Andrew McCarthy
March 24, 2012
English 150
Portfolio Essay
Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is set in a post-apocalyptical world in which an unnamed
man and son desperately struggle for daily survival. Within this world all that remains is fire and
ash, as all of the rich natural resources this world once had are no more. Due to the loss of these
natural resources, mankind has succumbed to cannibalism in order to further sustain life, making
the theme of morality is a prominent aspect throughout the novel. With this being so, the man
and the boy must create and live by a moral code within a world where morality seems
nonexistent. The basis for this moral code is illustrated rather early within the novel, as we come
to the understanding that “The bad guys” are cannibals and “The good guys” are not. With noncannibalism being the basis of the man and boy’s moral code, it’s important to note that there are
in fact several other pillars that influence this code. These pillars are observed in Erik J.
Wielenburg’s, “God, Morality, and Meaning in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road” in which
Wielenburg suggests that the moral code established by the man is based on six factors: Do not
eat others, do not steal, do not lie, keep your promises, help others, and never give up
(Wielenburg 4). Essentially, the man is successful in establishing this moral code and further
investing this code within his son. However, the man is ultimately unable to uphold these moral
standards due to the loss of his wife, his mistrust for others, and the protection of his son.
One of the most significant reasons as to why the man is unable to uphold the moral
standards that he has invested within his son is due to the loss of his wife. Early within the novel,
we come to understand that the man’s wife had chosen to commit suicide due to the fact that she
could not live with the thought of “The Truth”, that, “Sooner or later they will catch us and they
will kill us. They will rape me. They’ll rape him. They are going to rape us and eat us and you
won’t face it. You’d rather wait for it to happen” (McCarthy 50). The man’s wife feels that
regardless, no matter what they do in attempt to further sustain their lives, it’s ultimately
pointless to continue on because sooner or later they will be captured by the cannibals. This truth
essentially debilitates the man’s ability to uphold the morals that he has established, violating the
code never give up. Although the man may have consciously accepted his wife’s decision to
commit suicide, it’s apparent that he still battles with the thought of whether or not his wife was
right; as the man constantly draws upon her actions several times throughout the story. For
instance, on page 68 the man recalls this truth when stating, “A single round left in the revolver.
You will not face the truth. You will not.” As we can see, the man not only draws upon this
notion of the truth, but he further refers to this notion as “The Truth.” With this being so, it
seems inevitable that the man believes that there is in fact some validity in his wife’s actions, by
continuing to refer to this notion as “The Truth”. Another instance in which this notion of “The
Truth” is depicted as debilitating the protagonist’s moral code, occurs as the man again draws
upon a memory of his wife; “She was right. There was no argument. The hundreds of nights
they’d sat up debating the pros and cons of self-destruction with the earnestness of philosophers
chained to madhouse walls” (McCarthy 58). Within this passage, not only does the man draw on
this notion again, illustrating the subconscious battle as to whether or not the wife’s actions were
right, but the man goes on to state that he in fact participated weighing both the pros and cons of
suicide. With this in mind, it’s impossible for the man to uphold the moral never give up,
because it’s clear that he still battles with whether or not his wife’s decision to commit suicide
was justifiable. Further, the man participated, with his wife, in compiling reasons pro-suicide,
which leads us to believe that a part of him can in fact justify the idea of suicide.
The man’s mistrust for mankind further serves as a prominent reason as to why he is
unable to uphold the moral code that he has established; most notably helping others. It seems as
though this mistrust is based on two factors: One, the man has seen the atrocities that mankind is
capable of, and two helping others means the man will have to look after others, which equates
to less resources and a higher chance that he and his son will die. Throughout the novel, and even
prior accounts to the setting, the man has witnessed the absolute atrocities that mankind has
succumbed to in order to further sustain life. One of the two most explicit illustrations of these
atrocities occurs as the man and boy come across a decapitated baby that has been beheaded and
gutted which serves as a meal for the cannibals (McCarthy 198). This image clearly brings to
light just how far mankind has devolved and further illustrates the atrocities mankind is capable
of. Another horrific image occurs as the man and boy come across a mansion while travelling
through the woods. The man and boy decide to go into the house in hopes that they will find
food, however upon entering the man comes to the realization that this mansion is actually a
breeding-ground for the cannibals; “Huddled against the black wall were naked people, male and
female, all trying to hide, shielding their faces with their hands. On the mattress lay a man with
his legs gone to the hip and the stumps of them blackened and burnt” (McCarthy 110). This
scene yet again depicts the atrocities that the man and the boy have had to witness, as they come
across several captive humans waiting to be eaten. These atrocities hamper the protagonist’s
ability to trust other mankind and further serve in making him unable to uphold the moral code
of helping others. The man ultimately feels that after witnessing the injustices that mankind has
succumbed to, he has no reason to trust anyone besides himself and his son.
