‘The Road’ How Cormac McCarthy challenges anthropocentrism and depicts the terrifying world our generation could end up inhabiting. by Dani Hales
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e believe that ‘human life is the central fact of the planet’ – we are an anthropocentric species. I view ‘The Road’ as a trailblazer of 21st century ecological writing. It contradicts these stereotypical beliefs of writers being unable to fathom the sheer danger and unpredictability our planet holds and the fact that our race is exacerbating this sense of impermanence. McCarthy is eloquent in his raw style of writing, revealing the reliefs and downfalls of two characters with generational differences fighting to survive. He highlights in this novel that he is siding with ‘deep ecology’, and that the earth in all its power refuses to protect
even the most innocent children from peril. In this dystopian world it could be argued that McCarthy is pointing the finger at humans and hence projecting an image of our dismal future, that in current times we are at the point of spiralling into, as we continue to worsen the disequilibrium of anthropogenically induced climate change. McCarthy’s use of anonymity in the way in which he characterises his protagonists struck me as a particularly significant form of symbolising subordination. By taking the identity away from such pivotal characters in this text it allows a process of reader to character detachment to take place, take the forefront of the reader’s 18
