Safety In Me (Leticia & Eric)

The Road, a book by Cormac McCarthy, is a dark story of a father and son trying to survive an apocalyptic world. As readers, we see their journey through countless unfamiliar backgrounds and we see their mostly depressing story. Where everyday of survival for these characters, is a battle with themselves, and the crazy world around them.

When reading The Road, one is aware that happy moments are treasures in the stories of the main characters. When often seeing them struggle to keep being alive, we can’t help but to dig deeper into the moments where the father and son are at ease.

It’s no coincidence that these good moments are a sign of safety. McCarty uses these moments to show readers that characters are finally somewhat safe. We see this when the son can just live as a normal child, learning to thank people and God with–“Dear people, thank you for all this food and stuff.” (146)— a prayer. And the father, just a father for his son, “You’re doing good, the man said. You’re doing good.” (39). The author’s strategy is compelling. Showing that with environmental safety, we can learn more about the lives and perspectives of characters outside the world they live in.

When reading, it almost feels surreal seeing these characters just live after experiencing the most traumatic horrors of their lives. As readers you grow to appreciate and desire more of these moments for the characters. On The Road, various types of safety are displayed for readers to uncover and analyze. But after reading the book from start to finish, we thought it would be important to show the perspective that explores the idea that good moments equate to safety. By showing specific experiences of the characters, we as readers can observe the different types of stability represented in the book.

more detailed examples below: