The End of The Road

As we conclude the book The Road, let us talk about a fitting theme.

Death.

Everyone tries their best to not encounter Death. Everyone tries to avoid Death.

Everyone eventually fails. Everyone dies, and this is precisely why people in general are so afraid of dying, or rather, afraid because they don't know what happens next.

We are naturally scared of the fact that our life could just end. There must be something else to it, right? Maybe. Possibly. We wouldn't know until we died ourselves.

If you think about it, many people start believing in religions to not fear death. To believe that there is something after this life, that there exists another life, another chance, another hope...

Then the question comes up: what would it feel like to die? Will it suck? Will I basically be non-existant for the rest of eternity, for infinity? That's so sad and creepy!

Now, think about this: before anyone came to life, we were basically inexistant for an eternity too (since time goes all the way back and all the way forward). For billions, trillions, zillions, and multiquadrillions of years, you did not exist.

Did it suck to be inexistant for so long? Well, not really.

This is getting too deep and slightly emo so let me insert a random quote.

"Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first."

Holy fun, that looks delicious and moist.

Now back to the real stuff.

When asked the question whether The Road had a deeper significance, Cormac McCarthy said that it's just a story of a father and a son and nothing more. Maybe life is quite similar. Life is a story. A story in which YOU are the main character. Life is a road. A road in which ou continue on, not knowing what you'll find next. Whether you stop or not, the road stretches far towards the horizon. You might never find out what's farther along the road or what's at the end of the road, or for that matter, whether the road has an end.

While you're on the road, make the story worthwile.
Have fun. Enjoy life! Go out there and [ C E N S O R E D ]!

I spy a Jae. Oh wait, they're all Jaes!

Just make sure not to stray from the road though. You're pretty much screwed if you do.

Also, the next post will probably be less deep/emo.

Just Okay

As the father and son travel throughout The Road, the two have these little conversations between them. One of such conversation involved them talking about who were the good guys:
"Are we still the good guys?
Yes. We're still the good guys.
And we always will be.
Yes. We always will be.
Okay." (77)

But then think about it: In whoever's perspective, you are the good guy. You're always the good guy. Maybe the other person think's he or she is a good guy too. Then who is the good guy? No one is. Maybe everyone is. There are no good and bad guys. In the end, everyone wants to survive, only that they have different roads to get there. One might be ethically or morally or [something]ly better than the other, but then these are standards that we humans made. I hardly think it applies to a post-apocalyptic situation in which society has collapsed. Everyone's just out there, eating whatever it is they find (canned beans, corpses, Twinkies, and whatever nasty things you have on mind), and our two main characters are not that much different.
I just realized I have no idea what I'm talking about.
It's late at night and we all know our minds are much more cloudy at night for three reasons: One, we want to sleep. Two, we are lazy. Three, we are human.
Oh, actually, the third one sums up one and two, so we only have one reason. Yay for conciseness.

ARGH. I strayed from the path of 'homework done correctly' again.
Sorry. Back to The Road.

I have noticed how most of the conversations between father and son end with "Okay." The son always listens to what the father has to say, always believing him. Are those the bad guys? Yes. Okay. What was that? An earthquake. Okay. Are we gonna die? Yes, but not now. Okay. Go to sleep now. Okay. Stay right here. Okay. Okay? Okay.

The child, who represents the final hope, the last bit of humanity and innocence, believes whatever the father tells him. In this world that McCarthy has created, people just don't know what to believe anymore, or rather, there is nothing left to believe in. There are no beliefs. There is no 'why' for life, there is no 'because' for life... Life just is.

And it just keeps on going.


Okay?


Okay.