Fatherhood As Existential Resistance: The Moral Landscape of Cormac MCCARTHY’S The Road

Abstract

This article explores the theme of fatherhood as a form of existential resistance in Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road. This novel set in a post-apocalyptic world where morality has nearly disappeared, the novel follows a father and son struggling to survive. While the outside world is filled with violence, despair, and meaninglessness, the father’s love and responsibility toward his son create a powerful moral center. This paper argues that the father’s commitment to “carrying the fire” represents an ethical stance against chaos and moral decay. His role as a father becomes an act of resistance offering hope, human connection, moral clarity in an otherwise hopeless world. Through close reading, the article examines how McCarthy portrays fatherhood not just as emotional or biological, but as a deeply ethical and existential choice. The study also reflects on how the novel presents the possibility of goodness in extreme conditions through the bond between father and son.