The Road

I don’t think I have ever read a book quite like The Road. It is quiet and somber, yet capable of moments of bleak and shuddering terror. I'll refrain from writing a summary of the story as many other sites have already done so.

Rather I would like to give my impressions of the book. Lately the media seems filled with dark and gritty stories, with the intention of infusing a tale with ‘realism’. Let’s, for example, take Batman: The Dark Night. I thought it was a great movie, but not quiet as good as the first. Batman Begins is a story of the triumph of a good man over his demons; the hope of redemption for a little boy haunted by feelings of guilt over the death of his parents. The new movie seems to be an exercise in the limits of what one man can endure before becoming what he hates most. It is missing the very thing that made the first movie so good, the ‘Why do we fall?’ moments that gives insight into why a tortured soul like Bruce Wayne might become a hero rather than a murdering vigilante.

To be fair, The Road shares much of the brutal tension of the second Batman movie. It is bleak and sparse and at times uncomfortable. Yet, through it all, there shines moments of a father’s love for his son that are truly moving. As a father myself, it is impossible not to identify with ‘The Man’ and not to see my son’s face on ‘The Boy’. I think that is what makes the book so powerful; it forces us to ask, ‘What would I do if I were in that situation?’.

The thought makes my blood run cold.

The book also reinforces my complete lack of faith in humanity as a whole. I can only hope I’m wrong and we might find some way to remain ‘human’ if such a disaster were to arise, even if our extinction was inevitable. If history is any indicator, it’s not really a safe bet.

I also hope that the book prods those into thinking more about how fragile the world around us is. I am not a 'tree-hugger' by any stretch of the imagination, but the thought of sharing the globe with naught but mold, fungus and cannibals is enough to remind of just how good we have it and how bad things can get. I, for one, make damn sure I recycle everything I can, and you better believe if my car is idle for more than 10 seconds, I turn the engine off. I know it ain’t much, but something small is ALWAYS better than nothing.

In the end, I doubt things would ever get as bad as the book describes them. Humans may die out to be sure, but I really think we are too insignificant a species to ‘kill’ the Earth. Nature has survived far worse catastrophes than we could possibly throw at her and she has always found a way to hold on and thrive again. We on the other had, may not be so tenacious. We may just be stupid enough and vicious enough to deserve what’s coming to us.

So be it.

...But I hope not. I hope there are some good guys among us still, with the sense to do what’s right and the compassion to keep carrying the fire.