In The Road by Cormac McCarthy, It is said that fear is the strongest motivator in the world. People in fear are willing to do whatever, go beyond any border and forget all rules. Fear can easily take over our mind and control our every move. But how much does it take to push a person beyond his limits? What kind of a fear can make us forget everything about humanity and morals? These questions are one of the main themes in Cormac McCarthy’s novel ”The Road”

We are all afraid of different things. Some are afraid to lose their family and friends others on the other hand their money and possessions. Cormac McCarthy’s great novel ”The Road” tells us a story of a post-apocalyptic world where everything is destroyed and life is almost extinct. There are left only handful people, who are willing to do everything to survive. But some of them are willing to go further than the others. Fear influences every person differently. But how can some of us still maintain our moral values even though we might be scared to death?

In ”The Road” the main characters, the man and the boy represent a group of people who does not let the fear control their minds. The man is constantly afraid of his son getting killed or starving to death. The boy is worried about his father and about being left alone in this terrible world if his father should die. Every single day they live in fear. They can never be sure whether they find food, whether they will survive the cold nights in the woods, or whether they are going to be eaten by other people. But despite all that, the man and the boy maintain their humanity. The world around them is nothing like humane- people have turned into cannibals, nature has died and the sunlight cannot be seen through the thick dust. It takes a strong will to stay true to your morals and values where basically everything representing these has gone.

”The Road” gives the reader a very depictive description of the causes of fear. Those, who have survived the so called “end of the world” will now do everything they can to survive. This constant fear of death and starvation has driven people to cannibalism. The cruelest ones even keep a human farm and eat the prisoners piece by piece everyday. A mother who in addition to all other fears, is afraid of her newly born child. So afraid, that she is willing to kill the infant and even feed on it. As much as I try to understand this action, without being in her position, it is impossible. These events in the novel really make the reader wonder, where does the border between humanity and cruelty meet. How desperate fear can push us that far?

Every person is afraid of something and every day we face those fears. In our society, it is normal to be afraid of an exam, a job interview, a surgery or even mice and spiders. As much as there are different people there are different fears and phobias. We like to think that fear is something that motivates us to do something, to act. Fear helps us to be cautious and also shows us our vulnerability. On the other hand, constant fear can drive people crazy and make them forget about the line between wrong or right. It is so difficult for us to really understand how the characters in Cormac McCarthy’s novel ”The Road” actually felt and how much afraid they were. We have not been in their position, so we can only guess what we would be capable of doing or not doing. We can only guess the strength of our character.

The novel ”The Road” can be seen as a story of a fight between good and evil. A fight between the strong and weak. Strong people can overcome their fears but weak ones let the fear control them and make them forget all goodness. The man and the boy represent something we all wish we could be. In a desperate situation, it is important to stay strong and not give up, exactly like the man and the boy. They never surrendered their fears, they kept going down the road to south, looking for food and shelter and sticking together no matter what. They were the true survivors.

People face different fears every single day. Nothing can be done without a fear and it is natural to be afraid of unknown things. It motivates us to act. Fear and people’s capability to overcome their fears is one of the main themes in Cormac McCarthy’s novel ”The Road”. It is a story set in an almost extinct world, where the survivors are left alone facing their darkest fears. It a world like that only the strongest have the ability to overcome these fears and therefore maintain their humanity.