Film Review: Candyman

Candyman: The David Klein Story directed by Costa Botes (Lion Pine Productions & Picnic Productions, NR. 77 minutes)

Starring David Herman Klein, Bert Klein, and “Weird Al” Yankovic.

Candy Addict

My wife and I often resupply from the warehouse grocery store, Costco. Every time we go we stock up on the necessities—paper towels, vegetables, canned soups, cleaning supplies, and of course, Jelly Bellies. 

The gourmet jelly bean comes in a large canister, something easily fashioned into a large bucket for feed, filled with umpteen gallons of water, or supply a small nation with food for a month. My wife and I generally inhale a bucket of beans in a week or two, pointing to both our gluttony and love for the jelly bean.

David Klein, inventor of the famed gourmet jelly bean, however regrets his moment of inspiration. 

“I wish I never invented the things. They ruined my life”

Jelly Beans Rule

The documentary Candyman explores the life of David Klein, who is the unnamed and forgotten inventor of the Jelly Belly. In 1976, Klein approached the Herman Goelitz Candy Company and asked them to produce the mini-gourmet jelly bean out of natural flavors. The colorful beans came in a rainbow of realistic flavors, previously unknown to the populace. 

A radical new product, Jelly Belly became a pop culture phenomenon in the seventies. Most notably touted by President Ronald Reagan as his favorite snack, the jelly bean became a hit.

A Lost Dream

Somewhat eccentric, yet brilliant, Klein sadly forfeited the company for a few million dollars, just before it exploded. He managed to use the money to pay for his house, and fund some new candy exploits, none of which have really taken off like the Jelly Belly. Now a billion dollar enterprise, David Klein has no place in the jelly bean world he created. David is now an alien erased from the candy’s history.

Because of selling too early, Klein lost his beans (pun intended), and sunk into bitter depression. But, interestingly, the documentary exposes how Klein kept his soul alive in the process.

Now, Klein helps entrepreneurs around the country develop successful ideas, despite Klein’s lack of further success in the candy industry. The viewer is able to see both sides of the American dream, one where all the hopes and dreams are fulfilled for Klein, and one where he simply cannot catch a break. 


Of note, however, Klein is much more of a solid, sane, and compassionate individual now that his “dream” of funding another candy mega-hit fades. Klein has been able to move on from his tragic choice because he realized life is bigger and more important than a paycheck. It seems as though his new consulting business runs closer to his personal goals as an individual, providing closure from the difficult break from Jelly Belly.

  

Selflessness

Klein’s selflessness and desire to see dreams come true fuels his current endeavors, speaking to the drive of the human spirit. His desire to help others makes him a better man than he once was. No longer the spokesman for a large candy company of his own design, he is able to more fully function. 

If you enjoy candy, or Jelly Bellies as much as I do, I think Candyman is a fun documentary to watch. At times Candyman is a bit slow, but with a stroll through the life of an entrepreneur, it’s worth your time. 

Verdict: 3 out of 5

What are your thoughts? Do you like the popular candy? How do you feel that the inventor of the bean has been ousted from his own invention's history? Share your thoughts below.
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Posted by: Andrew Jacobson

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Book Review: The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine

The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine: A Novel by Alina Bronsky; translated by Tim Mohr (New York: Europa Editions, 2011. 304 pp)

Alina Bronsky was born in Yekaterinburg, an industrial town at the foot of the Ural Mountains in central Russia. She moved to Germany when she was thirteen. Her debut novel, Broken Glass Park, was nominated for one of Europe’s most important literary awards, the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize.

Tim Mohr is a New York-based translator, author, and editor. His translation of Guantanamo by Dorothea Dieckmann earned him the Three Percent award for best translation. Mohr also collaborated with Duff McKagan on It's So Easy (And Other Lies).

Head in the Clouds 

I tend to be oblivious of my surroundings. Perhaps, like the famous Socrates, I suffer from my head in the clouds. This issue—one my wife constantly seeks to alter, much to my appreciation—leaves me prone to saying something stupid, ignoring a friend in a social setting without realizing, or alienating an individual. I truly mean no harm, but sometimes it ends up happening anyway.

