And Two Books Collide
“All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one’s heart have a common provenance in pain.”(54) A quote in which demonstrates the similarities between 1984 by George Orwell and The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It states something that one would not think to give up will always find its way into the darkness. Even so, it is unthinkable to let it go, whatever it may be. However, despite having similar aspects, they are bound to have some that are contrasting as well. McCarthy’s book opens with a scene of a father and his son sleeping out in the woods and in the cold. They wake to continue their journey on the road south seeking a new and better life. They come across many uninhabited towns along the way, rummaging…show more content… Winston, for instance, was curious about the past constantly asking “was life better before the Revolution than it is now?” (Orwell 122) He goes around seeking answers only to find himself stuck and unable to progress. The man, on the other hand was more curious about physical things while looking for food. The narrative explains: “In the floor of this room was a door or hatch and it was locked with a large padlock made of stacked steel plates… There’s a reason this is locked.” (McCarthy 103) He opens it, ignores his son’s warnings, and finds it to be a cellar full of people begging for…show more content… The man believes he was given the job to protect the boy and he does just that. McCarthy also adds in a little flashback to when the mother parted ways with them which affects the man emotionally and especially shows through the man’s dreams. They were often peaceful dreams and he dreaded them saying “the right dreams for a man in peril were dreams of peril and all else was the call of languor and of death.”(21) The boy acts as his conscience, advising and reminding the man that they are the good guys who are not there to kill anyone. In the book, it says he is the only one that stood between the man and