For some reason I can't figure out how to make a new blog post on the class blog, so I'm just going to post here and ask tomorrow. I agree with a lot of what Claire mentioned. I especially like the idea about the boy paralleling Jesus Christ, and I thought a lot about carrying the fire throughout the novel and Schaub's article.
Given the fact that I don't know much about religion, I wanted to discuss Schaub's argument about the spiritual aspect of The Road, not entirely inclusive to religion.
As I said before, I looked at the term "carry the fire" throughout the novel. In his essay, I believe Schaub's intent is to highlight the importance of the spiritual; without the belief that they could survive the post-apocalyptic terrors of the world, the man and his son would not have made it as long as they did. The man and his son "carry the fire" of the hope and faith of survival. The "quest for life's meaning" (Schaub 153) that Schaub discusses is just that: the ability to survive and attempt to discover this meaning. Had the father and his son committed suicide, as the man's wife suggested, they only would have taken an "easier" path to an afterlife. The struggle they face is what defines them as individuals; their love is what keeps them strong, and the fire they carry that helps them stay alive. Though fire is a Biblical allusion to the end of time (Schaub 154), it also represents the beginning. The world has ended, but a new life for the man and his son is beginning; their journey begins at the end.
Given this, I agree with Claire in that the boy parallels Jesus in that he is the one who continues to carry the fire, and therefore carry on life. When the family finds him at the end of the novel, the boy asks repeatedly, "Are you carrying the fire?" (McCarthy 283). Though his father is dead, the boy continues to live because he carries the fire "inside [him]" (McCarthy 279). His fire, or his spirituality and faith, is what keeps him burning; he is the light of innocence amongst a dark, hopeless world. The boy throughout the novel seems to be the only bit of hope left. He is young, and therefore able to carry on the message in later years, and without the anguishing memories of the old world, he can remain ignorant of how the world once was. We have faith of survival because the boy carries the fire with him, bringing the hope of survival to others. In this way, the boy is similar to Jesus; he carries a message to other people that gives them the hope of survival. Though Jesus was crucified, is ascent into heaven three days later gave people the reassurance that goodness still remained. Jesus spread the messages of goodness, and the Catholic religion thrives on his message; though the boy is clearly not a religious figure, he still carries on the goodness and innocence that the world lacks.
In his essay, Schaub emphasizes the necessity of spirituality in the hope of survival (Schaub 154). It is because of the faith that the boy and his father have that they continue to live as long as they do. They carry the fire that allows them to endure struggle, for hope of a greater end.