For this reason, I find similarities with the characters in The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine.

Three Generations of Tartar 

Alina Bronsky’s The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine outlines the lives of three generations of Tartar women. The pugnacious matriarch and narrator of the novel, Rosa Achmetowna, grew up in an orphanage and meanders through Soviet Russia in a loveless marriage.

Her daughter, Sulfia, is a bland and lazy nurse impregnated on questionable terms:

“Sulfia sat on the stool and in answer to my questions told me that her sudden pregnancy could only have come about from dreaming of a man at night, while asleep, and I believed her immediately. The streets were full of pretty girls in short skirts, and a real man would never come anywhere near Sulfia unless he was nearsighted or perverted” (14).

Finally, Sulfia’s daughter, Aminat resembles her grandmother and quickly becomes the apple of Rosa’s eye.

“She was given coloring books and felt-tip pens, tights, oranges, and a toy doctor’s kit. She opened the kit up immediately and began to sort through the instruments. Watching her warmed my heart. I could tell as soon as I saw her playing that my granddaughter was going to be a doctor one day, and quite a doctor at that” (33).

The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine is not plot heavy. Rather, the novel dictates the many ways in which Rosa, Sulfia, and Aminat relate to one another in the pursuit of a better life outside of Russia.

The Complicated Mother-Daughter Relationship 

In particular, the relationship between Rosa and Sulfia takes center stage. Sadly, Rosa postulates her daughter to be a poor mother.

“Sulfia held the hand of my little girl. I could see immediately that Aminat was carelessly dressed. She didn’t have a scarf on, and her hat had shifted so that her ears were exposed to the biting cold. Her black hair hung in her face. Her nose was red. She definitely had a cold, and no wonder with this mother” (45).

As the narrator, the reader tends to side with Rosa. With the world revealed through her words, we want to take Rosa’s side. Yet, Rosa continually reveals her own arrogance.

“I didn’t look anything like a grandmother at all. I looked good. I was pretty and young looking. You could see that I had vitality and was intelligent. I often had to mask my expression to keep other people from reading my thoughts and stealing my ideas” (61).

In fact, this arrogance leads to unwanted consequences later in the novel when Rosa is unable to perceive the ways in which her beliefs and actions inflict harm on those around her.

“She screamed that I should never again interfere in her life, a life I had already destroyed, this time forever, broken her heart, robbed her of her dear little daughter, taken away her family, shattered her future, and chained her and poor Aminat to me” (142).

Despite her character flaws, Rosa truly loves her daughter and granddaughter—even with the criticisms of Sulfia’s looks.

Family: A Collection of Broken People 

To a certain extent, The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine reveals a deep-seated brokenness of humanity. Rosa’s brash arrogance is her way of attempting to communicate, correct, and contribute to her family. However, these traits only serve to inhibit the lives of those around her.

Despite our best intentions, we always maintain the ability to inflict massive amounts of pain on others unknowingly. Those closest to us sometimes, in fact, receive the brunt of our mistaken intentions.

Alina Bronsky’s The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine is an intriguing character study on misplaced motives and broken families. If you are a fan of European fiction, character studies, and multi-generational family stories, The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine is for you.

Verdict: 3.5 out of 5

How about you? Do you suffer from obliviousness? Does the complexity of a character add to a storyline? Does this book interest you?
Share your thoughts below.

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Posted by: Donovan Richards

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Television Show Review: Whites

Whites directed by David Kerr (British Broadcasting Corporation. 2010)

Starring Alan Davies, Darren Boyd, and Katherine Parkinson.

Celebrity Chefdom

In a world where Gordon Ramsay rules, Anthony Bourdain sarcastically entertains, and celebrity chefdom somehow continues to rise, it was only a matter of time before a comedy in the culinary world would emerge to please the masses. I was thrilled to see Whites arrive. But, I was equally as disappointed to see it quickly vanish, cancelled after one season.

