English2200

I wanted to respond to the post about "Ely" because there is a lot of conversation in this section compared to other parts of the book. Ely seems to me a contradiction of sorts, even the way he talks. At one point he seems as if he's an expert on things and then the next minute he doesn't know anything, and then you find out his name isn't even Ely. I think Ely does represent the worldview, because the world, its ideas, the media, the"facts" keep changing. But I think the conversation revolves more around what purpose does the human race have now that the world has ended, and that is why I think God is brought into the conversation. Because I believe, even in this book, that God brings a active purpose to people and their lives. Again I feel a contradiction in the way Ely says, "There is no God and we are his prophets" even though this gives an idea that the end of the world, and the fruitless existence that they seem to be living is testament that there is no God, Ely still gives God a form. They are still talking about God. They talk of God and they talk of the Road. These two subjects keep being brought up in the story so these are the subjects that I feel McCarthy wants to keep alive. When the man says, " What if I said that he's a god." This shows me that the boy is now the man's purpose. That whatever religious beliefs he might have had have been transferred to the boy. The boy is now what he worships, idealizes, loves,and whom he serves. As if the relationship between the boy and the man wasn't already intense, McCarthy brings it to a whole new emotional level.