Jamel D's English Journal

The Road is a harrowing tale of the journeys of an unnamed man and his son, it features major themes including spirituality, violence, isolation and a continuing idea of good vs. evil. However one thing that remains constant is the structure within the book which all revolves around the continuing journey of the dual protagonists.

One example of repetitive language is the repeated reference to the road itself; the word is used 25 times in the novel and is also the inspiration for the title. Despite the momentary diversions from travel, such as when the two find a bunker, the entirety of the novel is based on travelling along the road and stopping for short periods of time for rest. The fact that such a vague word, and subject in fact, is repeated so much time makes clear to the reader the importance of the road itself transforming it from a physical structure to almost a deity which is the only constant existence in a world permeated by death, destruction and deterioration.

Furthermore, the other concrete nouns tend to consist of objects necessary for survival with words like ‘tarp’ and ‘cart’ being mentioned almost 200 times collectively. In a novel of a different genre McCarthy would have been criticized for being repetitive, but within the post-apocalyptic genre not only is monotonous nature of living shown which suggests how desolate the landscape. Also the constant repetition of these words is indicative of just how essential the items are because at any point where the cart is lost or there is no means of building shelter then the man and his son will effectively be condemned to death.

The monotony of events in the post-apocalyptic world is also repeated in the dialogue, most of the communication between the man and the boy is composed of questions asked by the boy, met with answers which he accepts with the phrase ‘okay’ which is repeated a total of 195 times in the novel. As with the nouns used in normal cases such an excessive use of a simple term would be met with criticism but it functions as a means of showing how isolated the people and place is. The difference in age between the two characters means that regardless of mutual understanding the conversational ability is largely limited and with little choice both have to be happy with what they have.

Finally, the emotional descriptions provide insight into how the characters perceive the situation they have to deal with. Emotions like despair and terror are mentioned but oddly enough the word sadness is not used a single time in the novel. This does not directly show how monotonous life is, but the fact that the characters cease to feel sadness suggests that the experiences along the road have become so repetitive that reactions have become near non-existent: fear and desperation remain but there is no proverbial ‘licking your of own wounds’.

As a whole, McCarthy’s deliberate choice to restrict his use of words adds to the themes presented in the novels, a flamboyant medley of unnecessary language would have defeated the ideas within the genre the novel belongs in, so the limits McCarthy has placed on his writing definitely have been instrumental in making clear the monotony of life on the road.