Based in Reality

Roland White (Alan Davies) had a seemingly promising career ahead of him. Alas, he is now a past-his-prime chef in a dead-end restaurant, at the White House Hotel. Roland is a gifted-but-lazy chef. The show’s writer, Matt King, used his experience in the kitchen to form the premise for the television series. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, King states,

“Whites is totally based on Hanbury Manor, where I worked. It’s a facsimile. Roland is a composite of several chefs I know who can’t be bothered any more. They’ve kind of missed the boat, missed out on Michelin stars and cruise along.”

Interestingly, because of Matt King’s background, the entire cast trained at Jamie Oliver’s restaurant Fifteen in order to adequately play their roles in a proper culinary fashion. 

Recounting the Tale

In the first episode, we find Roland meagerly sitting in his office writing his “poignant” autobiography while watching his sous chef, Bib (Darren Boyd), flounder in his attempts to keep the busy kitchen afloat. 

Roland, finally noting Bib’s inability to survive the hectic kitchen alone, allows Bib to hire another line cook, named Skoose (Stephen Wright). The only problem is, Skoose vocally covets Bib’s job, as he intends to be a head chef of his own restaurant in only four years.

Time to Develop

What ensues is restaurant hilarity. But, the series was cancelled after only a year. It was not cancelled due to disinterest, but rather because BBC couldn’t secure the money to run the show for a second season. Unfortunately, Whites needed time to develop its characters, a notion writer Matt King laments.

“In our minds, it was a getting-to-know-our-characters series. It’s not a lot of time to explore seven characters. It was always, ‘We’ve set up this world, with series two everyone knows the characters and we’ll explore it from there’.”

Series two could have developed plot after the world was set up, an unfortunate consequence of really taking time to introduce the characters. Series one is a bit slow, but it’s just as funny. With equal parts sarcasm, wit, and slapstick comedy, I found Whites to be hilarious and entertaining. Though the show is cancelled, I think it still entertains. The world needs a chef comedy to interact with the Anthony Bourdains and Gordon Ramsays of the world, it’s sad that this one found its end.

Verdict: 4 out of 5

Have you seen Whites? Did you enjoy it? Are you sad it's been cancelled? Share your thoughts below.
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Posted by: Andrew Jacobson


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Album Review: Ashes & Fire

Ashes & Fire by Ryan Adams (Capitol Records/Pax Americana Record Company, 2011. 43 minutes)

Ryan Adams is a singer-songwriter renowned for his contributions to the alt-country genre. Originally a member of the band Whiskeytown, Adams began his solo career with Heartbreaker in 2000. A prolific songwriter with 13 albums released since 2000, Adams garnered the most commercial success with Gold. In addition to music, Adams has published Infinity Blues and Hello Sunshine, books of poetry. Adams married Mandy Moore in 2009 and took an extended hiatus—for him, at least—from music. In 2010, Adams founded a record label, PAX AM and has released has latest two releases on the label.

The Rubric of Great Art 

There are times when music pauses reality with a unique melody or a noteworthy phrase. A song penetrates the soul at far from objective depths. These moments intrigue a listener; one wants to unveil the songwriting process, connect to the artist at the most basic of levels.

What if, having queried an artist, you learn your emotional connections to a song mean little to nothing, the deep movement protruding from the sonic textures translate to nothing more than a paycheck for the artist instead of a moment from a personal diary? Would such a result alter the way you think of the song?

On one hand, I want art to forge the connection between creator and consumer. Yet, beautiful art remains exemplary regardless of authorial intent.

Given these quandaries, Ryan Adams’ Ashes & Fire intrigues. Emotionally honest and abstemious alternative country, Ashes & Fire feels like a counseling session. In this openness, I feel a personal connection with Adams. Whether or not the person emerging from the lyrics equates to Ryan Adams in reality, the lyrical content on openness to a successful relationship and the fears of its quick demise provides the foundation for an outstanding record.

