Tuesday, March 15, 2016
A happy ending
The question that arises when reading a post-apocalyptic novel is, "Is death as tragic as it seems?" When reading the adventurous story behind a protagonist, naturally as readers we enjoy the idea of the characters living with a happy ending. However, in The Road is living the happiest ending for the boy and the man? On page 154, it is stated, "Even now some part of him wished they'd never found this refuge. Some part of him wished it to be over." Before the man and boy found the bunker with all the food, they were on the verge of dying. The man's inner monologue may have the right idea. Although it's dark, maybe the best scenario is the man and the boy peacefully dying. If they do live, what will happen to them? They will always be alone (maybe they'll meet a few other people) and they will most likely be on the verge of starving until they grow old and die. They will probably continue to live miserably even if they reach where they want to go. Also, they live in constant fear of being eaten by cannibals or used as sex slaves. It would be even worse to die at the mouth of another human being. Their best option may honestly be to die of natural causes peacefully together. Even the man seems to realize this. How long will it be worth it to struggle to survive? Is it even worth it at all? The old man they meet seems to answer this when he says, "But I wish I had died." when asked, "Do you wish you would die?" by the man on page 169. The old man seems to wish he had died when the apocalypse first occurred. The death of the man and boy probably is dreadful to the two of them, but even the man has considered it a good option compared to the alternatives.
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I agree with all the points you have made. Through the novel The Man and The Boy have consistently been on the verge of starvation, and plagued with sickness; ultimately, this has led to a rough life for both of them. The Boy's childhood has been robbed from him, and The Man has to watch his own child deteriorate. Even though no one can escape death, one can assume that The Man killing himself and his child is better than being eaten. I personally wondered why The Man did not find a way to permanently block off the bunker, so he and The Boy could peacefully die together after exhausting the food resources.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the points made and after finishing the book this week I wonder if it had the best ending for The Man and The Boy. Throughout the book The Man was sick and at the end he finally dies, but can we consider that a happy ending? The Boy does get to continue traveling with another family, but he is no longer with his father. I think that this ending is neither happy or sad, but one that we can accept and understand. The Boy gets to go on and The Man died in peace. In the end I think that is all we could have ever really hoped for.
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