In the award-winning post apocalyptic novel The Road, Cormac McCarthy depicts an extremely strong bond between a father and his son. Their relationship is marred by an unspoken of tragic event which annihilated the majority of America's (and perhaps other parts of the world as well) population. Their healthy relationship now has to reckon with bandits, lack of provisions, no real home, and the compromising of principles. Therefore, it is understandable that the circumstances of the times altered many previous definitions, resulting in a skewed relationship based on survival. The boy witnesses events (such as the murder of a man), something that can only be offered in a society bent on survival.
The relationship between the two is sublime. The father even attempts to show his son glimpses of the previous world he had never seen, such as when he led his boy to the waterfall, or gave him Coca-Cola. The two companions talk to each other freely, both would die for each other, and the father will stop at nothing for his son's safety--even killing a man who attempted to murder the boy. The only tension between the two concern aiding people, where the father leaves them alone for their family to survive, whereas the son prefers to help them, perhaps even at the expense of his family's lives. The father and son juxtapose each other in another way--the father is suspicious of people in general, while his son is trusting nearly to the point of naivety. It is also the boy who constantly call the father's ethics into question, like a policeman.
The strong relationship between parent and child is very common. It is also a special bond that can be rarely duplicated; when people are united by blood and intent, sob and chuckle together, exchange information, share memories, and bask in each others presence. It is a special bond that should be cherished in all circumstances.
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