Dancing in the Dirty Rain 

Ashes & Fire opens with “Dirty Rain”. With a thin acoustic guitar and piano accompaniment from Norah Jones, Adams introduces the overarching themes of the album with his first verse:

“Last time I was here it was raining/It isn’t raining anymore/The streets were drowned, the waters waning/All the ruins washed ashore/I’m here, just looking through the rubble/Tryin’ to find out who we were/Last time I was here it was raining/It isn’t raining anymore”

With a history of self-afflicted drug abuse and alcoholism, Adams views his current successful relationship with doubt. How long will it last before the rain drowns everything of value? When Adams sings, “And you and I are out dancing in the dirty rain,” it feels like a plea to stick together through thick and thin.

To Wait in Uncertainty 

“Do I Wait?”, another highlight of Ashes & Fire, continues the theme of doubt. A descending chord progression, similar to “The Shadowlands”, my favorite Ryan Adams tune, suggests the dread of a relationship in peril. Adams commences the song with questions:

“Do I want to say the things that I say?/When I know that they are wrong?/Do I wait here forever for you?/Did you ask me to?”

As the uncertainty in the song builds, Adams’ voice feels more strained until a gorgeous guitar solo introduces the song’s climax.

The Pros and Cons of a Boundary 

The next song, “Chains of Love”, announces a shift in emotion. Perhaps the commitment of a relationship does not mean an inevitable slide into discord.

“I can see the chains of love/The chains/Talking about the chains of love/Can’t take us away”

Even though the use of a chain as a metaphor for a relationship conjures the feeling of love as a prison, Adams’ voice suggests the possibility of chains as a metaphor for healthy cementedness in a relationship.

Steadfast Despite Doubt 

With this shift in place, the back half of Ashes & Fire carries more hopefulness, culminating in the final song, “I Love You But I Don’t Know What to Say”.

Including reserved and bare instrumentation, the track acknowledges the difficulty of a relationship while maintaining the commitment of moving forward.

“I promise you/I will keep you safe from harm/And love you all the rest of my days/When the night is silent/And we seem so far away/I love you/And I don’t know what to say”

Do We Need Confessions from a Personal Diary?

Whether or not we are receiving glimpses of his personal diary, Adams writes convincing songs; they feel genuine and the hopeful-despite-scared quality resonates with any relationship.

If I met Ryan Adams tomorrow and he told me Ashes & Fire exists for a paycheck alone, the quality of the music and the emotional pull would not change. I like imagining Adams as a tortured songwriter but a good song is a good song no matter the process behind its creation. If you like emotionally honest singer-songwriters and find affinity with alt-country, check out Ashes & Fire.

Verdict: 4.5 out of 5

What do you think? Are you a fan of Ryan Adams or alternative country? Do you want your music to have a level of honesty? Does the artist’s intention matter to you? Share your thoughts below.

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Posted by: Donovan Richards

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Book Review: Calico Joe

Calico Joe: A Novel by John Grisham (New York: Doubleday, 2012. 194 pp)

John Grisham (b. 1955) is a well-known author, recognized for his law novels. He attended Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi School of Law. His best seller is The Firm, which sold more than seven million copies and was adapted into a movie. Though Grisham became a lawyer and novelist, his childhood dream was to become a baseball player. Grisham lives with his wife, Renee, and their two children, Ty and Shea, on a farm in Mississippi.

America’s Pastime

In my hometown of Seattle, we try to be baseball fans. Unfortunately, as of late especially, the game has not been boding well. The excitement of meaningful baseball has disappeared. In 1995, the Seattle Mariners won a division championship, and even defeated the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series. In 2001, they won 116 games, setting the record for most wins in a single season. But, despite successful seasons and great moments, my beloved Mariners have never been to a World Series, and have, to say the least, been in a slump for some time now.

Despite the lack of excitement Mariners fans feel, there is no doubt why the game is America’s pastime. Baseball holds great anticipation and excitement, with many surprises intertwined. John Grisham captures this excitement well in his newest novel, Calico Joe, one of Grisham’s novels which, thankfully, doesn’t revolve around the law world. The novel centers around Joe Castle, a rising star in the baseball world, and Warren Tracey, a jerk of a man. Both are competing in rival teams in a nail-biting pennant race.

