AP Literature: The Road discussion
Isolation
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Alejandro
(new)
Apr 08, 2013 06:15PM
In "The Road" one of the main themes that Cornac McCarthy exposes is isolation and loneliness. The readers are allowed to interpret and understand how the characters feel as time passes and they are isolated in a world that is mostly destroyed and ruined. This two men are apparently even abandomed by God, they cant seem to interact with other people or get something from the apocalypsed environment. The only thing that mitigares loneliness in the main characters is that they have one another, for a kid it is extremely important to have his father companionship in order for him to guide and teach him about what he should do, and for his father its also extremely significant to have his child because he has companionship and has some of his family that is extremely important. Human beings start acting different as they are isolated, I believe the two characters are going to behave differently in their necessity to survive and in the need of having one another.
reply
|
flag
In a place were "“The only thing that moved in the streets was the blowing ash" I think is depressing that everything is ash and even more frustrating that they have to hide from people because they know that they would be killed if other people find them. I believe that the fact that they are so alone in general and poor ( no food, place to sleep, or money) make every character more savage, for example when the father left this man shocked by lighting in the street it was impressive but he just walked away leaving him alone as if they didn't even care of bring with someone else. I believe that this isolation has turned into a way of living to the point that if someone different comes then they would be killed.What do you think the impact the characters can have when everything you can see is blowing ash?
In Cormac McCarthey's book "The Road" he creates a post 9-11 setting where the only things that are prominent are a past chaos and loneliness. This setting creates an isolated environment for the two main characters. The father and the son are alone, and except for the dangerous people on the road, it seems as if there was no one else. The isolation created by McCarthey allows the relationship between the father and the son to by emphasized and grow. Because they only have eachother their relationship becomes stronger and in the desolated setting the father and the son realize that they at least their isolation is together. Isolating the two main characters allows McCarthy to portray the importance of not being completely alone. Not only does it become a matter of survival, but also a matter of sanity. As Juliana stated it turns into a way of living, and even though it is their only option, it makes the story heart touching and somehow it makes it relatable.
Mod
Mariana Escobar- and I meant that not being alone provides them with sanity. Their isolation is different because when I think of isolated I think of complete loneliness, but they are together, meaning that they can help eachother and rely on one another making them easier for them to stay sane. If one of them was alone his chances of survival or not becoming one of the cannibals would be smaller.
In the novel "The road" written by Cormac McCarthy isolation plays a big role on it. The isolation of the two main characters is pretty extreme. They are completely isolated from god and from other human beings. The man´s memory of a better life makes him hate and disgust the present life. At least there is company between the son and the father, which makes the isolation shared. In those first years the roads were peopled with refugees shrouded up in their clothing. Wearing masks and goggles, sitting in their rags by the side of the road like ruined aviators. Their barrows heaped with shoddy. Towing wagons or carts. Their eyes bright in their skulls. Creedless shells of men tottering down the causeways like migrants in a feverland. The frailty of everything revealed at last. Old and troubling issues resolved into nothingness and night. The last instance of a thing takes the class with it. Turns out the light and is gone. Look around you. Ever is a long time. But the boy knew what he knew. That ever is no time at all. (42.1) This quote of the novel show that the author is going to an extreme with isolation, he is not only talking about isolation, he is also concerned of some sort of destruction and abandonment. As people become isolated, there will come a time where no one will be left at all. Then, the idea of humans will have disappeared.
Isolation being one of the main themes in the novel "The Road" is very important because it allows us to realize why the father and the son act in a certain way. The place where they are is very isolated and hopeless. Therefore, the father recalls upon his memories at that place, causing him to be more disappointed than he already is. Talking to his son about how things used to be (the house, the family) serves as a distraction to the isolation but at the same time it makes it worse.
Jay wrote: "Which Mariana posted this?"I am against saying that isolation brings sanity. I know lots of philosophers have argued that isolation helps the human to understand society and life better. But certainly no under the conditions that the man and the child are facing in the book. Today in class we had this same discussion with a little difference. We were discussing how the situation and setting of the novel deteriorates the mental health of our characters. I believe that this conditions dehumanize the characters, they become more animal every day because their instinct of survival is acting upon them. This is a perfect example why in this novel with this situation isolation brings insanity.
The setting in the book lets us understand the relationship between the father and the son. McCarthy creates an isolated environment were the two main characters are alone, and this allows their relationship to be the main focus of the story. He creates a powerful love story within an barbaric environment where all you can see is loneliness and devastation. Like Mariana said, I also believe that by staying together they survive. Many times I wonder what gives them strength to not become like the bad guys, and then I realize that the motivation behind everything they do is eachother. One lives for another, and one alone would never survive.
