The Road-Diction Question
On page 278, the author writes a dialogue between the father and son:
"You cant. You
have to carry the fire.
I dont know how to.
Yes you do.
Is it real? The
Fire?
Yes it is.
Where is it? I don’t
know where it is.
Yes you do. It's
inside you. It was always there. I can see it."
How does this use of
diction, most importantly the word 'fire', affect the character development and
novel overall?
We do not directly learn what the meaning of the “fire” is, but it is safe to assume it is talking about human goodness and decency. “Look at me, the man said. He turned and looked. He looked like he'd been crying. [The Man:] Just tell me. [The Boy:] We wouldnt ever eat anybody, would we? [The Man:] No. Of course not. [The Boy:] Even if we were starving? [The Man:] We're starving now. [The Boy:] You said we werent. [The Man:] I said we werent dying. I didnt say we werent starving. [The Boy:] But we wouldnt. [The Man:] No. We wouldnt. [The Boy:] No matter what. [The Man:] No. No matter what. [The Boy:] Because we're the good guys. [The Man:] Yes. [The Boy:] And we're carrying the fire. [The Man:] And we're carrying the fire. Yes. [The Boy:] Okay.” (McCarthy 129). The dialogue here further explains the difference between the "good guys" and the "bad guys. One of the major differences is that the good people do not eat humans. The use of the word fire is symbolic to the theme of Good V.S Bad. In which case “the fire” is shown to be the good. It affects character development because it shows us the principals of the man, and what he has passed onto his child. According to the quote provided by Bailey, the man tells the boy to continue carrying the fire, affecting the novel in such that the boy will continue to survive, and not resort to any evil ideas or intentions.
ReplyDeleteThe word “fire” seemed to play a major role in this novel. There are various scenes where both the man and the boy converse about the “fire”. One example McCarthy writes on page 129 says:
ReplyDelete“Because we’re the good guys.
Yes.
And we’re carrying the fire.
And we’re carrying the fire. Yes.
Okay.”
I believe that the word “fire” symbolizes as the characters mental strength as well as their overall courage and drive to keep continuing their journey on the road. Through this word, McCarthy is able to exemplify characteristics within his two characters. Some would include perseverance and willpower. The “fire” was certainly in the father. There were various times where he had temptations of giving up, although he had the willpower, or the “fire”, inside him to keep going just for the sake of his son. One specific quote that portrays his love towards the boy says, “Come on, the man said. Everything’s okay. I promise” (McCarthy 135). If the man did not have the “fire” within him, death could have been the case for the two characters. McCarthy uses this word to illustrate to the readers’ that the “fire” was essentially the characters drive to persevere through the rough times. Throughout the novel, it was evident that the boy’s “fire” certainly prospered and grew due to him learning and observing the whole situation as he went through his journey. To conclude, I infer that the word “fire” was essentially a symbolization of the drive both characters had to continue on.
I completely agree with the statements made above me. Fire has a crucial role in this novel and can be found throughout many parts of it. The fire symbol can be used to represent different things that include general power of life, change, energy and damnation. It can also represent a destroyer and an illumination, where the meaning differs from a culture to the other. Fire has spiritual meaning too like the flaming swords of the Bible. In my opinion fire encompasses the whole meaning of the book. For it can cause destruction or save a life, it also is a symbol for damnation which symbolizes the apocalypse they are in right now. “There is no God and we are his prophets.” (McCarthy 118) This quote shows that the father is so damaged mentally and physically from the apocalypse that he believes he is damned. "Everything’s okay. I promise” (McCarthy 135), this quote also shows the fire inside him to live such as Robin said. Even though he believes he is damned he still pushes on with the strength of his son. this shows their bond is inseparable, so inseparable that they would never become cannibals and they would never leave on another behind no matter the circumstances. Fire symbolizes many things but in the end the major symbol was the fire inside your heart, the fire that keeps you going.
ReplyDeleteI think all you guys had similar views on the question and what the meaning of “fire” was. I agree that “fire” symbolizes the strength and goodness that the characters possess. “Come on, the man said. Everything’s okay. I promise” (McCarthy 135). Like Robin said, if the man didn’t have the “fire” inside him, neither man nor boy would have survived. McCarthy had fire be an important part of the novel to show the character development as well. For a while the father had times where he wanted to give up (the boy did as well) but without the “fire” they had as mental strength to keep living, the book wouldn’t have had the ending it did. Like Jason mentions, the “fire” is the good and is symbolic to good vs. bad. The author showed the boy talking about the “fire” more and making sure that they always had the fire. “Are you carrying the fire? Am I what? Carrying the fire” (McCarthy 283). This scene is when the boy asks the man after his father dies if he has the “fire”. The man didn’t understand his question, but did say yes eventually. The author put this dialogue into the novel to show that even though there isn’t much of an ending after the father dies, the boy still ends up with good people who will have the strength to keep him alive. Mike also said something insightful when he mentioned that fire can cause destruction or save a life. This was major in the novel to show how much someone will fight for life. Most of you guys had the same views, and I agree with what everyone says.
ReplyDelete