A Rising Star

1973, a year of splendor for baseball. The National League East has six teams contending, and due to an injury, the Cubs add a minor leaguer to the roster named Joe Castle, from Calico Rock, Arkansas. Joe immediately sets records, and leads the Cubs to the top of the division. He even hits three home runs in his first three bats.

“As stunning as his first three at bats had been, Joe’s fourth would endear him to baseball purists forever. Top of the ninth, score tied 6-6, two outs, Don Kessinger standing on third, a tough right-hander named Ed Ramon on the mound. As Joe stepped to the plate, a few of the eighteen thousand fans clapped politely, then an odd silence settled across Veterans Stadium. Ramon’s first pitch was a fastball on the outside part of the plate. Joe waited, then whipped his bat like a broomstick, crushing the ball and lining it a few inches outside the bag at first base, a foul ball, but an impressive one nonetheless...The second pitch was a changeup, high. With the count 1 and 1, Ramon tried another fastball. As soon as he released it, Joe hesitated a split second, then broke for first base with his bat trailing. It tapped the ball slightly and sent it dribbling toward the second baseman...Players from both teams looked on in disbelief. With a chance to hit four home runs in a game—a feat baseball had seen only nine times in a hundred years—the kid chose instead to lay down a perfect drag bunt to score the go-ahead run” (11-12).

The Sins of a Father

John Grisham

Castle then meets up with pitcher Warren Tracey, whose son is the book’s narrator. Warren pitches for the New York Mets, and simply put, is a jerk. Warren abuses his family, drinks constantly, and chases women. He also made his son hate both him and the game of baseball.

“For me, baseball was a joy to play when my father wasn’t watching. Because of his schedule, he rarely had the chance to see my games, and that was an indescribable relief. When he was there, though, I had no desire to play. He would lecture me on the way to the park, snarl at me during the game, and, worst of all, berate me all the way home. He even slapped me once as soon as we were driving away from the field. From the age of seven, I cried after every game my father saw me play” (16).

When Warren meets Joe Castle in Shea Stadium, Joe hits a home run against him. The next time Joe is at bat, Warren intentionally beans the rising star, hoping to humble the rising star. Joe Castle’s career is instantly ruined, as the bean ball careened towards and struck his head dead on. With his career over, Joe drifts back home to Calico Rock to work as a groundskeeper, now partially paralyzed and speech impeded.

Redemption?

Decades later, the narrator learns of his father’s immanent death due to pancreatic cancer, and goes to Calico Rock to find Joe Castle, hopefully to encourage his father to repent for ruining another man’s life.

“‘[B]efore he’s gone, I would like for the two men to have a word.’‘What kind of word?’‘I’m not sure, but ideally I would like my father to apologize.’‘Have you discussed this with your father?’‘No, not yet, and before I do, I need to know if Joe will agree to a meeting.’‘I doubt seriously if that can happen, Paul. And it would be a huge mistake for Warren Tracey to show up here in Calico Rock. That could start some serious trouble’” (76).

John Grisham is a wonderful storyteller. Branching off from his law world, he writes a gripping tale, combining both baseball and repentance. Even if you’re not a fan of baseball, or root for a rarely-winning team like the Seattle Mariners, Calico Joe is a good read for you. Grisham develops the storyline well, gets you into the character’s heads, and provides pseudo-Hallmark moments. It’s a quick read, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

Verdict: 4 out of 5


Have you grown tired of Grisham's law novels?  Do you enjoy his writing?  Have you read this book and found it to be exhilarating, or just ridden with Hallmark moments?  Share your thoughts below.
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Posted by: Andrew Jacobson

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Film Review: My Week with Marilyn

My Week with Marilyn directed by Simon Curtis (The Weinstein Company, BBC Films, and Lipsync Productions, R, 99 minutes)

Starring Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh, Zoё Wanamaker, Emma Watson, and Julia Ormond.

