NATURAL.IS.My.fate

The style McCarthy uses fancied my interests, so i decided to research his literary style. This interest initially was birthed, because I found it very interesting that McCarthy constantly refers to the two protagonist as father and boy. He never mentions they’re names. When others are met along the way, they also get title’s, but not names. McCarthy created characters, we would recall not as Frank, Bob, or Joe ... more like Lightning-Man, Shot-guy, Slaves, and the mysterious bearded men. Since McCarthy never really had an interview, but he short Oprah session, we are left to interpret the story without restriction. 

First, I looked up online the nameless style he used. This style was birthed from Naturalism. Naturalism toke place from the 1880’s to 1940’s, using details to show the characters having been formed by it’s inescapable physical, mental, and hereditary areas. The time frame of this style, seems to be possibly lined up with the literature McCarthy might have read in his younger years. He might have been influenced to write in this style, form his favorite literature piece, or author. Naturalism is often criticized for being to bland/blunt. I tend to disagree, at least considering The Road. The blunt and straightforwardness offered, makes the book seem more like a recalling, conversation, or a personal narrative. With personal narrative, I mean as in the narrator reading next to you, as you look down and watch the scene ... sort of a God type thought. 

Naturalism has many definite characteristics, such as pessimistic connotations. Often these would be emphasizing the inevitability of death, which in this case is fitting. “Father” and “Boy” often talk about dying, they see others in the process of death, and the world is constantly revealing more death. 

Another type of naturalistic strategy, is that of creating a tone of detachment. Detachment in naturalist works, as well as The Road, include creating nameless characters. This is done in order to draw more attention to the plot that is challenging the characters. The missing of the names, as a reader also creates a sensation, that something is missing. It is important that McCarthy made us feel like something is missing, because it creates a lost and confused mind. The readers mind is now the same as the characters; we are a part of the story.

Naturalism is also know to make the reader feel that the characters have a predetermined fate and can do little about it. The father and boy’s fat in the apocalyptic world, is obvious that of doomed death. This determinism device is often followed by a shocking/surprising ending. Which to me means, that quite possibly McCarthy might keep the novel, basically death to the very last pages. Within the last few pages, he will save the father and son ... or will he?