The Boy In Cormac Mccarthy's The Road

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In Cormac McCarthy’s chilling post-apocalyptic novel The Road, The Boy must mature much more rapidly than a normal child in order to survive the journey him and The Man are on. McCarthy’s representation of The Boy aids in sending the message that even in the darkest of times, hope still perseveres.
The Boy is forced to mature and grow much more rapidly than other children his age are expected to. The Boy does not partake in most of the activities most children his age would participate in. The Boy does not have the luxury of going to school and receiving an education, or waking up on the weekends and relaxing. Everyday for The Boy is a struggle to survive. The novel is set in a post-apocalyptic world. The Boy goes days on end without a sufficient meal. The Boy is almost taken hostage by a group of …show more content…
In an attempt to find food, The Man and the Boy raid a house of its supplies. In the basement of the house, they discover a group of people who are being held hostages, the food source of a group of roadagents. Lastly, The Boy’s father passes away at the end of the novel, leaving the boy alone with a lack of hope. Over the course of the novel, The Boy endures events and experiences that would terrorize the psyche of grown men; The Boy has to experience things most people cannot imagine. However, in the midst of all this, The Boy is able to be strong and maintain a sense of compassion for others. The main concern of The Boy is being one of the “good guys,” which normally happens to contradict his father’s desires of keeping The Boy safe. However, no matter what happens on the road, The Boy does not want his father to act as morally or wickedly; he wants his father to behave with kindness to those they encounter on the road. When his

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