The Road as a quest narrative, with Apocalypic Grail elements

Although this has been discussed in class, I believe more depth needs to be added to looking at The Road as a quest narrative, I will explain my thoughts below.

Although there is no final destination in The Road, there is still the journey that is focused on, a hopeless urge to keep on moving down the road, this still is a quest narrative, although they have no clear focus, the journey that progresses through the narrative is still a quest, for survival. In a sense nothing has been fulfilled, but then on the other hand a lot has actually happened throughout the text in a variety of different ways.

The goal does not have to be realistic or defined, in this text it is imaginative to give the quest hope, for instance the father only keeps on living for his son and he is travelling without much to live for, except for his son. I decided to delve further into this still keeping with the strand of the quest and hope. I found a journal online by Lydia Cooper who looks into The Road as an Apocalyptic Grail narrative which links to my theme I am exploring. Interestingly, the novels title in early draft was 'The Grail' and the title illustrative of the narrative arc is where "a dying father embarks on a quest to preserve his son, whom he imagines as a "chalice". This can lead off into many different paths including religion and preservation of humankind, but instead I want to show that this is still ultimately a quest, even if the book can now be looked at through religious terms, it is still the progression of this grail through the narrative. A quest of the boy's journey, although still showing the boys morality, and in the last few pages, his acceptance of the man, women and children and the fact his quest continues. After he leaves his father "he rose and turned and walked back out to the road" (p306), the quest is not over, it continues on the road and thus although with no clear destination, still leaves a sense of something more to be completed and continued.

I would urge you to read more into the child becoming a grail bearer or becoming part of the Holy Grail itself. A key example is when the father is dying; he sees his "son approach, carrying a cup of water with “light all about him.” After he gives the water to his father, the boy leaves and “the light move[s] with him”, it is an interesting reference yet gives greater scope to the text. I had not thought of looking at the boy as a Holy Grail and cup bearer, but thinking further into this, the references are clear and worth further research.

Searching for this on the library resources, you will soon be able to access a copy to read yourself:
L, Cooper. Cormac McCarthy's The Road as Apocalyptic Grail Narrative .2011