America’s Future as a Wasteland in Cormac McCarthy’s <i>The Road</i> (2007)

Abstract

Cormac McCarthy's The Road presents an awesome future vision of America as a wasteland. It predicts the American nightmare in the future. There is unknown catastrophe has ruined the earth and destroyed human civilization. McCarthy believes that human beings are constantly aware of the influence of nature on their lives in the form of the air they breathe, the water they drink and the food they eat. Ecocriticism is an appropriate critical approach to The Road because there is a strong presence of nature and environment throughout his work; and because of the great influence of nature and environment on the thoughts and actions of the characters. All over the scenes of the novel from the very beginning till the end, the terrifying atmosphere dominates the events. McCarthy focuses only on the enmity of nature for human beings by looking at the negative side. He chooses to talk about American nightmare instead of American dream. He seems to warn the Americans not to feel safe all the time depending on what is called the American Dream which can be changed to American nightmare.