Companionship In The Road

Living in a post apocalyptic time period wreck one 's life, particularly, when one is stripped of the most essential necessities. Such a scenario enormously influences the way an individual behaves, as well as the ability of an individual to differentiate right from wrong. However, goodness, companionship, faith, a moral sense and hope of surviving, can help one, to a certain extent, to overcome hardship. Goodness preserves the morals and humanity in a society that seem lost. Companionship gives one love and support to survive for the other person in difficult times, whereas faith is the driving force that keeps one going in a world that lacks purpose. With the companionship and faith, the will to survive increases. The novel, "The Road" by …show more content…
Companionship plays a vital role in the novel, as this bond gives them the hope and love they require, so as to stay in touch with their humanity as well as to survive in the world of violence. The boy and the father have a mutually dependent relationship. The boy depends on the father for survival, while the father lives to ensure the survival of his boy. Without companionship, neither of them would have made it as far as they did. When the boy asks, "What would you do if I died?" The father responds with, "If you died, I would want to die too" (McCarthy 9). It is clear that the father 's love and affection for his son is what causes him to him to do all that he can to ensure the boy 's survival. The last thing the father fears to see is his son killed, and eaten by cannibals. He asks himself if he can kill the boy, in order to prevent others from harming him in worse ways. "Can you do it? When the time comes? ... What if it doesn 't fire? Could you crush that beloved skull with a rock?" (McCarthy 96). As one can tell, the father 's worst fear is leaving the son alone in a world where he cannot fend for himself. While there are moments where the son appears distant to the father, the love that they have for each other remains unbreakable. Earlier within the novel, the father strips the blanket from a corpse to ensure that they will be warm. However, when the father dies, the boy does not want to just leave him. "Can we cover him with one of the blankets?" (McCarthy 240). He asks a man. The boy leaves him wrapped in a warm blanket, regardless of the desperate situation he is in. "I 'll talk to you every day," he whispers. "And I won 't forget. No matter what." (McCarthy 240). The boy is aware that the only reason he has survived this long is because of his father 's