Main Theme --> WARNING: Contains Spoilers
The Road consists of many sub-themes that all tie back to the main theme of the book- hope within humanity. As the man and the boy journey to an unknown destination in hopes of finding a better situation, they continue carrying the fire of hope in their hearts. Their trek through the shadow of death (also known as the post-apocalyptic world) reveals to us that human nature will find hope in even the darkest of places; mankind will always find the silver lining. The fire is a symbol for hope. The boy is obsessed with the fire and often questions his father about whether they are still carrying it or not to which the father responds that they always are. This is what sets them apart from the cannibals in the world- they do not stoop to the level of eating other humans because they have hope that what they need will be supplied to them.
We can observe the fire burning within the boy by his compassionate acts of kindness towards random strangers. For example, when traveling along the road they come across a starving old man. The man wants to continue moving forward and ignore the old man, but the boy insists that they stop and help him. The old man, Ely, is rude and ungrateful for the gifts of food the boy supplied him with, but the boy continues showing love towards him. Through this small act of kindness it is revealed to us that even though the times are hard, the boy continues to look for the good in others. Further on in the book, they encounter a thief who has stolen all of their belongings. The man pulls out his gun, but the boy prevents him from hurting the thief and insists that they leave him some food and clothes after they retrieve their belongings. The boy has faith in the righteousness of mankind which is exemplified throughout the entire book.
We can observe the fire burning within the boy by his compassionate acts of kindness towards random strangers. For example, when traveling along the road they come across a starving old man. The man wants to continue moving forward and ignore the old man, but the boy insists that they stop and help him. The old man, Ely, is rude and ungrateful for the gifts of food the boy supplied him with, but the boy continues showing love towards him. Through this small act of kindness it is revealed to us that even though the times are hard, the boy continues to look for the good in others. Further on in the book, they encounter a thief who has stolen all of their belongings. The man pulls out his gun, but the boy prevents him from hurting the thief and insists that they leave him some food and clothes after they retrieve their belongings. The boy has faith in the righteousness of mankind which is exemplified throughout the entire book.
Sub-themes
- Death
- Faith
- Parental love and sacrifice
- Companionship
- Darkness and light
- Destruction of Beauty
- Facing Reality
- Isolationism
- Loss of innocence
- Nature
- Compensation