through which the man and his son must traverse. In this instance, violence defines the world.  They must battle with only loyalty and love towards one another as an emotional sanctuary.

Another instance in which violence is significant is in how McCarthy shows its lingering effect.  Violence is not merely the condition around the boy and his father.  It permeates their relationships.  This is seen in the scene between the man and his wife, the boy's mother.  She speaks of a world where violence has become an internalized part of life, and as something that cannot be repelled:

No, I'm speaking the truth. Sooner or later they will catch us and they will kill us. They will rape me. They'll rape him. They are going to rape us and kill us and eat us and you wont face it. [. . .]. We used to talk about death, she said. We dont anymore. Why is that?...It's because it's here. There's nothing left to talk about. 

McCarthy speaks to the horrors of violence.  The worst part about violence is not its presence in the world.  Rather, violence is at its worst when it lingers in our emotional relationships.  The woman speaks from a position where violence is unavoidable not only because of its existence in the outside world, but rather in how it has settled into their own relationship.  The fact that "there's nothing left to talk about" is reflective of the all consuming effect of violence.  This moves violence from a physical reality to an emotional one, a condition that has a powerful effect in how individuals relate to one another. Through this scene, McCarthy suggests that violence is important because of its lingering effect in both our world and our hearts.

McCarthy might be suggesting that violence is a means through which we understand the world.  If we succumb to it and lack the means to repel it, we die. This is evident in McCarthy's description of the mother's/ wife's suicide:

She was gone and the coldness of it was her final gift. She would do it with a flake of obsidian. He'd taught her himself. Sharper than steel. The edge an atom thick. And she was right. There was no argument. The hundred nights they'd sat up debating the pros and cons of self destruction with the earnestness of philosophers chained to a madhouse wall.

When the wife commits suicide, it is clear that the external condition of the world has been internalized.  This scene demonstrates the need to perceive violence as something that demands individuals to make a conscious choice in how they view being in the world.  Either individuals take a stand against violence and demonstrate the restorative will to repel it or it will take a toll on them.  

McCarthy uses violence as a means to explore emotional nuances in his characters.  The significance of violence in the novel enables the themes of emotional resilience and restoration to emerge in a world that is devoid of it.

Despite being such a graphically bleak outlook on the future, The Road isn't what I would call an action packed and violent book. It doesn't contain pages and pages of flowery narration about an epic fist fight or gun battle between The Man and the "bad guys." The book itself reads in a choppy style. Readers are given facts and information about what the two main characters are doing. Very little dialogue is even written in the book. The violence is portrayed in the same way. The fights are direct and use maximum force right from the start. The best example that I can provide is the part of the story where a bad guy takes The Boy and puts a knife to the kid's throat. In a "normal" book or movie, this is the point in which the hero character might attempt to talk his way out of using violence and make some kind of deal. That never happens in this book. As the bad guy dives and reaches for The Boy, The Man is also dropping down, pulling out his gun, and steadying his shot. No discussion takes place. The Man simply shoots the bad guy in the head.

He was a big man but he was quick. He dove and grabbed the boy and rolled and came up holding him against his chest with the knife at his throat. The man had already dropped to the ground and he swung with him and leveled the pistol and fired from a two-handed position balanced on both knees at a distance of six feet. The man fell back instantly and lay with blood bubbling from the hole in his forehead.

The violence in this book is quick, to the point, graphic, and deadly. This is one way that the author lets readers know that there is very little hope left in the world. The Man sees everybody as a threat and somebody that either needs to be avoided or eliminated. It's a kill or be killed world, and there isn't an in between. The world that the main characters live in is a dangerous and violent world. There is no such thing as a fair fight, and The Man is willing to be as violent as he absolutely has to be in order to keep his son alive.

In The Road, Cormac McCarthy paints a bleak picture of humanity, where many of the remaining survivors have resorted to cannibalism as a source of sustenance. This brings to light that violence is always a threat to the father and son as they travel the road. They must be vigilant and constantly watch for the “bad guys” who would use violence on then. A great example of this is when the father is shot in the leg while walking through a seemingly deserted town. The violence is a threat that constantly hangs over their heads. Violence is also a means of protection for the father and son. Perhaps that should be amended to just the father. He has no qualms about using violence against anyone who threatens them. The son, however, feels differently and doesn’t wish harm on many of the people they encounter. An example of this occurs when the father threatens to kill the man who stole all their belongings off the beach. The father would not hesitate were it not for the son begging him to be kind.