During class today we touched on the topic of the true humanity of the father. I think that this idea could be explored further because many people seemed to have a lot of thought and opinion on the subject. I personally feel that the father did what he felt necessary to save his son, and yes, somethings were not good, but he was not behaving as many of the others. We can analyze what the father did but none of us could really say because we haven't come close to experiencing what they go through in the novel. He would have killed himself if it wouldn't have been for his son. If he hadn't made some of this choices he did, his son might not have survived.
Also, as we said in class, religion played a huge role throughout the novel, and can be interpreted in so many ways because McCarthy left the theme very ambiguous. I did get the sense that the boy represented God or holiness because he seems like the main ray of goodness and hope throughout the novel. He always wanted to help those that they came across even though they could not be helped. The father told the boy that they couldn't help, but it wasn't a selfish decision because they wouldn't be able to live if they gave their resources to others. Also, ironically, the father sacrificed himself for his son. Their relationship and religion are intertwined throughout the entire novel and are important themes throughout.
The question of religion is definitely an intriguing one in this story. I keep going back and forth on how I interpret the story. I think a really interesting parallel, which we began to talk about in class, is that of the trials of Jesus in the desert. The father is able to resist temptations to descend into the madness of the rest of humanity and arrives to the South after extremely trying times. It can be argued that just like the temptation of Jesus, the father is rewarded at the end with some type of "nourishment" in the form of the family that takes in the boy at the end of the story.
ReplyDeleteI know this parallel is a stretch but it is just something to consider. My opinion definitely keeps changing about the elements of religiosity in the story.
I was most surprised by the numerous perspectives of religion McCarthy presents. There is, of course, Christian prevalence but also several infusions of other influences. There are the many references to God, the clear allegorical implications between Father and Son, and more subtle undertones, such as the ever-present fear of death, that point to the book as predominately Christian.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I noticed when I was writing my paper that one literary criticism found these references to be confined entirely to the characters. It pointed out that the earth itself was much more Eastern in its acknowledgment of religion. McCarthy's description of the hum of the world emanating from its deep glens is definitely comparable to tenets of Hindu or Buddhist faith, which suggest that the earth's life force is emanated through an "om" or "chi."
I think McCarthy's presentation of multiple religious possibilities reflects his own unsettled nature on the topic, but also allows readers to draw their own individual conclusions.
I agree with Ben about noticing multiple religions within the story. Although we know that the author himself is a devote Christian and has brought Christianity into several of his works, bits and pieces from other religions begin to develop throughout the novel.
ReplyDeleteHis references to Christianity are very blatant. He often refers to "God"- a single god- the God that Christians believe in. For instance at one point the father says "My job is to take care of you. I was appointed to do that by God. I will kill anyone who touches you." In the final pages of the book there are also references to Christianity when the woman that cares for him talks to him about God. One could argue that in fact the entire story is about faith and where you would put yours in that type of situation. The father puts his faith in multiple things, one of them being God.
The other references to religion are not as easy to find or as easy to specifically point out. Just as Ben said the focus on the earth is one way of seeing the world through a religion other than Christianity. Hindus, Buddhists and other religions that focus around nature value the earth more than Christians. The vivid descriptions of the land and surroundings is not something that would be emphasized in a pure religious text. Going back to the idea that Christians should not focus on material items or earthly pleasures would make me thing that there would be more references to a Heaven or Hell within the book and not necessarily the Earth which according to Christians is just a step to the after-life. It makes the book much more adaptable for all types of groups, people, and insightful messages.
I had not originally considered the references to other religions but after looking back through I would have to agree. The descriptions of the Earth and the suggestions of an earth life force do remind me of Eastern religions as well.
ReplyDeleteI think the most important idea to take away is the value of having faith in something which gives your life meaning. For the father, his son and the purity of his son is what gives him a reason to go on. His son's survival is entirely his responsibility and he lives on to complete his assigned task of protecting his son from all evils. The allusion to multiple religions leaves open the possibility that there are multiple religions which can provide the same spiritual experience rather than just Christianity.