Apocalyptical Poetry - The Road

The world of The Road is barren, silent, godless. It is unknown of what caused the Earth to be ashy, smoky and cold, but it is hinted to be the cause of a super volcano. The world in which the man and the boy live in is similar to that describe in Edwin Muir's poem The Horses.

In the poem there was a seven days war that put the world to sleep. Horses had arrived later at night during the first day. There is no light anymore; there is no way to communicate with each other; there is no hope; there is nothing but fear. There are dead bodies piled up. A plane fell into the sea and after that nothing. Over the radios there is nothing but silence, and even if they spoke they would not listen. In The Road the man and the boy are their own pack. There are two kinds of groups present in the novel: the good guys and the blood clots. There are no relationships built because everyone is afraid of getting killed and it is the ultimate test of the survival of the fittest. The man and the boy experience gruesome scenes of dead bodies, ashes, and a sky that will never be blue again. They live in constant fear, fear of dying and losing the only hope they both have: each other.

Throughout the book there is this constant message of passing on the fire. The man and the boy are hoping to reach the ocean. Along the way they hope to find the other good guys that won't eat them or each other. It is hope that drives them into finding the strength to go on each day. The man depends on the boy because he is represents innocence and good. The boy cares for the other child they find on their journey and worries if they will have enough to eat. The boy on the other hand needs his father for protection and love. What does it take for someone to lose their humanity? The people in the poem are ready to start anew and not bring back anything of the old world. They will start over using methods of farming used by their grandparents. And the horses show up once again. "We had sold our horses in our father's time/To buy new tractors." The horses represent hope and are a god sent. The horses pull their plows and borne their loads. The people in the poem reflect on how the horses were thought of to be owned and used, but they have come to be their new beginning.