Student Question
What does the phrase "On this road there are no godspoke men" mean in Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"?
Quick answer:
The phrase "On this road there are no godspoke men" in Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" signifies the absence of external moral compasses or religious authorities influencing the survivors of the apocalyptic event. This lack of spiritual guidance leaves individuals to determine right and wrong independently, journeying through life's challenges without a clear direction or purpose, thus increasing their vulnerability to dangers and unexpected obstacles.
I believe that this line means that there are no external moral compasses influencing the remaining people who have survived the apocalyptic event. Men and women have been left to decide what is right and wrong on their own. There are no religious authorities, of whatever faith, left to influence the thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes and viewpoints of the survivors.
The godspoke men are not preaching, teaching, or reaching the people who need some inspiring direction to help them handle and maybe even transcend above their abysmal state.
With the road being an extended metaphor for a journey, and the difficulties in life, the absence of the "god-spoke men" suggests a lack of direction and focus. Religion and spirituality gave people a sense of purpose and added meaning to life, like a road map, in the metaphorical journey. Now in Cormac's novel, without these core beliefs or godly leaders, the journey has no direction or guide; the road is there, full of danger and unexpected obstacles, but the people who must travel it do so blindly and at their own risk.
I think he may be saying that in a more general sense, in that there is no world left to be God of, nor any reason to believe in one. This lack of hope permeates the story almost until the very end, and it's not hard for the reader to imagine loss of religious faith being nearly universal among the handful of survivors in the grim setting McCarthy has created.
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