Paper Synopsises

Mark Baldwin
A claim that Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" examines the fundamental issues of human experience, viz. what it means to exist, what it means to hold authentic values, and what it means to hold an authentic attitude toward death. These themes have direct antecedents within the work of some so-called existentialists, two of whom are primarily examined in this essay, Friedrich Nietzsche and Martin Heidegger. Through his uncompromising, radical narrative, McCarthy reveals implicit attitudes which parallel the ideas of Heidegger and Nietzsche.

Brian Hart
A claim that The Road is above all, a novel that defines McCarthy's view of human identity: At the core, our identity is defined by whether or not we meet the call of responsibility that is tied to freedom. The clear division between "Good Guys" and "Bad Guys" represents those who make responsible moral choices and those who don't, respectively.

Kim Hernandez-
A claim that hope, through the father-son relationship, the goodness of humanity, and contrasted by the landscape, is what drives this pair, and McCarthy's readers, throughout this journey.

Chris Kinne
A claim that the main premise of "The Road" was one of pilgrimage. The post-apocalyptic world creates at atmosphere of society being forsaken by God which transforms the man and the boy's journey into a divine pilgrimage for a new creation.