Cormac McCarthy on 'The Road'

This interview is taken from the Wall Street Journal.


In this interview McCarthy goes some way to reveal his inspiration for 'The Road' and why he wrote it. The interview covers the difference in the portrayal of humanity in 'The Road' and another of his works 'Blood Meridian', reactions from fathers across the globe to 'The Road' and the role of spirituality and religion within the novel.


"   WSJ: Is there a difference in the way humanity is portrayed in "The Road" as compared to "Blood Meridian"?


CM: There's not a lot of good guys in "Blood Meridian," whereas good guys is what "The Road" is about. That's the subject at hand.


JH: I remember you said to me that "Blood Meridian" is about human evil, whereas "The Road" is about human goodness. It wasn't until I had my own son that I realized a personality was just innate in a person. You can see it forming. In "The Road," the boy has been born into a world where morals and ethics are out the window, almost like a science experiment. But he is the most moral character. Do you think people start as innately good?


CM: I don't think goodness is something that you learn. If you're left adrift in the world to learn goodness from it, you would be in trouble. But people tell me from time to time that my son John is just a wonderful kid. I tell people that he is so morally superior to me that I feel foolish correcting him about things, but I've got to do something--I'm his father. There's not much you can do to try to make a child into something that he's not. But whatever he is, you can sure destroy it. Just be mean and cruel and you can destroy the best person.  "


For the full interview visit http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704576204574529703577274572