormac McCarthy die?
Cormac McCarthy died on June 13 2023, aged 89.
What books did Cormac McCarthy write?
Cormac McCarthy authored twelve novels, as well as plays, screenplays, and short stories. Apart from The Road, he was famous for writing The Passenger, All the Pretty Horses, Child of God, Stella Maris, the Border trilogy, and No Country for Old Men, the latter of which was adapted into film by the Coen Brothers.