1 Lani Chung The Ethics of the Apocalypse Nora Lambrecht Writing Assignment 3.

1 November 1, 2013 Writing Assignment 3.1: Summarizing the Primary Source The Road is a novel written by Cormac McCarthy that describes the journey of a man and his son in a desolate post-apocalyptic America, as they travel towards the south coast in order to survive the next winter. The novel begins with the man and his son traveling along a road with a shopping cart of supplies, after waking up in the woods alongside each other. One night, the man dreams of his deceased wife and remembers the way she left him to commit suicide because of her unwillingness to live in the new post-apocalyptic landscape. Back on the road, the man and his son encounter a roadrat who is shot by the man when his son is taken hostage (McCarthy 34). Upon escaping, the man and his son continue down the road for a few days until they come upon a large house with a group of naked and mutilated people locked up in a cellar for consumption by cannibals. The two are able to get away before the cannibals return, and during their journey, the man reassures the boy that they would never eat anyone because [theyre] the good guys who are carrying the fire (McCarthy 66). Soon, they find a house with an underground bunker full of provisions and supplies where they stay for a few days before they head off on the road once again. As the days pass, the man gets increasingly sick, but eventually the two make it to the south coast. After exploring the beach, they find that all their supplies are stolen. Eventually, they find the thief, take everything from him, and continue onward. The man, however, quickly weakens and is unable to continue traveling. After his death, the boy grieves until a Veteran and his family finds him and promises that [hell] be all right (McCarthy 148).