7. If every book is an author's attempt to answer one of life's questions, what question is McCarthy and/or Kerouac attempting to answer? Explain.

When I was reading Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, I began to notice certain things about his writing that seemed to showcase his underlining meaning for the book. I think that the entire book is about the relationship of a father and son. Through every incident and trial that they face, their trust in each other was tested. The father had to trust the boy when they gave food to the older man, and the boy had to trust the father that they were going to survive. I think that the entire story is based on how even though they had every reason to turn their backs on each other, like the rest of the world was doing; they stayed together and choose to trust in each other. While the world has changed and the father seems to be the only on that can see it, I believe that the son trusting the father demonstrates more of humanities good pointers then the “eat or be eaten” theory that the rest of the world has fallen into. I think that what Cormac McCarthy is trying to say is that no matter how evil everyone around you may become, goodness will always exist to protect the world. And in this story I believe that the child represents that innocence and human kindness that the world still carries even through the dark times. I think that the question about life that Cormac McCarthy is trying to answer is, could goodness exist alongside evil and could evil ever win. In the world that McCarthy illustrates for us, the child is the light and the world has fallen into evil’s darkness. The father has chosen to trust the son and in turn has been lead out of the darkness. I believe that McCarthy is saying that goodness can exist alongside evil, but evil can never win. Even though, in the story, much of the human race had become tainted with evil, the child still grew to exist, and goodness prevailed. If it was the authors attempt to answer this life question, then I think that he was able to express his answer clearly and decisively.
- Sinead Brennan