Song Connection

Many years ago, my mom bought me a Pearl Jam album. Being only 7 or 8 years old, I never really listened to it other than a few songs, and instead listened to the "Shrek" soundtrack I also had. In recent years, I've begun to listen to Pearl Jam much more, and as of late, they have become one of my favourite band. Recently, their newest album, "Pearl Jam 20" came out with the best performances, demos, etc from the last 20 years of their existence, and one live version of a song I never listened to caught my attention. Now the connection to The Road. Throughout the novel, The Man's son has always wanted to be with his dad, and never wants to be without him. He is scared of death, and is even more scared of his dad dying. The connection is between the song "Release" by Pearl Jam, and the final few pages of the novel:

Father...ooh...oh...oh...
I see the world, feel the chill
Which way to go, windowsill
I see the words on a rocking horse of time
I see the birds in the rain
Ohh...ohh...ohh...ohh...

Oh, dear dad, can you see me now
I am myself, like you somehow
I'll ride the wave where it takes me
I'll hold the pain...Release me...
Ohh...ohh...ohh...ohh...

Oh, dear dad, can you see me now
I am myself, like you somehow
I'll ride the wave, where it takes meeeeeeeee...
I'll hold the pain, release me...
Ohh...ohh...ohh...ohh...

Oh, dear dad, can you see me now
I am myself, like you somehow
I'll wait up in the dark for you to speak to me
I'll open up...Release me...
Release me (3x)
Ohh...ohh...ohh...ohh...

(Vedder, Eddie. "Release." Ten. Pearl Jam. Epic Producer, 1991. CD.)

I found this song to connect with the novel before, and what could possibly happen after The Man's death, and the song would connect with how The Son would have felt.

"Just take me with you. Please.
I cant. I cant hold my son dead in my arms. I thought I could but I cant.
You said you wouldnt ever leave me.
I know. I'm sorry. You have my whole heart. You always did. You're the best guy. You always were. If I'm not here you can still talk to me. You can talk to me and I'll talk to you. You'll see.
Will I hear you?
Yes. You will. You have to make it like talk that you imagine. And you'll hear me. You have to practice. Just dont give up. Okay?
Okay." (McCarthy, 270).

(Since in the novel there are no quotation marks, and little descriptions of who said what since it's only the two characters throughout the majority of the novel, I bolded the son's lines.)

The connections I made was when The Man says that his son is "the best guy", to the line "Oh, dear dad, can you see me now I am myself, like you somehow". I felt that perhaps in the song, The Son would be still trying to prove to his dad that he is the best. When The Man says that he can "still talk to me", I connected it to the line "I'll wait up in the dark for you to speak to me". I felt that this would have come after the novel, when he finally tries to speak to his dad. I also felt that the lines "I'll ride the wave where it takes me I'll hold the pain...Release me..." was a constant thought for The Son throughout the novel and beyond, as he "rode the wave" so to speak with his dad guiding him, and how he sometimes just wanted to die.

Foreshadow

"Slogging to the edge of the road with his back to the child where he stood bent with his hands on his knees, coughing. He raised up and stood with weeping eyes. On the gray snow a fine mist of blood." (McCarthy, 30).

"When he woke again he thought the rain had stopped. But that wasnt what woke him. He'd been visited in a dream by creatures of a kind he'd never seen before. They did not speak. He thought that they'd been crouching by the side of his cot as he slept and then had skulked away on his awakening. He turned and looked at the boy. Maybe he understood for the first time that to the boy he was himself an alien. A being from a planet that no longer existed. The tales of which were suspect. He could not construct for the child's pleasure the world he'd lost without constructing the loss as well and he thought perhaps the child had known this better than he. he tried to remember the dream but he could not. All that was left was the feeling of it. He thought perhaps they'd come to warn him. Of what? That he could not enkindle in the heart of the child what was ashes in his own. Even now some part of him wished they'd never found this refuge. Some part of him always wished it to be over." (154-5).

"Everyday is a lie, he said. But you are dying. That is not a lie." (238).

"He turned and looked at the boy. Standing with his suitcase like an orphan waiting for the bus." (275).

These four quotes are the most important quotes that foreshadow The Man's death. The first one clearly shows that all is not well with his health as he coughs up blood. The second describes what I believed to be his hope fading. He realizes he can not do as much for his son as he wishes, and that he just wishes he could die. The third comes out and basically says it, as he talks to himself and comes to terms that he is dying. The fourth comes near the very end of the novel, as he now pictures his son as an orphan to his impending death.

