(this is Donia writing) We had a wonderful first meeting with Derek, Jessica, Nathan and myself. I'll be the first to admit I felt a tension/strain to transition into talking about the Road instead of casually chatting and eating Sun Chips, hummus, carrots, and drinking wine and coffee. Soon though, we not only embraced each other's inaugural points of the book (of course, once we refreshed our memory of what the book was about) but I also felt at ease and was able to share the meaningful moments I experienced with the book without much worry. Nathan jumped on Wikipedia to find out a bit more background information on McCarthy, his Oprah Winfrey interview, where he lives, etc. to try to help us contextualize the book - whatever the intention, the research added to the discussion. We then ventured into other topics of conversation inspired by themes, symbols and ideas found in the Road.
For me, I was catapulted into uncomfortable mental territory reading most of the Road. Its descriptive imagery was terrifying. I couldn't help but think, "what if"? I love drama, conflict, sad situations, stories of broken humanity, realism, etc. but I generally want things to be wrapped up nicely - I knew this wasn't going to be that type of book. One thing in particular that frightened me was how the father experienced what I would consider beautiful, joyous dreams as instead, nightmarish and something he wanted to divorce himself from as it meant death was closing in on him (one example of a vivid, colorful dream can be found on p. 272). I noticed this towards the latter half of the book. His 'nightmarish' dreams happened more frequently until his death but he had a difficult time acknowledging these sleeping memories because of their hopeless indication. I was also startled by a point Derek made about the interaction of the father and son when they found old train tracks. The son didn't understand the playful noises and actions of his dad while we the reader, assume the train was a remembrance of a potential play toy or something else happy from the father's childhood memory. This moment, coupled with a few others in the book, made me jump into the shoes of a man who had the experiences and hopes apart of an old world while presently living/dealing with a new world that was so near obsolete. What did you all think?
1 comment:
I also really enjoyed book club and am looking forward to next month.
With The Road, I didn't find it so disconnected from reality. Though the setting is post-apocalyptic, and we can reflect "what if"..but it seems that we can also understand the narrative in a context of now and the journeys we must make through a selfish and terrible world. There is talk of hope and some actual respite from total despair (the bunker), but ultimately the man and his son must return to the road that takes them through a world of death and cannibalism.
I love the ending with the family that takes care of the boy, even though he is not their own. This is a message that other good people exist, however, the good can be overwhelmed by evil. But the line of "we are carrying the fire" is some great imagery of hope, light shining in the darkness, etc..
I guess I really like interpreting the book metaphorically, though its realism is haunting.
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