Article,
Description of spiritual period in the novel "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
Central Asian Journal of Literature, Philosophy and Culture, 4 (4): 155-163 (April 2023)
Abstract
This article contends that Cormac McCarthy's most recent book, The Road (2006), marked a clear departure from his earlier works of fiction's interests and aesthetics. Apart from the fact that the author, who was born in Rhode Island, is writing a popular sci-fi subgenre like the post-apocalyptic novel for the first time in his long career, the book has a lot of thematic, structural, and stylistic patterns that are very different from those in his earlier works. McCarthy can be seen abandoning the landscapes and vernacular rhythms that had become the foundation of his artistic performance, most likely as a result of some recent events that have profoundly shaken the nation and others that affect his personal life. The purpose of this article is to determine where those elements of discontinuity become most apparent by contrasting The Road with some of his earlier works of fiction. The author manages to keep his readers on their toes thanks to the novel's highly accomplished suspense regarding the fate of the two protagonists, despite his deadpan naturalism and rather laconic language use. Those who are accustomed to his writing will also find the story's conclusion to be unusual. However, the second section of the article reveals that, despite all of these departures from his previous aesthetic and philosophical wanderings, there are also a number of elements in The Road that speak of his commitment to some myths and values that have contributed to his fame and reputation.
