The Road #2

I want to further my reflection of The Road because I do not feel one blog post does this brilliant novel enough justice. In this post, I want to go more in depth on the APness of The Road, and why it should be added to the curriculum. There are so many places to start when thinking of how McCarthy actually wrote the book to convey or deepen the meaning of The Road. One of the biggest things I noticed was how McCarthy intentionally skipped implementing chapters. There are several reasons I believe McCarthy took this route. The main one is the lack of chapters is symbolic of the world of The Road: there is no structure, no laws, no rules, and there is nothing left in this world that remains of what life was like before the fires.

Additionally, the lack of chapter breaks in the book contributes to the flow of The Road. Due to no chapters, the story flows easily and continuously, thus allowing the reader to work through The Road in an efficient manner. I didn’t miss chapters in this book because when I was reading it, I wanted to just keep reading. The Road allowed me to just keep reading.

Another aspect of The Road that McCarthy uses to enhance the world and meaning is the fact there are no character names, or any mention of names for that matter. This is also symbolic of the post- apocalyptic world of The Road: a world with no order. Everything that was is no longer. The missing names also leave some room for the reader to use their imagination, and are an easy way to incorporate the reader more into the novel. The relationship between the father and the son could also be studied without names.  Even without names, the two characters have an unbreakable bond with one another. There are so many points in The Road that can be analyzed in an AP way, and is why it should be added into the curriculum.

The Road Reflections

            I suppose I should spew some of my thoughts about The Road, but I will warm you, they will be random and incoherent at times. Blogging has become old. Whoops, sorry, Dela. I have actually like The Road a lot though! The commitment and struggle to survive is amazing. The father’s dedication and love for his son are unparalleled in any other literary work I have read—which is not many. I could feel the pain the father feels when he lets his son down, or when he unintentionally puts him in a lethal situation. A perfect example of this is the cannibal scene. The man doesn’t listen to the intuition of the boy, thus blindly leading them into the closest brush with death in The Road. I cried when the father died at the end of the book—that’s how good it was.

            I guess talking about why The Road should be added to the AP Lit curriculum is a topic I should cover, so here goes: this novel is a perfect addition to the end of the year curriculum of the class not only because of the wrenching meaning and events throughout the year, but it can be analyzed in numerous ways: the tone, the fact there are no names, the structure, the syntax, and repetition are huge points that can be discussed in class. Maybe how the point there are no chapters is symbolic of how there is no more order in the world of The Road, how the syntax of the work contributes to the relationship of the man and the boy, or how the repetition of key phrases such as, “Its okay”, convey the constant protection the dad shows for the boy.

            There are so many aspects of this book that can be picked apart and analyzed in an AP way, as I just discussed. The theme of The Road is just the beginning. Symbolism is also another integral part of this novel. Symbols such as the road, the cart, the gun, the bleakness of the world, the “fire inside”, etc. can be interpreted in so many fashions. One meaning is how the road symbolizes their will to live and persevere past all obstacles. No matter what happens, the boy and the man also try to return to the “safety” of the road. They may veer off track, and become discouraged, but they continue to return to the road. This book is exceptional, and would be a mesmerizing addition to this class. Hell, there is even a movie to go along with it!

This Is Water

            On Monday, Mr. Delacruz showed us a video on YouTube called This Is Water for our MoMo (motivational Monday). It was a great video, and it focused on changing your perspective about trivial things. This Is Water specifically focused on the grocery store, and the occasional frustration that can come with waiting in line, and many other things that can be compared to the grocery store—the frustration with believing everyone is in your way. It was this statement that really hit home for me. I am a big sufferer of this mentality, and funny enough, it happens quite often at the grocery store. I have a tendency to become flustered with the smallest things: people not driving fast enough, someone parking idiotically, people saying things, people making mistakes, and essentially being human. I have systematically conditioned myself to become upset over these arbitrary happenings, and that is such a poisoning way to go about living. This mentality is exactly what This Is Water addressed: don’t think people are in your way! They are not! Get over it, and focus on the good things!

            Another path of thinking This Is Water touched on is the thought we are the center of the universe, and everything revolves around us. Thinking people are in your way plays right into this thought. It is crucial to think in a different way, and to realize, that really, we are just a speck of life in an endless universe, and our lives mean nothing—just like my boy, Ecclesiastes, preaches. We are not all powerful and important like we tend to crack ourselves up to be. Everyone else around us is going through things, so be sensitive to that, and try to not be so quick to judge. Just because people go about things in a different way than you doesn’t mean they are a lesser person because of it—be empathetic and understanding! It is all about how you perceive and think about events in your life that determines your outcome and ultimately your happiness. Since that video on Monday, I have put a lot of effort into restructuring my thought process when things happen. I have made an effort to not believe I am the center of the galaxy, and I have put a lot of mental sweat into realizing people are not in my way! Remember, THIS IS WATER!