Lit Log #1: Funny Animal

For my first literary logging concerning Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, I decided to draw the creature the man dreamed of on pages 2-3 of the book. I tried to stay as accurate to the description as possible, but many things were left open to interpretation and also there was a lot of room for creative freedom. Some of the most important aspects that I made sure to include were that the creature has translucent skin, and you can see its organs. Another important feature I included were the blind white eyes “like spider eggs.” I then colored the organs gray, because everything is gray and cold and sad. I didn’t color the bones because they were described as “alabaster.” I based the anatomy of the creature off of a stag, because that was the vibe I was getting from the description, the only exception being the head, as horns were never described and I feel like if it had horns, it would be said.

I think that the descriptive words used for the creature are very intentional, I think they indicate a weak or fragile creature, something exposed and blind, that lurches and lopes, and gives low moans. This dream and creature, in a way, despite being fragile, represent a part of the man’s sanity. The man claims that men of peril dream of peril, and this is the most perilous and disturbing dream he has had. This dream is not luring him to death. The child is leading the man to fragility, weakness, and blindness, represented by the creature, but he is also leading the man to life. The man feels that he cannot live without the child, but also is aware that he is stronger without him, he sometimes wishes “he had a heart of stone.” This dream perfectly represents that. While my art does not have the whole scene, I’m very happy with how it turned out, and it very much helped me interpret the dream. Also, funny animal.