The Road by Cormac McCarthy - a review and analysis

 

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There are a number of people that piss me off.

Racists. Homophobes. People who litter. Especially people who litter in our countryside. People who don't clean their bird feeders. People with a half-arsed approach to animal care in general. People who never consider that they might be the ones who are wrong . . .

And me. I really piss myself off sometimes.

As a remedy to these curmudgeonly feelings, I either immerse myself in the pages of a good book or I take off for a long walk along a public footpath, preferably in the countryside. In Cormac McCarthy's novel, The Road, I was able to follow a father and son on their own long and solitary walk. Theirs fraught with more danger than any I have ever known.

In this novel, set in a post-apocalyptic world, the central theme explored is that of the bond between father and son. Indeed, the novel was inspired by a trip that the author took with his own son to Mexico. And he dedicates the novel to this son.

Being set in a post-apocalyptic world amplifies the fears and concerns that a parent might have for their child - the sort of world that is being passed onto them; how they might survive once they are left without the guiding hand of the parent; the parent's role as protector. McCarthy explores all of these with consideration and tenderness.

The pair, the father and son, must keep moving. In the world that they live in, there are those that would do them harm, and resources must be sought out. Food and clean water are no longer something that can be taken for granted, for example. They must be hunted out and rationed.

I enjoyed the author's style of writing, but this is not an easy novel to read, filled with haunting moments as it is. The father and young son of the book having to traipse along the road they are on, facing the adversities they have to face, really shone a light on the strength and purity of that bond that can exist between a parent and their child. As I say, the situation of the novel throws everything at this pair, challenges that could at any moment tear them apart, but they endure and take strength from their relationship.

Though it is not explicitly mentioned in the book, some have drawn the conclusion that the apocalypse of the story was an environmental crisis. And the lack of animal and plant life, and the sparseness of human life, certainly points towards a mass extinction event. Whereas mentions of unsettled weather in the book points towards climate crisis. However, the author does not explicitly tell the reader what has caused the dead world in which the characters live.

Reading books like this, pondering the story, can really force the reader to consider the circumstances of their own life. All those things that have us running around, concerned and convinced of their importance and urgency, are they really all that important? If you were to lose everything, if you were made to fight, what would you fight for? What is really important? And what can you let go of? Maybe it isn't worth letting all those people piss you off for a start . . .

To purchase a copy of The Road by Cormac McCarthy, follow the link here.

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No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy - an analysis and review

 

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When I read No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy, it felt like a book that should have been written a long time ago, a book that was a part of the world long before I ever came into it. A classic. It is so well written that I could only assume that the author belonged to another time and place, a time and place that I couldn't possibly be fortunate enough to inhabit. But, this book was published in 2007, and I share this planet, and this time, with its author, Cormac McCarthy.

The blurb description reads: Llewelyn Moss, hunting antelope near the Rio Grande, stumbles upon a transaction gone horribly wrong. Finding bullet-ridden bodies, several kilos of heroin, and a caseload of cash, he faces a choice - leave the scene as he found it, or cut the money and run. Choosing the latter, he knows, will change everything. And so begins a terrific chain of events, in which each participant seems determined to answer the question that one asks another: how does a man decide in what order to abandon his life?

Before I really get going with this post, I would like to give a special mention to Team Asthers whose Etsy shop is full to the brim with bookish treats and gifts. If you like bookish things, and of course you do, you should check them out. I'll wait . . .

Okay. Here we go . . .

Cormac McCarthy's novel contains within its pages a few central themes, including morality and ethics; fate, chance, and freewill; justice and the law; and how times change. This final theme is directly and explicitly referenced in the title of this novel.

Sheriff Bell, one of the book's protagonists, ponders very much upon how the times have changed as we follow him throughout the story, and how he fears that things have worsened. And, as he turns these things over in his mind, and in conversations, he does sometimes make a pretty good case for these fears being based in more than just an older mans romanticising of the past.

As Kirsty Wark is quoted as writing, for Observer Books of the Year, 'It is an intensely intimate story. It is also a warning.'

Sheriff Bell is a veteran of World War II, Llewellyn Moss, of the Vietnam war. And, when Moss stumbles across the drug money, deciding to take it for himself (His whole life was sitting there in front of him. Day after day from dawn till dark until he was dead. All of it cooked down into forty pounds of paper in a satchel.), Sheriff Bell ends up having to try and track Moss down. In part because Moss has Anton Chigurh on his tail.

