Ms. Ayoub American Literature The Road Ms. Ayoub American Literature

McCarthy’s Style Rough style of writing Neglects to denote contractions with apostraphes Run-on sentences-doesn’t use commas often Conversations lack quotations Dialogue not separated into separate paragraphs Critics state that this unique style is easy on the reader

Contrasts Old vs. Young Experience vs. Naiveté Light vs. Dark Goodness vs. Evil Masked vs. Unmasked Strong vs. Weak Safety vs. Danger Pure vs. tainted Reality vs. dreams

Themes- Where Fiction and Science meet The End of the World: Extinction and Reemergence of Life The struggle for Survival: Conflict and Creativity The Golden Rule: Selfishness and Altruism (Altruism- is selfless concern for the welfare of others.) The Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth: Honesty and Deception in a Complex World Like Father, Like Son: Conflict, Negotiation and Shared Fate Man Vs. Nature: Co-evolution of Social and Ecological Networks

Biblical Implications “the child led him by the hand” (pg 1) “the last host of christendom” (pg 16) “three bodies hanging from the rafters” (pg 17) “On this road there are no godspoke men. I am left and they have taken with them to world” (pg 32) “He wished them godspeed till they were gone” (pg 53 “My job is to take care of you. I was appointed to do that by God” (pg 77)

The many, many descriptions of the scorched earth, distant sun, ashen drifts, cold weather, and endless rain all serve to paint a very bleak and hopeless existence, an existence that perhaps, is symbolic of life without the existence of good people who feel that they have communication with God.  The barren landscape serves as a symbol of the souls of men who are left to exist there.  They exist without any purpose, meaning, or belief system other than survival.  When the "godspoke men" left the world, this is what was left.  A world where men annhilate each other, then fight to survive.