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Diversity In Cormac Mccarthy's The Road

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Diversity: a group of people with differences from each other, that create a variety in society. In The Road by Cormac McCarthy, The Boy and The Man (which are the son and father respectively), are alike in that they have to share their unfortunate circumstances together. They go through situations such as hunger, freezing temperatures, and lack of shelter. They also encountered people that sometimes caused them danger, because those people wanted to survive too. However, The Man and The Boy are very different from each other, in that they have different personalities, perspectives, and experiences. These differences are important because they show that these different perspectives, experiences, and personalities cause people to make different…show more content…
When it comes to his dad, he is willing to do what he can for the safety of his child. In one instance, he shot a man right in front of The Boy, because that man was trying to hurt him. The boy, however, did not understand why his dad had done this. To him, he saw that killing people was wrong, no matter the situation or excuse. He was not able to think like his dad, because he was too young, and did not have the same perspective as him. Another example is that, when The Boy sees the other little boy, he instantly started calling for him, “Come back...I wont hurt you” (McCarthy 84). Later, after his dad scolded him for attracting attention to himself, he also tells his dad that he wants to share his food with the little boy, saying “I’m afraid for that little boy...we should go get him...I’d give that little boy half of my food...he sobbed” (McCarthy 86). His dad didn't want to make that decision, however, because they had limited food supplies. Yet The Boy didn't have this understanding, and just wanted to do what he thought was right in his eyes. The Boy also showed a great amount of hope. Whenever something seems to go wrong, the boy liked to say to his dad “We’re carrying the fire” (McCarthy 83). What this…show more content…
These differences cause them to think differently, treat people differently, and have a different outlooks on life. Innocence and hope are very close to each other. The rely on each other to stay true to themselves. When one is lost, so is the other. With experience comes realization, and with realization, comes knowledge, which means that innocence is lost. With knowledge, there's always room for knowledge that is not wanted, meaning knowledge that there are bad people, things, etc. in life. This can cause a sense of hopelessness, because when new, horrible experiences occur in people's lives, it gives them knowledge that they don't want: the knowledge of problems and failures. People don’t want to know that they have failed, or are in a situation out of their control, so they feel like they dont have the power or means to change it. The Man know he can't change how the world they live in is, and knows that all he can do is make sure his child is safe and alive. He feels like there is no point to this life full of hunger, cold temperatures, and murder, but keeps going for The Boy. If all hope was lost in The Man, he would have committed suicide, just like his late wife did, and/or killed the kid himself, to save The Boy from the horrors of the new world. Even though knowledge can cause loss of innocence and hope, it can cause logic and reasoning, thus allowing the man to
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