This mistrust also stems from the belief that helping others will lead to less natural
resources and death. This notion is portrayed as the protagonist encounters a man who has fallen
victim to being struck by lightning. Although this man is clearly about to die, the boy insists that
they help. The father responds by telling his son, “We have no way to help him. I’m sorry for
what has happened to him but we cannot fix it” (McCarthy 50) and continues by detailing, “He’s
going to die. We can’t share what we have or we’ll die too” (McCarthy 52). As we can observe,
the man clearly feels that trusting others and sharing their resources will lead to death.
Lastly protecting the boy is yet another key element as to why the man is unable to
uphold the moral code that Wielenburg suggests. This is most notably seen in two instances. The
first occurs as the man and boy are struggling to make their way through the mountains. The boy
at one point stops and asks his father if he thinks they are going to die. The man and boy proceed
to have an argument about life and death, which comes to a close as the man asks the boy if he
thinks he would lie to him about death. The boy responds that he in fact does think the man
would, and the man counters by saying, “Okay. I might. But we’re not dying” (McCarthy 101).
As illustrated, the man clearly states that he would in fact violate the moral code, do not lie, by
telling his son that he would in fact lie to him about death. With this in mind, we must come to
realize that this moral code is ultimately subservient to the best interests of the boy. The man
would rather lie his son about death and violate a moral code than tell his son the truth, which
could potentially lead the boy to lose all hope of survival.
Another way in which the protection of the protagonist’s son nullifying this moral code is
seen as the man and boy come close to being captured by the cannibals. After a close encounter
with the cannibals, the man and boy flee to the woods in order to hide. The man quickly begins
to struggle with the idea of whether or not should kill his son; “Could you crush that beloved
skull with a rock? Is there such a being within you of which you know nothing? Can there be?”
(McCarthy 114). The man ultimately has to come to terms with whether or not he can crush his
son’s skull if the cannibals find them. Upon first reading, one would think this rational was
insane, and further serve to discredit any moral within the man. However, again in the best
interest of his son the man would rather disregard all moral by killing his son and giving him an
expedient death, rather than a torturous death; in which he would most likely be raped and eaten
by the cannibals.
As we can see, Erik J. Wielenburg’s notion of the man’s moral code consisting of do not
eat others, do not steal, do not lie, keep promises, help others, and never give up has inherent
flaws. Although the man is successful in establishing this moral code, and further investing these
virtues within his son, he is ultimately unable to uphold these moral standards. One of the most
prominent reasons as to why the man is unable to uphold these standards is due to the loss of his
wife. The loss of his wife subconsciously brings about his inability to depict whether or not his
wife made the right decision in committing suicide, which violates the moral of never give up.
The man is further unsuccessful in maintaining this moral code due to his mistrust for others.
Through the atrocities that he has witnessed, along with the rational that helping others will lead
to death, the man does not trust others with the survival of himself and his son. Lastly, the
protection of his son ultimately nullifies his ability to uphold these morals, as the best interests of
the man’s son are more important that any moral established.
Works Cited
Schaub, TH. "Secular scripture and Cormac McCarthy's The Road." Renascence. (2009):
61.153. Online.
Rambo, Shelly L. "Beyond Redemption?: Reading Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road' After
the End of the World." Studies in the Literary Imagination 41.2 (2008): 99+. Academic OneFile.
Web. 26 Jan. 2012.
Wielenberg, Erik J. "God, Morality, and Meaning in Cormac McCarthy's The Road"