Literary Analysis Essay on The Road & Bird Box

Introduction

'The Road' is a novel written by an American namely Cormac McCarthy. Similarly written by an American, the 'Bird Box' is a novel completed by Josh Malerman who is also a singer. Cormac McCarthy's novel exhibits the journey of a family, in particular, a father and his son as they travel through a landscape engulfed by a calamity which has nearly wiped out the entire humane race (McCarthy). For Malerman's novel, the 'Bird Box' depicts the story of a woman as she struggles to find a place to keep herself and children safe away from an unknown enemy (Malerman). After a critical evaluation of the two texts, both the 'Bird Box' and 'The Road' exhibit the aspect of love although they portray such a factor in different ways.

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In Cormac McCarthy's novel, the aspect of love is depicted in various ways through the father and his kid who share a strong bond. As the kid is generous enough to look after his dad, the father tends to consider the son as his lifeline and the only thing which keeps him alive (McCarthy). As a result, the father loves his son unconditionally and thus feels obliged to protect him rather than protect himself. For instance, during several evenings as the man and his son lay asleep, the author states "...woke in the woods in the dark and the cold of the night he'd reach out to touch the child sleeping beside him" (McCarthy). From the author's statement, the aspect of love is well evident as the man usually woke up from his sleep in the middle of dark and cold nights merely to ensure that his son was still there sleeping by his side safe and sound.

In Josh Malerman's the 'Bird Box,' the element of love is depicted through the female character Malorie. As she is forced to give birth and raise children without any help in a dangerous world where an unknown force is haunting the human race, Malorie takes the necessary precautions to protect her offspring. She frantically searches for a safe place and even goes ahead to provide the training needed for her children to ensure they survive the catastrophe facing humanity (Malerman). For instance, in all evenings during sleep time, the author states "The children sleep under chicken wire draped in black cloth down the hall" (Malerman). Such a statement depicts the aspect of love as Malorie ensures the safety of her children by locking them in a cage covered with a dark cloth at night so that they would not look outside the house while others slept.

The two texts the 'Bird Box' and 'The Road' are thus similar as both depict the theme of love. For instance, McCarthy's novel exhibits the aspect of love by portraying the close relationship between a father and his son which makes it possible for the two to survive the calamity facing humanity (McCarthy). Likewise, the 'Bird Box' by Malerman also exhibits the theme of love by depicting the struggles of Malorie who goes out of her way to ensure the survival of her children by seeking refuge and proving the necessary training (Malerman). However, the texts differ concerning how they exhibit the theme of love. While McCarthy's text exhibits love evoked by maternal instincts, Malerman's novel exhibits love evoked by fate rather than maternal instincts. Thus, in terms of meaning, such factors accomplish the aspect of defining the concept of love.

Works Cited

Malerman, Josh. Bird Box. Harpervoyager, 2014.

McCarthy, Cormac. The road. Pan Macmillan, 2009.