faith, trust and doubt theme Flashcards
harsh world
everything depends on trusting or distrusting each other
there is constant tension regarding whether or not the man should trust anyone he meets on the road- some cannibals and rapists
boy is more trusting
than the man- always trying to help people and give away precious food
this trust is part of his naivete and purity
he has basic faith in humanity that transcends his immediate world of brutality
god
trust extends to God- whether to blame him or believe in him
the man feels abandoned by god, but he talks to God, as if he exists, even threatening him
“there is no God and we are his prophets”
love for the boy is spiritual
he describes the boy in religious terms and his purity is sacred- “if he is not the word of God God never spoke”
the boy too trusts the man like some kind of religious faith
“I cant hold my dead son in my arms”
boys faith
is left nebulous, but the mans death he is taken by the “good guys” who talk to him about God
he tries to pray but finds it easier to talk to his father’s spirit
hopes for afterlife
“my only hope is for eternal nothingness”
job
“my job is to take care of you”
the moral code of humanity
has broken in the Road - cannibals harvest and kill mercilessly
1984 - party executes, tortures and brainwashes
man has evil tendencies
no qualms about leaving people in the cellar or leaving Ely with little food or proper clothing
he also isn’t shown to be remorseful for shooting the man with the flare gun, despite him being one of the “good guys”
