Title: The Struggle of Morality and Humanism in Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road”
Basic Research Question:
Analyzing the importance of Cormac McCarthy’s portrayal of morality and humanity in the post-apocalyptic novel “The Road”.
Key Papers:
- “Eating at the Empire Table: Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and the Anglo-Irish Gothic” by Lydia Cooper
- “Trauma and Storytelling in Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men and The Road” by Francisco Collado-Rodriguez
- ““My Job is to Take Care of You”: Climate Change, Humanity, and Cormac McCarthy's The Road” by Adeline Johns-Putra
Motivation:
The reason I chose this research idea is that after reading this novel in high school and while I enjoyed I did not fully understand the importance of the novel. Six years later I believe that after taking several higher level literature classes I am in a position where I can better understand why so many consider this novel to be one of the most influential novels of the last 25 years.
Idea:
Although set in a fictional world Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” communicates to the reader many hard truths of the nature of humanity.
Data:
I will analyze the novel “The Road”
I will also incorporate other research papers into my analysis of the novel
I will also use Terry Eagleton’s book “Literary Theory: An Introduction” and the theories that are presented throughout the book
Tools:
I will use the literary theory of Psychoanalysis as introduced in Terry Eagleton’s book “Literary Theory: An Introduction”
I will also use rhetorical devices
What’s New:
This thesis will analyze how Cormac McCarthy’s portrayal of a fictional post-apocalyptic world can be seen in the current world today.
So What?:
This research will provide the reader with a new look and understanding of the relevance and importance of the novel.
Contribution:
The primary endpoint is to effectively analyze the novel and present readers with new ideas relating to the work.
Other Considerations:
The obstacles will be to effectively analyze the novel and communicate my ideas to my audience.
My target journal would be a literary journal.
There aren’t really any research risks associated with my research.
