The Road

To follow As I Lay Dying, I decided to read The Road by Cormac McCarthy. A common aspect of these novels is that their plots revolve around a perilous journey that seems hopeless and ultimately meaningless. In The Road, a man and his son, who are unnamed, travel across the country after an apocalyptic event hoping to reach the coast. All the color and beauty of the world has vanished, and they must wear masks to live in the ashen environment. One reason I chose to read a book by Cormac McCarthy was that I read that he was the modern day equivalent to William Faulkner. After only reading through a small portion of the book, I can understand the comparison. Both authors use dialogue sparingly and they both use simple and sparse diction. Similar to the family's conflicts in As I Lay Dying, there is some misunderstanding between the man and boy since the boy can't understand the world that the man had previously lived in. However, it is clear the father and son must rely on each other to survive, whereas the family constantly quarreled in Faulkner's novel. The plot of this book somewhat reminds me of the movie I Am Legend, which I guess was alright. So far though, I think I prefer The Road to that movie.