Assignment #2 - The Road TEAR

Factually, death is an imminent outcome, however, what one does with the aftermath of their death is the immediate factor for the significance of their death. People can die and will die all the time; it is what one does at the brink of death and act of dying that is a catalyst for why their legacy lives perpetually on inside of others. Essentially, this notion is applicable not only to reality itself, but also in literature. The Road, a gloomy post-apocalyptic tale of the trials of a father and son by Cormac McCarthy, epitomizes the rich dynamics of the literary piece through the departure of one of the central characters - the father.

Initially, the story conjures a murky ambiance as the author describes how "They passed through the city that was mostly burned. No sign of life. Cars in the streets caked with Ash and dust..." (McCarthy 14). The negative connotation of the statement "No sign of life" systematically alludes the reader to conclude that the emotional state, the physical state and the conditions of living are contingent on the severity of the environmental degradation. The more the environment degrades, the more the inhabitants degrade proportionately. Additionally, the quotation also provides a large fragment of the story allowing the reader to have a more cohesive comprehension of the literary piece by establishing the mood and tone. As the father and child digress into the unknown, the audience receives a better understanding of the father's unconditional emotional dedication to his son. Especially when the author literally postulates "...the child was his (the father's) warrant."(McCarthy 4). Which derives the conception that the father's survival framework is structured on the survival of his child. Without his fundamental component for living, the father would follow the same path as the others who committed the ultimate sin and take his life. His child is his conviction for survival. The father is not living to live; he is living to allow his child to live. The repetition of this aspect remerges inconspicuously as the audience observes the tribulations that the father and son preserve through. Each and every trial is not only indicative of the father's emotional attachment to the child, but also alluding to the father's preparation for the imminent - his death. Holistically, the piece is very well composed, however, it's true brilliance does not come into to light until the father's demise. Conclusively, the story presupposes the death when the father pleads "You need to go on..." (McCarthy 108). The father understands that he cannot be there to protect his child at each and every available moment. He demonstrates that these individual hardships is a step towards the child's essential autonomy and self-reliance. Due to the structure of this post-apocalyptic world, people are unreliable and untrustworthy due to the prevalence of cannibalism in this cataclysmic zeitgeist. In the end the father is forced to face the inevitable when as he breathes his last words: "You have to carry the fire...is it real? the fire?yes it is. (McCarthy 279). The legendary words uttered into his child's soul perpetuates a remerging theme throughout this book - fire. Not in the literal sense, but in the sense that this word is euphemism for bravery, courage, willingness, tenacity, perseverance, and independence. Although the words may be simplistic in context, the true enigmatic theme behind the quotation is relative to the concept that in order for fire to burn, there must be something to burn for, something to light the fire, a willingness to ignite the flames. Throughout the story the child has always been the wood and the oxygen that has been feeding the fire inside his father, but as his father dies, he bestows this brilliant fire to his son. The father's last wishes and words will be child's life mission: finding his own reason to feed his own flame. The father cannot feed the child's flame for he will face his mortal end soon, however, he has given the child the necessary tools to ignite his own flame and keep it burning. A simple request, but not a simple task, but for his father, the child will try to find a reason to live.

As the story comes to a close, the brilliant message instilled in the text comes to life and illuminates the irrefutable message about finding one's own flame. This message is only brought to the surface at the conclusion of the story, however, as it is brought to the surface, it completes the story and construe's the literary piece's true beauty. The end of the story is an examination between how the consequences and impact of death can play a tantamount role in the life of others by embedding their legacy into the hearts of individuals and the father's legacy will continue burn on inside of his child.