The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide
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This engaging summary presents an analysis of The Road by Cormac McCarthy, the story of a father and son travelling south to escape the harsh winter in a postapocalyptic world. On the way, they must contend with food shortages, hordes of vicious cannibals and the existential problem of what there is left to live for in a world devoid of humanity. Described by The Times as “a work of such terrible beauty that you will struggle to look away”, the novel won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and has been adapted into a major motion picture. Known for his original and effective writing style, Cormac McCarthy is the multi-award-winning author of several acclaimed novels, including No Country for Old Men and Blood Meridian.
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This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection
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The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Book Analysis) - Bright Summaries
AMERICAN WRITER
Born in Providence (Rhode Island) in 1933.
Notable works:
The Orchard Keeper (1965), novel
All the Pretty Horses (1992), novel
No Country for Old Men (2005), novel
The American author Cormac McCarthy was born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1933, and is considered to be one of the most significant authors of his generation. His novels are mostly about the inherent violence of American society and are characterised by a pronounced sense of pessimism. He has written a number of novels, including All the Pretty Horses (1992), which received both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award that year.
No Country for Old Men (2005), which is about drug trafficking in Texas, was successfully adapted for film by the Coen brothers (Joel, born in 1954, and Ethan, born in 1957) in 2007. The film won four Oscars, including the award for Best Picture.
THE ADVENTURES OF A FATHER AND SON IN A POSTAPOCALYPTIC WORLD
Genre: novel
Reference edition: McCarthy, C. (2010) The Road. London: Picador.
1st edition: 2006
Themes: violence, humanity, family, death, survival, apocalypse
The Road, which was first published in the USA in 2006, is Cormac McCarthy’s most recent novel. It tells the story of a father and son’s travels through a postapocalyptic wasteland, and has two features in particular which set it apart from the rest of the author’s work. Firstly, the violence featured in The Road is much more extreme, and it transcends the boundaries of American society