Literary Elements In The Road By Cormac Mccarthy

Stories often reveal deep truths about human lives, truths that can only be found by looking beyond the words plainly written on a page. In order to both tell the story and deliver deeper messages, authors strategically combine various literary elements to make up their writing. A prime example of thoroughly embedded literary elements is found in a novel written by Cormac McCarthy. This novel, The Road, contains an abundance of characterization, setting, and symbolism in particular. When analyzed, these elements provide yet another layer of meaning to any piece of writing. In order to properly describe characters, authors most commonly use both physical traits and descriptions of personality. However, readers often leave their understanding of characters at the simple physical descriptions provided, “...his sunken haggard eyes,” being the only characteristic they attribute to the person whose story they are following (61). Despite the fact that physical traits do not directly affect personality, McCarthy did a brilliant job of relating the two. By using words such as sunken and haggard, the author brings to mind an entire way of life, one that involves little food and poor conditions. The majority of the physical features described in this novel are negative, developing the mood to be quite desperate. These physical traits are also affected by the another literary element, plot. The plot of McCarthy’s novel was not kind to the

Cormac McCarthy is one of the many talented authors who has made use of these required elements and transformed them into tools that have changed the reading experience for all. Characterization, setting, and symbolism were particularly powerful in his novel, The Road. When analyzed, these elements provide even more to the story than anyone could ever predict. There is always more to be interpreted from a novel than the words plainly printed on a