The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a novel written in 3rd person taking place after a sort of horrible event that destroyed civilization occured. A small family, two parents and a son must make a dangerous journey to safety. However, the mom commits suicide, the circumstances being too much for her to handle. They must evade other survivors, who has resorted to hunting and eating humans. They continue on South along the highway. Food is very scarce. They have a gun for protection but suffer through many instances of attack. They repeatedly speak about how they are the "good guys" and are simply doing their duty by attempting to carry on civilization. Sadly, the father falls ill and knowing his time is near, speaks to the son about how he an always talk to him in his mind, so he is never truely alone. The make their way to the coast and find camps of human's being kept like chickens in a pen as a food supply for the cannibal groups. Almost immediately after reaching the sea, the dad dies. Luckily, the boy meets another family of "good guys" who agree to take him in and protect him. The novel ends with a sense of hope for the future.
1 If you were put into a situation where your future was dismal, would you take the easy way out like the mother and commit suicide?
2 If you survived a horrible disaster like the family, how would you force yourself to journey to perceived safety and not give up?
25 comments:
To answer the first question, if I was put into a situation where my future was going to be dismal, I would not be able to take the easy way out and commit suicide. I would not be able to do this for two reasons. One being that I am the type of person who never gives up no matter how hard things get, and two, no matter how seemingly bad or unpleasant one's life may become, I truly believe that there is always something to live for. It takes a very mentally strong person to endure situations similiar to those of the mother in this novel, but I think that I would be able to stay strong. To answer the second question, I would keep telling myself that safety is in my reach. I would think of all of the things that I had been robbed of due to the disaster; these thoughts would be cause for motivation, for I would want to improve my life.
1.) I would not look for an easy way out, maybe because I am a little Stubborn. I'm more of a go out with a bang kind of person, so I would live the best life I could and try to do the best things I could do to know I lived a full, happy life.
1) I don't think I would be able to commit suicide because suicide may be the easy way out for you, but it causes great pain and suffering for your surrounding friends and family.
2. The thing that would keep me going is to continue to be there for my family. Also, the situation seems like it can't get much worse, so keep going and something positive should be in reach.
1. I am not sure if I could commit suicide. It would be very difficult for me to carry on thoug after my mother had killed herself and other people were trying to kill me and the only other person I know.
well first off, this book sounds crazy! and to answer the first question :) I think if I was to be put in that kind of situation, I would never end my life. I always try to look at things with an optimistic attitude. And obviously the boy ended up surviving and who knows, the mother could have too. The best thing in bad situations is just having your family close helping you through it. I think if she hadn't taken her life, she would have been ok and still with them. There's always a better solution than suicide.
I agree with Sarah, that I wouldn't likely end my life. I would try to anything that I could in order to survive the situation, and keep an open mind. I also agree with Kelsey that it would difficult to carry out without a family member, but I think that I would force myself to.
1) if i was put in a dismal situation i would not kill myself. I wouldn't give up and not try to fix it. I would do anything that would help me, and try to become happy again. I live my life with hope, and with this hope i can try to do anything.
2) to answer question 2, i will have to say hope and family would get me through. I would have to force myself to journey through even if i don't like it, i would try and do anything.
1. I would not take the easy way out because I think it goes too much against our nature. I don't think I'd be able to give up that easily and in this situation, wouldn't each day living be an accomplishment? It would also make quite a story if you survived!
2. I would rely on family and the hope that something is better out there. Even if it's not ever the same comfortable life again, there has to be something that would be slightly better.
1. If I was faced with a very terrible future, I couldn't see myself taking suicide as an option to escape my troubles. Two of my family members have committed suicide, and to me, it is a selfish escape. Sure, you are able to finally remain free of your troubles and are in a "happier place," but you have cuased massive amounts of pain to those left on the Earth who are suffering from your loss.
2. If I had to press on like this family, I would force myself to stay strong by finding a small group of people who would support my strength and who are just as determined as I am. The only way that one can remain positive is if they find other peoeple that they can surround themself with who believe in a better future after the struggle as well.
I agree with Rachael, that I would force myself to stay strong. I would need another group of people to help me stay determined as well. Hopefully the future could be better.
1. No one can really say what theya re going to do unless they are in the situation but I don't believe I would take the easy way out. I would fight and do everything that Ic an in order to survive and I would feel way too giulty leaving my family behind and leaving them to deal with it on their own.
To answer your first question, I would say that no I would not take the easy way out. Even if things appear to be bleak, there is always something that can be done to make things better. Nothing can ever be so horrible that one should feel the need to take their own lives. Also, by committing suicide, like the mother, one leaves their famiy behind and leaves them to deal with the tragedy of your death, along with whatever else may be going on at the time which just makes things that much harder.
I do not think i would be able to take the easy way out and commit suicide. I would not be able to leave my family with the pain of dealing with my death while also trying to survive.
1) To me, it depends on the situation. I probably wouldn't take the easy way out if i was in the situation the people are in The Road. However, I have a fear of pain, so say it was a zombie takeover... i would deffinitely commit suicide.
If my future looked as though it may be dismal I would work as hard as I could to make sure I achieved more than was thought possible. Everything is what you make it and you determine your own fate.
I would not take the easy way out since i believe in life's experiences, whether positive or negative as just another way to embrace life itself. The good can only be appreciated when compared to the bad while the bad make the good that much more enjoyable.
1. I think it really depends on the situation. If there really was no hope for a better life I might consider commiting suicide. The only reason I see for the mother to not kill herself is that she had a family. That's probably the only thing that would keep me going. I couldn't kill myself if I had other people that would be left behind to deal with the pain I had caused. But if I was going it alone in a situation as horrible and unending as theirs I'd most likely end it.
1.i would never commit suicide. suicide would just be taking the easy way out (as said) and that doesnt roll well with me. i do not know however if i would try as hard as the father and son did to continue civilization. i think i would just do whatever i wanted with my life until it was over.
2.i dont know if i could ever push myself. if i had people with me that i loved and cared about deeply, then i would try my hardest. if i lost everyone i think i would be wandering aimlessly.
If I were put into such a situation where my fellow men were eating each other and life seemed hopeless, I want to say that I wouldn't commit suicide. I do not know, however; the setting in the book seems to be the most hopeless, desperate situation ever constructed. I do know, however, that if someone needed me like my family I couldn't commit suicide and leave them to face hardships by themselves.
1. I do not thinkn suicide would ever be an option for me. I could never take my own life away. I cherish life so much, that I would just do whatever in life and just let it takes its own path.
2. It would be hard to journey if my family was gone and had noone else to pursue life with. If i had family around, then my family would be the ones that I would continue going. This allows you to see that life may bring better things in the future, you just have tohave patience.
2- If it was my family, yes I would do whatever to get them to safety. But random strangers I would my have the same drive. Of course I would try to make it but it would not be the same.
1. I would not take the easy way out and commit suicide. I would want to stick with my family and try to survive. I would feel that I needed to help them, and I would want to contribute to our well-being. I would help my family to overcome the various challenges of life, instead of abandoning them and leaving them to face the challenges on their own.
No, even though life sucks does not mean you should kill yourself. People still survived the apocalypse and by killing yourself you're only making it harder for your family to move on.
1) the easy way out would be suicide, but I would not commit it in the event that my future was unknown. It is best to wait it out and see what happens in my opinion.
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