Barren, Silent, godless

Although the topic, about God, is not mentioned as often in the book The Road, like the relationship bettween the father and the son, or survival. It is still an interesting topic to look at, for how little it appears.

A reason why the appearance of God in the book is relevant is because the whole entire book is about the end of the world. Not quite the apocalypse described in the Bible, but all the same, pretty darn harsh. We have the classic confusion and the asking of God what is happening in ones life,"Have you a heart? Damn you eternally have you a soul? Oh God, he whispered. Oh God." It is human nature to ask why something is happening to us, but perhaps God isn't even taking part in the end of the world. He is no where to be found for the Father, his world is."Barren, silent, godless." The father is demanding, and he is silently in search for what god wants for him and his son, "He knew only that the child was his warrant. He said: If he is not the word of God God never spoke." This might also show that the father is uncertain if God actually excists. Never the less, he always mutters "God" when he is uncertain or frightened. He also calls to God when something miraculous happens to him, for example, when he finds the house with all the food he calls out , "Oh my God", in complete amazement.

God is not the only powerful being which is described, like in a previous stated, gods are also present in this world. But they are powerless, they no longer have a world which shows thier marvelous powers, "Tattered gods slouching in their rags across the waste" instead, they are now viewed as weak, and they can do nothing to change the worlds state but suffer in thier own creation, which is now falling apart.

Cormac McCarthy did not make the imprtance of God, or the gods, very grand in his book The Road, but God was still very much present in the lives of the Father and the son. Although the son may not know it, he does an action which has been done by many people before him: Pray.

"Dear people, thank you for all this food and stuff. We know that you saved it for yourself and if you were here we wouldnt eat it no matter how hungry we were and we're sorry that you didnt get to eat it and we hope that you're safe in heaven with God."

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."- Revelations 22:13