Oblivion And Salvation Of Existence—an Interpretation Of The Road With Existentialism

Cormac McCarthy(1933-) is one of the most important contemporary American writers. McCarthy devotes to the description of poor people’s life in western America. His western novels, such as Blood Meridian and Border Trilogy, make him become a great master in the field of American literature. McCarthy has been awarded many important literary prizes, such as the William Faulkner Foundation Award, the U.S National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award.The Road(2006), the tenth novel by McCarthy, is regarded as one of his best novels. Since its publication in America, the novel has attracted a lot of concern from many critics and readers. The Road was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 2006 and the Pulitzer Prize in 2007. The novel depicts the arduous journey of two survivors, an unnamed father and his son, toward southern America in the aftermath of the world’s collapse. Many scholars have studied The Road from different perspectives, such as redemption, nihilism, narrative perspective, archetypal criticism, post-apocalyptic literature, ecological aesthetics, ethical literary criticism and so on. This thesis will explore The Road from the perspective of Heidegger’s existentialism, further interpreted with man’s three modes of world. It mainly probes into the existence of the father and his son in their Umwelt, Mitwelt and Selbstwelt. This thesis aims to encourage modern people to have a deep reflection on their survival in the contemporary society.The thesis is divided into six parts:Chapter One gives an introduction to Cormac McCarthy and his works, literature review of The Road at home and abroad, the reason of choosing this topic and the significance of the study.Chapter Two provides the theoretical basis of this thesis, briefly introducing Heidegger’s existential theory and his study on man’s three modes of world. In Heidegger’s theory, man’s existence can be interpreted in Umwelt, Mitwelt and Selbstwelt.Chapter Three analyzes the existential predicament of the father and his son in the Umwelt(a materialized world). In order to survive in the world, the father and his son have to busy themselves hunting for food with their falling into material. As a result, they forget their existence temporally.Chapter Four concentrates on the Mitwelt in The Road, which is filled with alienation among humans. After witnessing the inhuman cannibalism and experiencing a confusion about their existence, the father and his son start to have an awakening of their existential consciousness, so they explore their existence on the road.Chapter Five expounds the Selbstwelt in The Road, which is suffused with self-awareness of the father and his son. In the Selbstwelt, the father and his son are aware of their authentic existence. According to Heidegger, this kind of authentic existence is linked with a salvation of existence.Chapter Six draws a conclusion to the novel and gives some enlightenment to human survival in the modern society. Through an interpretation of The Road, the author of this thesis inspires modern people to get rid of their falling into the man-material relationship in the Umwelt, to avoid the man-man relationship built upon interest in the Mitwelt and to explore their authentic existence in the Selbstwelt. The journey for survival in The Road has a positive influence on modern people’s exploration of survival in the world.