The Road - Post 2; Question 7

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.

I found a lot of factors at play in McCarthy's The Road that would lead the reader to question themselves and the story, as I partially described in an earlier blog post. But after finishing the book, there was one question which I thought became the main motif in the story.

I've noticed that in a lot of other posts, people have brought up the question of life versus death. But I think the answer there is pretty obvious, death is clearly the easy way out. And while, often the Man and the Boy wish they were dead ("There were few nights lying in the dark that he did note envy the dead."[230.]), ultimately living is what they chose over suicide, and we respect them for it. Pitting life against death doesn't seem like quite a faceted enough question to elaborate upon for an entire book, because it eventually can be boiled down to something pretty objective. A more subjective version of this question would be to ask if it's worth living without company. They continuously struggle, and lead an extremely trying life, seemingly without any relief, or promise of something better. It's clear that at some point they hope to find others like them, people "carrying the fire."

"What is it? the man said.

Nothing.

No. Tell me.

There could be people alive someplace else.

Whereplace else?

I don't know. Anywhere.

You mean besides on earth.

Yes.

I don't think so. They couldn't live anyplace else.

Not even if they could get there?

No.

The boy looked away.

What? the man said.

He shook his head. I don't know what we're doing, he said.

The man started to answer. But he didn't. After a while he said: There are people. There are people and we'll find them. You'll see." (245).

It's not really ever said outright where exactly they're going, and what they're looking for, probably because they don't even know. But I found it eventually made clear through excerpts like these, that they're really just in search of other people, like them, who can share in their pain, and maybe try to start anew. The man, knows he's dying, and I think it's likely that he's hoping to find suitable guardians to replace him when he can't go on any farther. But continuously the question comes up, what if there aren't others; what if they really are the last "good guys" left? Would a life like that, always on the run, always short a meal, just the two of them (at least, until the man dies) be even worth the effort?