The Road (to nowhere)

When Lisa said that this novel had been compared to The Odyssey, I didn't see it and I still don't. Odysseus had a definite destination in his travels and knew exactly what was waiting for him when he got there. The idea I got from the Man was basically, "Well, we can't stay here. Let's go this way."

That being said, I don't really consider this as a journey. A journey has a definite destination, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. There is an eventual end and it is plausible that one will be able to reach that end.

In The Road it seemed that they might be looking a 'a better place'. I'm sorry hon, this is the apocalypse, this is the world that you live in, there is no better place. I'm sure that the Man knew this too. I feel like he wanted to give the boy something the look forward to. After all, "livin's better than dyin'". Or so they say.

I'm glad at the end the Boy is picked up by a family. The thing is that it's not like it's going to get any better. The plants are dead. The animals are dead. The sun is dying. Hope just blinds them from the harsh reality.

This book was depressing and not really that compelling for me. Am I glad I read it? Sure. Will I ever read it again? No. And for me, that says everything.

(Now, I know that "livin's better than dyin'" is a quote from somewhere and for the life of me I can't figure it out. It's really frustrating, because I know that I know where it's from and I feel like it should be really obvious. If anyone who reads this recognizes it, please enlighten me so I can hit myself up the head with an "Oh my god. Duh.")