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Images of Christ in The Road by Cormac McCarthy

            The post-apocalyptic novel, "The Road," by Cormac McCarthy is about a boy and man who head south to try to have a better life. Against all odds, the boy and man are the representations of the lost morality of human kind. Heading south allows them to escape the coldness of death in the north to obtain life in the warmth of the south. McCarthy utilizes biblical allusions to depict the boy as Jesus Christ. Their inner spirit and ability to fight temptation in a world of nothingness demonstrate the role of mankind in the great mystery.
             McCarthy doesn't hesitate to show that the child is a Christ figure. The father had a dream in which, "he'd wakened he had wandered in a cave where the child led him by the hand " (Pg. 3). The author relates the darkness of the post apocalyptic world to the cave in a dream. The child leads the man in his darkest hour, just as Christ is believed to lead his followers during their struggles. The cave is a symbol for the post-apocalyptic world through which the child and father are travelling. The dream also shows that the child is the father's reason for living, in that the boy keeps the man going through the metaphorical cave. The Man and his child stay true to their morality regardless of whatever obstacles are thrown at them by the barbarians they encounter throughout the road. In contrast to the savage people that they meet, the boy and father stay as moral as possible by "carrying the fire"" (pg. 234). The child does this as the man is educating him about living out his human morality.
             McCarthy continues to allude to Christ's writing as he wrote, "He said: If he is not the word of God God never spoke"" (pg. 5). This is reminiscent of the bible passage by John, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made " (John 1:1-3).


Essays Related to Images of Christ in The Road by Cormac McCarthy

1. Semantics in the Works of Cormac McCarthy

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2. Novel Summary - The Road by Cormac McCarthy

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3. Cormic McCarthy: An Award Winn

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  • Word Count: 2153
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Grade Level: High School

4. God and Morality in The Road

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5. The Road by Cormac McCarthy - Surviving Humanity

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6. Book Analysis - The Road

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  • Word Count: 1484
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8. A passion Unbridled

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  • Word Count: 1189
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9. The Unmasking

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  • Word Count: 2102
  • Approx Pages: 8
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  • Grade Level: High School

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