Thoughts on "The Road"
I read this during my vacation. It wasn't quite a downer, but it wasn't the spirit lifter that I would suggest for leisure vacation reading either. The one thing that I can say about this title is that it is one amazing book and I am really glad that I read it.
I'm not sure that I can add anymore to what has been already said about this book. After all, it has racked up a lot of critical acclaim and even Oprah sings its praises. I guess what I mostly have to say about it is that I wish that more authors would be so daring as to explore a relationship like this. Regardless of the setting, a post apocalyptic America, the author maintains his focus on the relationship between the father and son. He makes it clear that survival, even in the most horrendous situations, is only of value if there is someone to love.
The boy is an innocent and basically the man's conscience. You are never given their names or even where they are explicitly. You don't even know what happened to the world: an accident, alien invasion, a war (most likely the latter), but what is made clear is that the world has come to an end. All is dark and sooty with gray ash and you are left with sense of hopelessness and a fear for the future. But, strangely enough, a deep sense love in its purest form resound as well. In the end, isn't that all we really have? Food, clothes, material wealth, public acclaim, all mean nothing. I suppose that this is essentially true. ... Message sent and received.
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