Symbolism In The Road

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Symbolism is common throughout literature. Many authors use symbols to better explain people or events in their stories, and also to make these people and events more relatable to readers. In The Road, many symbols are used to describe characters and events throughout the novel. Some of the most important symbols in the novel are biblical ones, and the one that is especially important is the symbol of the savior, portrayed through the boy. There are several examples in the text that justify the suggestion that the boy is indeed a symbol for the savior. In the post-apocalyptic novel The Road, Cormac McCarthy uses the boy as a symbol of the savior, meant to be a leader for his and his father’s journey to the coast, as well as a leader for the journey of the world itself to perhaps make an attempt to repair itself. …show more content…
I didnt know what he was. I never thought to see a child again. I didnt know that would happen” (172). Although even after Ely says this he continues to express his belief that there is no God, it is clear that seeing the boy sparked something in him that led him to believe that he died, which suggests that he believed that the boy was indeed holy, even if he only believed this for a second. The text demonstrates that others in the novel also seem to believe that the boy is a symbol for the savior or some other type of god, which further reinforces the opinion that Cormac McCarthy intended for the boy to be this symbol. Moreover, as the man is dying, he proclaims to his son that he has to keep carrying the fire because it is inside of him. They finally reach the coast, however the man does not have a lot of time left on his hands when they get there. Near the very end of the novel, the man at last reaches the end of the journey, but refuses to let his son come to the end of his. They are set up at their campsite on the beach when the man gives his son his last bit of advice. McCarthy writes, “I want to be with you.
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