survival and perseverance theme Flashcards
struggle to survive
much of the action consists of the protagonists’ daily struggle to survive
this create the mood of constant suspense as death looms overhead, and most other humans have turned to cannibalism
hellish experience
why try to persevere in such a hellish experience
the mans reason: “carrying the fire”- persevering the goodness of civilization by maintaining basic humanity
prioritizing love and protection over murder and cannibalism
woman’s choice
she chooses to die, as she believes it will be better than living in a post-apocalyptic world
goals
the man creates more immediate goals to justify his survival, like reaching the coast and going south
“everything depended on reaching the coast”
road
symbol of struggle to survive
“I will kill anyone who touches you”
“you cant give up. I wont let you”
love
his love enables him to persevere and his natural human desire to keep going down “the road”
opts to pass on the “fire” and remain a “good guy”
“you have to carry the fire”
individuality doesn’t really exist
McCarthy doesn’t give them names - however, the cannibalistic mobs have become like animals, no longer capable of human emotions, so the Man and Boy could be considered individuals as their love sets them apart
their duty to
“carry the fire” set them apart from the faceless mass of humanity
