Structure in 'The Road'

The Use of Structure in Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road'

Shift in Time

 There are several parts in the book where there are flashbacks to previous events that took place before and during the beginning of whatever incident or catastrophe befell Earth, most often in order to tell the inner story of what happened to the boy's mother. These could be perceived to be the dreams or memories of either character as opposed to flashbacks.

'Sections'

 There are no definitive 'acts' or 'sections' of the book, however, there do seem to be three major sections that differ in narrative content ie. 

1st 'Section'- The man and the boy travel across the land and encounter many dangers that threaten them, the most prominent being that of starvation.

2nd 'Section'- The two discover an underground 'vault', filled with food and bedding and clothes and stay there or a while, having finally found a strand of hope in their lives and a chance at survival.

3rd 'Section'- The man decides that they are too exposed to other, more human, dangers, and decide to take what they can and leave and continue on their way to the beach, their final destination as father and son.

Moment(s) of Crisis

 There are two definitive and tangible moments of crisis, despite the entirety of the book being made up of the crisis' that the two face: The discovery of the cannibal house and the basement, and the ending on the beach.

 In the first of these, the two are discover a large house, and on the brink of starvation and desperate for food, they descend into the locked cellar in search of food, but instead find raped, mutilated and half-eaten humans kept there by the cannibals. Fleeing the cellar, both discover that the cannibals are returning to the house and have to hide out in the woods opposite the house, unmoving, in order to make a later escape. 

 The second of the scenes is far more subtle, however, is the most meaningful of all of the dangers in the book. Knowing that he is going to die, the man must impart any final knowledge, instructions and thoughts to his son, as well as try to convince him to live on and that he will be fine. The boy must come to terms with this and acknowledge his new lifestyle alone and accept that there is nothing to be done to help his father.

 There are also many other moments of crisis: the man in the forest, the cannibals passing through the forest, the threat of starvation, the falling trees, the dead child, the man on the beach, the couple in the house etc.

Set Piece Event/Climax

The most climactic part of the book  is likely the latter of the two main moments of crisis (above), when the man and boy finally reach their physical destination: The beach. As the two journey through the neighboring lands, they encounter a couple hiding out in a house whom upon seeing the duo, take this as an offensive, and attack, the father, of course, prioritising the safety of the boy and obtaining an injury, which later proves to be a fatal wound. On the realisation of this, they return to the beach in order for the father to impart any knowledge of survival to his son while he still can (the road is far too dangerous, meaning that they would not have enough time) and also means that the father can die in a more peaceful environment. The son also seems more restful when at the beach, and also marks the beginning of his slight change in character, the beach becoming their symbol for not only safety and rest, but also the boy's time of coming to terms with the reality of the world of which he lives in.

Key Motifs/Themes/Oppositions

Death- The theme of death is one of the most prominent throughout the book, and features not only as the recurring subject of the character's dialogue exchanges, but is also clearly shown in the description of the land itself. Not only this, but it is also the biggest ultimate threat to the man an boy.

Love and Hope- Throughout the story, the man shows a tremendous amount of love for his son through his many sacrifices in the hope of keeping the child alive, strengthened by the boys own sense of hope and 'goodness'. Although a wary man, the father never harms others unless they have placed the boy's survival at risk, however the boy's innocence and strong sense of compassion veils him from witnessing and truly understanding this until the father's death.

Good/Evil- There are two contrasts of good and evil within the story, one the explicit comparison of the 'good guys' (the man and the boy) and the bad guys (rapists, thieves, murderers, cannibals). There is also the more subtle comparison of the two parental characters. The father refers to the 'good guys' as being those that strive to live on under all circumstances and that, despite all, continue to carry the 'fire', this being something that the mother fails to do.

Compassion and Morality/Humanity- Having lived a huge sum of his life in the aftermath of whatever incident occured that changed the world, the man ha become 'worn' by his years of seeing humanity deteriorate rapidly into chaos and, having had the "charge" of protecting his son for the entirety of the boys life, has had to protect his son from even the potential of danger. Because of this, he has become very untrusing and unforgiving character. The boy, unknowing of the mans sacrifice of his own humanity in order to protect him, dislikes the fathers lack of compassion in the face of the unknown, and acts as a source of compassion, morality, humanity and purity.

Spirituality and Forgiveness- Very rarely does either character discuss God in heavy detail, however, there are some underlying religious themes, however not overly improtant regarding the story. In fact, the father seems to almost dismiss the idea that there is a God, however, he and the boy do occassionally discuss the 'spiritual afterlife', whether this is something that the man actually believes in or just something to reassure the boy is unclear.

Survival/Resilience and Violence- Because of the mans unwavering need to protect his son, he has had to endure a great deal over the past years and the duration of the book, and has made various sacrifices, the greatest being his sense of humanity and right and wrong when basic survival of the boy is at risk, even if it is but a minor threat. In the end of the book, the father, having realised that he can go no further, realises that he must impart as much as he can to the boy, the most important the basics of survival, especially important due to the boy's compassion towards others.