Father and Mother Figures as Two Opposites of the New World: Family in 'The Road' Akimova Tatiana College

In Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road, family becomes the central theme that shapes the world in the novel. A reader follows the story of the single-parent family: the father and his son travel across the post-apocalyptic land and fight for their survival day by day. While the father is a loving and caring person devoted to his child, the mother prefers to retreat and commits suicide. In this dog-eat-dog world, these characters reveal their nature and turn out to be polar opposites through a broader lens. The author contrasts the paternal and maternal roles and presents them as two possible attitudes toward the life hardships. While the mother is the person who cannot stand ordeals and escapes, the father figure is the one who manifests unconditional and invisible love through typical family activities, the new world behavior, and guidance.

The image of the mother is blurred, and a few details suggest that she is the personification of those who are unable to adjust themselves to brutal external conditions and choose to give up. From the first moments of the story, one can see her absence, and there is always some gap that the characters feel deeply. One night, after another coughing fit, the father talks to the boy saying he is...