On The Theme Of Humanity Redemption In Mccarthy’s The Road From The Perspective Of Value Reason

This thesis analyzes the process of self-redemption of the protagonists in CormacMcCarthy’s The Road in terms of Value Reason and Instrumental Reason inrationality theory. This paper discusses how human beings achieve redemption in thealienated modern society. The analysis of contradictions between Value Reason andInstrumental Reason is employed not only to interpret images shown in the novel thatsymbolize alienation, but also to discuss how to get rid of the bondage of humanityalienation, so that people can redeem themselves from the world where Value Reasonis descending. So this thesis focuses on the protagonists’road of redemption, studies itfrom the approach of humanity, and explores the possibility of people to accomplishself-redemption by inheriting humanity and clinging to Value Reason.This thesis contains five chapters. Chapter One includes an introduction of theauthor and the novel, literature reviews with some foreign and domestic critics’views,and a brief introduction of the relationships between Value Reason and InstrumentalReason. Chapter Two shows the deserted civilization in the novel from three aspects,namely the fall of Value Reason, the rise of Instrumental Reason and the crisis ofhumanity. The nameless heroes are faced with a crisis of lose in the spiritual world.Chapter Three analyzes the meanings of the fire and the transmission of the fire bymeans of ritualized behaviors when the father and the boy are undergoing thecircumstance of double lose in both moral and physical directions. This chapterconcludes that people can rely on humanity to achieve redemption even in a godlessworld where Value Reason falls. Chapter Four mainly focuses on the two protagonistsin The Road, the father and the boy. They are often considered to be the guardians ofmorality and orders, the carriers of the fire of humanity. This chapter intends toexplore the means for people to achieve redemption by comparing those two maincharacters. The final chapter summarizes the above content and indicates that humanscan rely on themselves to achieve transcendence of alienation and accomplish the goalof redemption. Those who have faith in humanity are “the prophets” of the modernworld.