A Great Use of Imagery and Setting

Throughout the novel, there has been lots of imagery describing what little that could be described in such a bleak environment. However, as the story progressed so did the imagery.

"The land was gullied and eroded and barren. The bones of dead creatures sprawled in the washes. Middens of anonymous trash. Farmhouses in the fields scoured of their paint and the clapboards spooned and sprung from the wall-studs. All of it shadowless and without feature. The road descended through a jungle of dead kudzu. A marsh where the dead reeds lay over the water. Beyond the edge of the fields the sullen haze hung over the earth and sky alike. By late afternoon it had begun to snow and they went on with the tarp over them and the wet snow hissing on the plastic." (McCarthy, 177-8). This description of where The Man and his son were really helped with how I pictured the landscape, and was one of the best imagery I had ever read before.

3/4 Through

So far through the novel, it has become very clear that a main theme is love can survive all. Like everything else that happens within the novel, The Man and his son walk "The Road" to the coast, however unlike before, it is more apparent The Man depends on his son more and more for his survival. After discovering a building with large quantities of food, water, and shelter, The Man connects with his son more than he had before hand. He bathes him, feeds him, talks to him. Even as he gets sicker and sicker, he still takes care of him, his son being the only thing to keep him going. "he held the boy against him, cold to the bone. Dont lose heart, he said. We'll be alright." (McCarthy, 177). This is one example of many where it's implied that while The Man is trying to keep his son going through the tough road ahead, he is in fact also keeping himself going just through the love for his son. Another example is when they discover an old abandoned diesel train. After searching the train for anything they may need, The Man brings his son to the engineer's seat. Since The Boy had been deprived of a proper childhood, and had never seen nor heard a train in his life, The Man again shows his love for his son by letting him play with the controls. "The controls were very simple. Little to do but push the throttle lever forward. He made train noises and diesel horn noises but he wasnt sure what these might mean to the boy." (180). This example shows that small moments like this bring peace to the both of them. The Man can take his mind off of everything around them, and focus on little things to help the over-all morale. Whether his son enjoyed the experience or not, clearly this is an example that no matter what, love has survived everything and is still present through every tough experience.

Favourite Quote

"Yes. You forget what you want to remember and you remember what you want to forget." (McCarthy, 12). This was my favourite quote because I could actually connect with what the character, The Man, was saying. In their world full of death and destruction, there's not many positives to take away from everyday life. Having to care for his son all by himself while having to risk life and limb for his own survival as well could easily take away all of the good memories of the past. There have been a few flashback memories for The Man, but they are not memories that serve as a moral boost. They are of just before or just after the unknown disaster, and his wife leaves him to take care of his son alone. Her fate is unknown to him, however that is all he seems to remember; only the years that have followed in darkness shroud his fond memories one would wish to take with them for eternity.
As previously stated, I am able to connect with this quote. There are some memories I would love to have kept, but unfortunately it seems that over the years, the ones I would love to forget are the ones I remember instead.

Places We've Been To So Far

While "The Road" is mainly taking place in a barren and post-apocalyptic setting, there have been some important locations that the characters have encountered.

The House


Man and his son walk through a shackled-down and destroyed neighbourhood in search of houses with food in them. In the only structurally sound house on the block is where they discover more than 30 people, left naked and starving, in the dark basement, who the "bad guys" will kill and eat. This is the first time so far that the "bad guys" have been somewhat introduced, and where I, as the reader, discover what the "bad guys'" intentions are.



The Waterfall

This is where The Man and his son find shelter and comfort. This was also the only spot of comfort they could find, as they could connect with eachother, talking to eachother for the first time in who-knows-how-long. It brought tranquility to the bleak surroundings they were facing constantly everyday.

Halfway Through

Halfway through the book and nothing much has changed. Man and Son are still on their way to the South in search of warmth and hospitality. However, there has been some revealing flashbacks  before the unknown disaster. In one flashback, it is revealed that the son was not born yet, but his mother was pregnant with him when the disaster occurred. She gives birth to him months later, and years later she tires of the endless pursuit of safety, wishing instead she was dead. She then leaves Man and Son, with her fate being unknown. There has also been some power struggles between Man and Son. Man is weakening, and he depends on his son much more. Even though this book is still a lot of the same, I am still enjoying it.

Symbols So Far

So far, the novel is taking place in a post-apocalyptic setting; cold and dark all the time. In relation to the course and suggested themes present in the story, this novel carries the theme of death. This is quite evident when Man and Son walk through the land and there is nothing but destruction and death, as well as when Man coughs up blood, suggesting his potential death later on.