I Wanted to Be Famous; Now I Want to Take It Back 

Have you ever had dreams of fame and fortune? As a kid, did you imagine walks on the red carpet with flashbulbs blinding your entrance? Did you desire constant adoration and the corresponding riches? While such glory seems intoxicating, My Week with Marilyn proposes a dark undercurrent to worldwide fame.

My Week with Marilyn is a slow-burning, character-driven film adapted from a memoir by Colin Clark, on his relationship with Marilyn Monroe during the shooting of a movie.

Marilyn Monroe: A Third Assistant to the Director’s Introduction to the Movie Business 

Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) is a young, British aristocrat enamored with the movie industry. Utilizing a family connection with Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh), Clark becomes third assistant to the director on Olivier’s latest film, The Prince & the Showgirl.

Starring Hollywood’s most famous leading lady, Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams), Olivier, as lead actor and director, delegates Clark with logistical tasks meant to ensure an easy and successful stay for Monroe.

When filming commences, tension emerges between Olivier and Monroe. Ever the stoic professional, Olivier becomes frustrated when Monroe constantly arrives late and heavily relies on her acting coach, Paula Strasberg (Zoё Wanamaker). To Laurence, acting only requires the recitation of a line; to Marilyn, acting means becoming a character.



As such, the differences between actors threaten to derail the movie.

Working as a mediator, Colin finds himself befriending the amatory actor and the relationship between Clark and Monroe exhibits the best portions of My Week with Marilyn.

Unearthing the Real Marilyn 

Young and inexperienced, Colin encounters the gravitational pull of Marilyn’s star power. Sultry and provocative while simultaneously shy and unassured, Monroe is timid behind closed doors.

Seeking reinforcement, Monroe flirts Colin into a sycophant role.

A complicated character, Monroe drowns in insecurity, yet she awakens in front of adoring crowds. In perhaps the most iconic scene of the film, Monroe transforms from a withered and scared woman to a famous actress in front of Colin’s eyes when a group of fans emerges.

Before she greets her fans, Marilyn whispers to Colin,

“Shall I be her?”

This question brings forth the central tenets of My Week with Marilyn. Monroe’s sultry on-screen persona must invade her personal life. Fans of the actress require performance even when Monroe desires a moment of solitude.

As such, fame and fortune—an endeavor sought by many—becomes a prison and a self-defeating principle when Monroe comes to realize her true self isn’t “good enough” for her myriad of fans.

The Dark Side of Fame 

My Week with Marilyn announces a darker side to fame. The dreams of Hollywood are more than glitz, glamour, and luxury. Feelings of insufficiency reside beneath it all. If fans want the character more than the person, how can the true self survive?

In My Week with Marilyn, we see fame devouring an individual. Michelle Williams masterfully depicts this schism; Marliyn Monroe is capable of performing the worldwide sex symbol on one hand, and a vulnerable woman on the other.

If you love good acting and well-crafted character, check out My Week with Marilyn.

Verdict: 4 out of 5

What do you think? Did you desire fame as a child? Has the dark underside of fame given you reason to pity the famous? Or should they just deal with the unending focus of the media? Does the story of Marilyn Monroe interest you? Do you want to watch this film?
Share your thoughts below.

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Posted by: Donovan Richards

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Book Review: The Road

The Road by Cormac McCarthy (New York: Vintage International, 2006. 287 pp)

Cormac McCarthy was born in Rhode Island in 1933. One of six children, Cormac’s family moved multiple times in his childhood as his father accepted different occupations. In 1951, McCarthy attended theUniversity of Tennessee majoring in Liberal Arts. Midway through his studies, McCarthy served in theAir Force for four years. After his service, McCarthy returned to college, writing his first short stories. In 1959 and 1960, he won the Ingram-Merrill Award for Creative Writing. Mccarthy’s first novel, The Orchard Keeper, was published in 1965. Several years, grants, and fellowships later, McCarthy published Suttree, Blood Meridian, and All the Pretty Horses marking his rise in literary acclaim. McCarthy is widely considered one of the great modern American authors and many of his works have been translated to film.

