The Road
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Pages 1-29 Pages 29-60 Pages 60-91 Pages 91-124 Pages 124-156 Pages 156-189 Pages 189-246 Pages 246-287
Themes
All Themes Death and Violence Familial Love Survival and Perseverance Faith, Trust, and Doubt Dreams and Memory
Quotes
Characters
All Characters The Man The Boy The Woman The Gang Member Ely The Thief The “Good Guy” Man
Symbols
All Symbols The Road The Flarepistol “Carrying the Fire”
Literary Devices
All Literary Devices Allusions Flashbacks Foil Foreshadowing Genre Hyperbole Imagery Mood Motifs Pathos Personification Setting Similes Stream of Consciousness Style Tone
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The Road

by Cormac McCarthy
Upgrade to A+
Introduction Intro
Plot Summary Plot
Summary & Analysis
  • Pages 1-29
  • Pages 29-60
  • Pages 60-91
  • Pages 91-124
  • Pages 124-156
  • Pages 156-189
  • Pages 189-246
  • Pages 246-287
Themes
  • All Themes
  • Death and Violence Theme Icon
    Death and Violence
  • Familial Love Theme Icon
    Familial Love
  • Survival and Perseverance Theme Icon
    Survival and Perseverance
  • Faith, Trust, and Doubt Theme Icon
    Faith, Trust, and Doubt
  • Dreams and Memory Theme Icon
    Dreams and Memory
Quotes
Characters
  • All Characters
  • The Man
  • The Boy
  • The Woman
  • The Gang Member
  • Ely
  • The Thief
  • The “Good Guy” Man
Symbols
  • All Symbols
  • The Road Symbol Icon
    The Road
  • The Flarepistol Symbol Icon
    The Flarepistol
  • “Carrying the Fire” Symbol Icon
    “Carrying the Fire”
Lit Devices
  • All Literary Devices
  • Allusions
  • Flashbacks
  • Foil
  • Foreshadowing
  • Genre
  • Hyperbole
  • Imagery
  • Mood
  • Motifs
  • Pathos
  • Personification
  • Setting
  • Similes
  • Stream of Consciousness
  • Style
  • Tone
Theme Wheel Theme Viz
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Download the Teacher Edition
Download this Chart (PDF)

The Road Study Guide

It's easy to cite LitCharts for use in academic papers and reports.


MLA

Cosby, Matt. "The Road." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 11 Aug 2014. Web. 10 Apr 2026.


Chicago

Cosby, Matt. "The Road." LitCharts LLC, August 11, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2026. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-road.

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