The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The cause of the apocalypse is never explained [I'm 61% of the way through this masterpiece.].
The closest explanation is a retrospective passage on page 54:
"The clocks stopped at 1:17. A long shear of light and then a series of low concussions. He got up and went to the window. What is it? she said. He didnt answer. He went into the bathroom and threw the lightswitch but the power was already gone. A dull rose glow in the window-glass. He dropped to one knee and raised the lever to stop the tub and then turned on both taps as far as they would go. She was standing in the doorway in her nightwear, clutching the jamb, cradling her belly in one hand. What is it? she said. What is happening? I dont know.
Why are you taking a bath?
I’m not."
Speculation as to the cause of the apocalypse ranges from nuclear exchange, volcanic eruption, and meteorites. But not within the book.
Ultimately the cause the of 'the event' in The Road is not important. It has simply created the desperate world through which the survivors navigate. It's more about the relationship between father and son and their journey along the road towards the coast.
I've been reading the book on my phone in the Kindle app. Sounds horrible, I know. It's just easier to make notes and bookmarks and other stuff. But the physical book arrived in the post today along with other McCarthy novels including Blood Meridian, No Country for Old Men, and Suttree. All from WoB.
I was surprised at just how much white space there is on each page. The font is also massive. No book titles in the page header. No page headers in fact. I look for these things when considering a papercut. That's why books like Hunter S Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas are so good. Great chapter titles like...
5. A Terrible
Experience
with Extremely
Dangerous Drugs
...with Ralph Steadman ink splashes. Enhances the final cut and I will work in and around these features.
The Road has approx. 21 lines of text on the page. With big gaps and teenage font size. In comparison, Blood Meridian, seen as McCarthy's magnificent octopus, has around 35 lines of text. That's a lot of missing letters when you consider I cut letters out to form book lines. But I love a challenge. I - do - love - a challenge.
I have an image in mind for The Road single edition papercut. It's going to feature trees. Blackened and lifeless trees in silhouette. Maybe the silhouette of father and son walking the road. Dwarfed by leaning trees. There is a repeated reference to 'carrying the torch' running through the novel. This refers to father and son carrying the torch, being the good guys in a new world scarred by cannibals, perpetual ash, and presumably good people in horrendous situations. I may work in a flame somewhere.
I love trees and have planted 1.1k trees through my art sales. Pretty proud about that. My forest is here https://tree-nation.com/profile/james-voce
But it was the sound of trees falling in the film adaptation that has stayed with me. Earth cannot sustain life and all the trees are dead and falling. So I'm drawn to a papercut with trees. It just fits.
So, now the line...
Thanks __ James
At the moment I'm...
Listening on repeat: The Sofa by Wolf Alice
Watching: nothing
Reading: The Road
Planning next works: 12 Monkeys, Angela Carter, and more Cormac McCarthy
2 comments
Great to see you being creative. It’s in your DNA.
Hi James, actually the same name as a very close relative of mine who introduced me to your art. I work alongside adults who through no fault of their own have little or no literacy levels. When you read a book you can understand and relate to the complex stories allowing your mind to lose itself in the intricacies and intimacy of how that makes you feel.
I really do love your art but imagine if those words meant nothing to you. Even if you could read each word the effort that takes means you lose the meaning.
1/3 of the adults across the UK have low literacy levels. Of those a 1/4 don’t have enough literacy to function on a daily basis, leading to debt, unemployment and an inability to make choices in life.
Can we collaborate to share art and reading through education. By the way I work for a local authority so there really is no money to support this. But just wondered if you knew the above or are willing to engage in this with us?
Honestly not a sales pitch. Just a reality of life for many adults.
Anyway thank you for reading this :)