Back to Basics

In The Road, Cormac McCarthy explores the idea of innocence, good and evil, and the idea of “carrying fire”, where he explores innocence and human resilience. Unlike so many dystopian novels that merely explore what humanity’s darker sides are, McCarthy uses the harrowing and depressing post apocalyptic landscape to ultimately show the brilliance of the human spirit.

The Road opens in a post-apocalyptic world which sees humanity reduced to its most basic elements. A never named father and his son journey across the landscape.

"He’d had this feeling before, beyond the numbness and the dull despair. The world shrinking down about a raw core of parsible entities. The names of things slowly following those things into oblivion. Colors. The names of birds. Things to eat. Finally the names of things one believed to be true. More fragile than he would have thought. How much was gone already? The sacred idiom shorn of its referents and so of its reality” (88).

Filled with ash and devoid of any living animals and vegetation, many humans have resorted to cannibalism or committed suicide. The boy’s mother gave up after the disaster and evidently committed suicide before the story begins. The more sophisticated elements of human civilization have been obliterated, but perhaps more importantly concepts such as altruism or the ability to hope no longer exist. The boy, however, is told to carry “the fire” by his father, a concept developing throughout the book.

Good versus Evil

In Starkian fashion, the man realizes winter is coming, and decides to take the boy south, where it’s warmer. The father is sick, coughing blood occasionally, but continues south with his son, hoping to get him to where it’s warm before he dies. The father’s love for his son is incredibly deep. He vows to take care of his son no matter what.

 “You wanted to know what the bad guys looked like. Now you know. It may happen again. My job is to take care of you. I was appointed to do that by God. I will kill anyone who touches you. Do you understand?Yes.He sat there cowled in the blanket. After a while he looked up. Are we still the good guys? he said. Yes. We’re still the good guys.And we always will be.Yes. We always will be.Okay” (77).

The father, carrying a pistol with only two rounds, killed one of the cannibal attackers on their journey. He justifies the killing as a sacrificial act, but a difference in innocence begins to emerge. The father doesn’t doubt they are the “good guys”, but conversely the son wonders having murdered someone if they can truly be considered “good”. The father wants to protect his son at all costs, but with the new world in which he lives, the rules of good versus evil have changed, morality is different, and he struggles to transform with the times, finding himself an alien in this new hopeless landscape.

Carrying Fire

The Road is one of the darkest most hopeless books I’ve read. Perhaps showing a bit of McCarthy’s philosophical stance on human life, the book serves to tell of how humans will always strive for hope, to carry the “fire” (as McCarthy puts it in the novel) of humanity’s greatest achievements forward. But, the universe is indifferent. In the wake of the unnamed calamity, the earth has left humanity no foreseeable future. But, despite the universe’s disinterest, life goes on.

"He walked out in the gray light and stood and he saw for a brief moment the absolute truth of the world. The cold relentless circling of the intestate earth. Darkness implacable. The blind dogs of the sun in their running. The crushing black vacuum of the universe. And somewhere two hunted animals trembling like groundfoxes in their cover. Borrowed time and borrowed world and borrowed eyes with which to sorrow it" (130).

The boy and the man still carry the “fire”. The fire isn’t literal fire to survive with, but a symbol of hope and human resilience. The man consistently tells the son to carry the “fire”. No matter what horrors they encounter, the boy never desires to hurt others, and through his innocence, protects the human condition. People will always carry the fire, but sadly, far too many people choose self-preservation at the cost of genuine love and concern for others. Our world is more complex than the one in which the boy and his father live, but this truth remains the same: the fire of human compassion is too easily lost. McCarthy seems to argue that innocence is the only thing that can preserve it. His characterization of the boy is an attempt to show that innocence in the juridical sense is one of the most important human attributes. Though The Road is dark, hopeless, harrowing and depressing, the truth extrapolated from the text is worth a read.

Verdict: 4.5 out of 5


What do you think?  Do you enjoy post-apocalyptic novels, and do you find this one to be different?  Is innocence one of the most important human attributes?  Did you find The Road to be hopeless? Share your thoughts below.
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Posted by: Andrew Jacobson

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