Literature In

ComparisonBy: Hunter DeShongDigital presentation

Due: Dec. 9th

Between the two novels:The Road

by: Cormac McCarthyRidley Walker

by: Russell Hoban

We compare and contrast:• Themes• Language• Symbolism• Time Periods• Settings

Themes in “The Road”

• Violence• Love•Good vs. Evil

Violence• Necessities were short:– Led to theft, murder, even cannibalism.

• Sympathetic people, such as the boy try to avoid doing wrong.

• Violence occurred due to absent laws.

• This theme gives reason to believe “The Road” could be horror literature.

Violence• “People sitting on the sidewalk in the dawn half immolate smoking in their clothes. Like failed sectarian suicides. Others would come to help them. Within a year there were fires on the ridges and deranged chanting. The screams of the murdered.” (McCarthy53).

Love• Father and son bond– The deterioration of human kind doesn’t

stop the love between them.• Self-sacrifice and compassion– Father told the boy he won’t leave him

in the darkness alone.

Love• “You said you wouldn't ever

leave me” (Hoban 381).

“I know. I'm sorry. You have my whole heart. You always did. You're the best guy. You always were. If I'm not here you can still talk to me. You can talk to me and I'll talk to you. You'll see” (McCarthy 270).

Good vs. Evil• Good humanity has disappeared.• Goodness was portrayed in the book

as the boy carrying the fire but actually goodness was to not murder, eat, or hurt others.– Small things like this show goodness

because the rest of the novel is so bad.• Evil was created both by

circumstance and humanity.

Themes in “Riddley Walker”

• Age is only a number• Survival

Age is only a number• Riddley was only 12 but was more

wise than others.• Riddley is trying to bring his society

back –Mission and goal to return people to

earlier times• In Riddley’s society, turning 12 was

seen as becoming an adult.– Very important age

Survival• "The man and the woman thot: 2 out of

3 a live is better 3 dead“ (Hoban 3).• The story focused on survival after

society was ruined

In comparison…

• In both stories, survival is a broad theme.

• “The Road” showed more open themes whereas “Riddley Walker” was a lot more closed and required further thinking.

Language in “The Road”• Tender tone– Between the father and son

• Short and choppy dialogue• Straightforward – Sex slavery, cannibalism

• Describes the good then reveals the bad.– The trout’s beautiful, but extinct

• Engineer-like– Describes ‘how’ and ‘why’ thoroughly

Language in “Riddley Walker”

• Language is a translation– some words hard to understand– words are spelled as they sound

• Lack of punctuation• Similar to slang• Religious• Supernatural

In comparison…• Both novels’ language reflects their

writing style. • “The Road” contains language to

represent the destruction of humanity because it’s short to show there’s nothing left.

• In “Riddley Walker” the language represents how words are heard and how broken the world is he imagines.

Symbolism in “The Road”• Fire• The skeletal remains of the city• The son’s feelings• Wind-up penguin toy• Bad guys• The house• Dialogue

Fire• The son is the last sign of God– “God’s own firedrake”

• The “fire” is what keeps the father and son alive.

• The son and father seek fire or smoke for hope.

The destructed city• The remains of the city represent the

destruction of humanity.• The remains and rubbage represent

the remain of the old world.• The decaying human bodies also

represent the old world and humanity.

The son’s sympathy• His concern for the other little boy’s

safety reflects how he feels about fear and worry.– Fears losing his father and being alone.

• He wanted to take the boy with him– Represents goodness left in the people.

Penguin wind-up toy• Introduced in the son’s nightmare• Could walk without being wound up• Represents the bad guys because

they soullessly walk around.

Bad Guys• Represented the decline of human

race– All beautiful things have been destroyed

• The bad guys’ fire had vanished– Forcing the father and son to carry the

fire and be the good guys, or atleast better guys.

The House• The original grand estate got ruined within

the interior.– Inside determination of the house represents the

curiosity between something so beautiful, such as the world disappearing into an ugly house.

• Inside the house contained animal bones and rain watered-floors – Represents a lifeless, shaky house

• The houses themselves represent how we perceive houses today.– Shows the setting in the near future.

Dialogue• Short, choppy, and fragmented – Represents how drained and plain the

world has become.• Reflects the emptiness of the world–Mimics the landscape

Symbolism in “Riddley Walker”

• The story’s language • Time• Riddley’s scar• Riddley’s relationship with the dogs• Rebellion

The story’s language• Hard to read• Slang• Words spelled how they sound• Forces the reader to read slower–More meaningful

• Coveys the state of the society’s condition– Constant state of confusion

Time• Riddley refers to time as “time back

way back”– He’s unaware of the time

• Doesn’t know the time but considers the past– Past destruction

Riddley’s scar• Riddley’s scar itching represents

itching to tell his connexion– His nerves or spiritual connection?

Riddley’s connection with the dogs

• Only one spared• The dogs realize Riddley’s different

than the rest of the community• The dogs see him as an equal– Granted their tired leader the death of

desire

Rebellion• Riddley is strong-willed– Rules don’t affect him much

• Ran away to show rebellion• Ignores the rules of society

In comparison…• Both stories compare by the use of

language and dialogue but differ by “The Road” having more object-like symbols whereas “Riddley Walker” had concepts and relationships to show symbolism.

Time period/Setting in “The Road”

• Post-Apocalyptic• A wasted, destructed, and abandoned

city– Bright colors only seen in dreams, memories,

blood, and fire.– Dark, gray, ashy landscape

• “See Rocky City”– Southeastern United States

• Silence and still– Scarce of living things

Time Period/Setting in “Riddley Walker”

• Unspecified• Post-Apocalyptic in the future– Dog’s are the enemy for human society

• Riddley’s society is more barbaric, less civilized, and disorderly.

In comparison…• Both novels were post-apocalyptic

leaving a destructed wasteland behind along with a dying humanity. In “The Road,” the author gives us context clues for the setting whereas “Riddley Walker” was less detailed. Also, “The Road” gave a more descripted setting than “Riddley Walker.”

In both novels:• Catastrophe that ends

civilization• Violent• Death-filled• Post-Apocalypse era

In “The Road”

• The focus is on the remains of destruction and the loss of humanity

• Dream-like memories contain violence as well

• Straightforward reality of a destructed society and humanity.

In “Riddley Walker”• Contains destruction, but more

focused on change in knowledge• 12-year old narrator – Innocent to experience (age doesn’t

matter)– Ignorance to knowledge

• There are “myth tellers” to remember the old war

• Difficult to read but worth it

Works Cited • Hoban, Russell. Riddley Walker.

Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1998. Print.

• McCarthy, Cormac. The Road. New York: Vintage Books, 2006. Print.