another description of The Road

[Ya Sam]

The cities and much of the woodland have vanished in a pandemic inferno; the 
birds no longer fly as they all died in the catastrophe. Nothing seems to 
live in the oceans. Left behind is a world with few living species 
struggling to survive under a grey cover of ash that engulfs the planet.

A man and his son trek down the lonely road using a shopping cart to carry 
their possessions as they search for food to stave off starvation. The elder 
is armed, but running out of ammo. He vows to not allow his offspring to be 
captured even if it means using his last two bullets on himself and his son. 
He fears the cannibals who would see them as choice cut and trusts no one 
including seemingly harmless other survivors. He insists to his child that 
they are good people doing what they must as he does what it takes to keep 
them safe. The lad learns only the strong survive and begins to wonders if 
staying alive is enough as he now comprehends why his mother committed 
suicide just after he was born.

THE ROAD is a tremendous allegorical futuristic thriller that has current 
ramifications. The nameless travelers are an interesting pairing as the 
father does preemptive strikes on others rationalizing it as protecting his 
son based on in some incidents no evidence only a presumptive belief that 
everyone is the enemy. The son learns the Golden Rule lesson well of killing 
others before they do unto you as survival is everything in this grim 
haunting parable.

Harriet Klausner

http://www.alternative-worlds.com/2006/07/28/the-road/

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