The Man finds a bunker filled with good, cots to sleep on, and water.

They eat and drink and have a happier moment together.

The Man finds an old apple orchard and some dried-out fruit.

The two find a cellar filled with naked men and women, clearly being kept as hostages and as a living food supply.

The boy is grabbed but the man shoots the would-be-kidnapper in the head, using one of his two bullets.

The Roadagents find the man and the boy as they attempt to hide in the woods.

The two swim in a waterfall together and the reader is treated to a moment that almost feels normal.

The boy and man come to the house the man grew up in and the boy is scared to go inside.

The man gives it to the boy in an effort to show him a little of what the world used to be.

The two find a single can of coke in a vending machine.

The Man and The Boy travel through towns, explore houses and see empty cities as they walk towards the coast.

When The Man dies at the end of the novel, The Boy’s love for him compels him to stick by the body for days. He shows his love for The Boy numerous times, giving him the small treats they find (like a soda) and protecting him from dangers. He’s the reason The Man keeps going when life looks hopeless and nothing but painful. The bond the two main characters have and the love they share is what keeps them going. This includes a lack of animals, living plants, and more.įamily is another incredibly important theme in The Road. That might be dead bodies, or it might be their dead world. The Man’s wife killed herself outside the timeline of the novel, and everywhere the two go, they see death. It’s also something they’re intimately familiar with. It’s something that The Man tries to stave off, for himself and even more so, for his son. (Both of which had been saved in order to take their own lives in the event that their situation got irreparably bad.)ĭeath is as unavoidable as violence is. He shoots him in the head, using one of his two bullets. For example, when The Man kills the Roadrat who attempts to kidnap, and likely kill and eat, The Boy. It’s something they avoid and, unfortunately, something they’re forced to use to defend themselves. It’s everywhere that The Man and The Boy travel.

Violence is one of the primary themes in The Road.

Mccarthy cormac the road