Den postapokalyptiska naturens inverkan i Cormac McCarthys The Road

This essay argues that the post-apocalyptic nature in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road greatly affects its protagonists. By using an ecocritical approach, including material ecocriticism and the notion of a pastoral past, it examines the relationship between nature and humans in a setting where almost all kinds of life have ceased to exist. The essay further examines how nature shapes the resilience and determination of the characters in the novel, and ultimately, their deterioration. Consequently, the essay claims that nature sets the tone in the novel, and is thus in control of the protagonists’ lives.