Chigurh represents everything of which the Sheriff is afraid the world is becoming. He kills without feeling, without concern, and without fear. As one character in the novel puts it to Llewelyn, "Even if you gave him the money he'd still kill you. There's no one alive on this planet that's ever had even a cross word with him. They're all dead".

But, it isn't simply that Chigurh is an unfeeling killer, it is the way he moves throughout the story, seemingly untouched by events, visiting death on everyone he meets. He acts like fate, indeed makes reference himself a number of times to how he sees fate at work in his life, has put him where he is, and to do the things he does.

Chigurh is one of literatures most chilling characters. As I say, a representation of all that the Sheriff, so concerned with ethics and justice, fears for the way of the world.

This story is sparked by a moment of chance, when Llewelyn comes across the deal gone wrong, and from there we follow as these characters impact upon one another. How each of them makes decisions which impact upon the others, bringing, more often than not, violence and death to each other. Indeed, fate and freewill, moments of chance and the decisions made in those moments are a central theme of this story.

It is quite fitting, in my opinion, that the Coen brothers made the film adaptation (mentioned in another blog post here) because I did think the story, with it's everyday characters, and violent death, a tad Fargo-esque. Not wholly so. This book is more original than that. But, it seems a fair reference point to mention when trying to explain it to anyone who might not have read it yet. And, if you've seen the film adaptation, but not read the book, the film is pretty faithful to the book. So, if you enjoyed one, I expect you will enjoy the other. I did.

If you're intrigued, you can purchase No Country For Old Men here, from bookshop.org, who support independent UK bookshops.

I do hope you found this piece enjoyable and/or useful. If you did, perhaps you would consider following/supporting me on ko-fi. Ko-fi is a platform for all sorts of creatives, and it is a great way to follow/support and stay in touch with those whose work you enjoy.

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Good Films Based on Books

 

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This is a relatively simple post to follow. It's simply a brief list of films, ones that I think are worth a watch, that are based on books or short stories. Simples.

Okay, here we go . . .

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Starring, and directed by, Ben Stiller, this film takes James Thurber's dreamer character and gives us a film about how good and beautiful life can be. How hopes don't just have to be something we carry around in our heads to get us through dull days.

Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a pretty average rating of 51%, and in parts it can feel a tad slow. But, if you're a bit of a dreamer like me, I think you will like following Walter on his adventures as he goes from a world of fantasy to embracing life real. There are some really beautiful moments in this film. But then, I think I might be a bit of a Walter Mitty myself.

You can purchase The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber here from bookshop.org, who support independent bookshops.

No Country For Old Men

When this Academy award winning film came out in 2007, Javier Bardem's character, Anton Chigurh, became one of film's most chilling characters. A killer who kills without a second thought, and definitely without any feeling for his victims. And, when Llewelyn Moss stumbles across a drug deal gone wrong, and a whole lot of money, he finds Chigurh, amongst others, after him.

The Coen Brothers' film stayed pretty damn faithful to the book, so if you liked the book, I imagine you will like the film, and vice versa. I liked the film a lot, and I will be writing about the book in a future post here, on this blog.

You can purchase No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy here from bookshop.org.

The Silence of the Lambs

And, speaking of chilling characters, they don't get much more chilling than Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter. In fact, Hannibal the Cannibal is one of those characters that has developed cultural reach beyond the books/films where we first met him. And, though Mads Mikkelsen gave him a run for his money, Hopkins' turn, in my opinion, is still the best portrayal of this charming monster.

Again, as with the previous entry, the film is pretty darn faithful to the book. Though, you will find bits in the book that are missing from the film, a little more texture to the characters. But, again, with this one, if you liked either the film or the book, I think you will probably like the other.

You can purchase the book behind the Oscar winning film here from bookshop.org.

The Shawshank Redemption

This film, which went pretty much unnoticed upon cinematic release back in 1994, is a hard watch in places but is ultimately beautiful. It's based on Stephen King's novella, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, and is, in my opinion, a must see. 

Andy Dufresne (played by Tim Robbins in the film) is a mild mannered banker who is found guilty of murdering his wife and her lover, a golf pro that she was having an affair with, and is sentenced to life imprisonment. He is taken to Shawshank Prison where, at first, he doesn't make any friends, and corruption is rife. Eventually, Andy's talents as a banker come to the attention of the warden . . .

You can purchase Different Seasons, a collection of stories by Stephen King in which Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption appears, here from bookshop.org.

Well, that's my brief list of films based on books or short stories. I think they're pretty good. What do you think? Seen them? Want to?

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Thank you.