Diamond in the Basalt

When I suggested reading Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” for our book club, I worried that it might be too bleak for already-gray January, and too “manly” for our mostly female group. After finishing the book (mostly in one completely absorbed sitting) my worries were discarded. Though the book *is* predominantly bleak and quite grisly and violent, it sparked and held my interest with its profound, tiny moments of beauty among the wreckage at the end of the world. Though I am not yet a parent, I would argue that ”The Road” should be required reading for anyone who plans to become or already is one; the Man’s balance of preserving the boy’s innocence while remaining truthful about the evil and horror present in the world can provide an example for those parenting in much less dire circumstances.  

After reading and re-reading the book, I received the bad news that I will not be able to attend book club this week. I have still prepared some discussion questions for everyone to use during the meeting. These are some of the things I would have loved to explore with you ladies (and perhaps gents), and hope that you enjoy doing so.

• Cormac McCarthy is known for his sparse use of language and he continues this stylistic trend in The Road. Do you think the simplicity of dialogue and specific description of setting in this book enhanced the overall story or distracted from it?

•  The Boy, despite being a young child, is expected to fulfill the role of a fellow survivor and a man, with little exception. Discuss the shift in the relationship of the Man and the Boy throughout the book and the Boy’s refusal to be treated as a child by the end of the book.

• Compassion is widely absent in The Road, except for in the innocent character of the Boy. Discuss the role of childhood innocence in the book and how it benefits and endangers the characters.

• One of the most involved conversations that we witness in the book is between the Man and the Old Man that is invited to join the survivors for a meal. He speaks about being “the last man on the Earth” and whether one would recognize such a situation if it were true. Are the Man and the Boy the last “good” or “real” people on Earth? What would it mean for them if they were?  

• The Man’s motivation for continuing to persevere is never directly revealed, but he tells the boy that they are the “good guys” and that they are “carrying the light”. Explain the role of good and evil and any religious themes in motivating the characters to continue in a likely hopeless situation.

•  Women are conspicuously absent throughout the book, except for those presumably being bred like livestock as members of cannibal clans and communes. The only woman we see in depth is the late wife of the Man, who cannot handle the stresses of survival and considers death the only solution. Why do you think women are treated this way by the author? 

• The Road presents an interesting take on the end of the world, showing humanity in complete regression, reverting to its primitive instincts to survive. McCarthy presents us with a bleak outlook for the survivors; kill or be killed or starve to death eventually. Compare this to other end of the world tales and discuss why you think the author presented such a thoroughly hopeless vision for the end of mankind.