I just finished reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
Every high school English class should be reading this novel at some point of their schooling. Today, it is a more important novel than 1984 or Brave New World and it is a more literate piece than many of the classics still being recycled through the current English curriculum.
This book is a masterpiece. The story of a man and a boy describing their journey in a post-apocalyptic world describes no cause, no nation, and promotes no agenda. Readers will have to think about the consequences of destroying civilization.
It is readable by just about anyone who can read rudimentary English. McCarthy is a genius in composing vignettes that are breathtakingly straightforward, expressive, and visionary.
The suspense of the story is gripping and this is the first book that I've read in a long time that has made me want to drop everything else to read more.
Teachers who want to kick start a real conversation about life, responsibility, and survival should seriously put this book on the must-read list.
1 comment:
If you would like to take a trip into the emptiness and the voids of the earth, pick up Cormac McCarthy’s novel, The Road. I found it difficult to put down.
He brought life back to the earth with his descriptions; colorful words for the monochromatic.
There was no character development, yet I became familiar with “the man” and the innocence of “The boy.”
He used the elements of the earth to connect me with the human senses. Wind, fire, water and earth were referred to as conditions or necessary for survival. Much of the descriptions gave me a clear picture of these four elements. The author tapped into those resources so he can tap into the reader’s five senses.
Wind- you can not see but you can feel
Fire- you can not touch but it keeps you warm
Water- you use your taste and hear and can not live without
Earth- you use your sense of smell and it supports our life.
The sun and moon gave the cycle of days and nights, but there was a prevailing darkness that permeated their daily existence.
The man and boy sustained the duress with fortitude, and much trust. No words were wasted.
The boy’s simple questions, touched my own innocence for understanding life. The man’s short answers and how he related to his son gave me an unwavering sense that he was kind, sensible, selfless and generous.
There was an underlying reassurance with these following words with which the author ended most paragraphs ------ These words seeped into my consciousness
“Is it Okay?”
Okay means Okay
It is Okay.”
Okay.
I enjoyed the book. One big chapter of life. His succinctness powerfully describe the bleak, gray, dark, oppressive conditions of a remaining world. Who knows what happened? It really didn’t matter to me as I found what was happening with their lives now.
It was Powerful and thought provoking. There was a seeping of sadness at the end of this book.
ar
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