The Remains of the American Dream in Cormac McCarthy's The Road

Abstract

The paper aims to introduce readers to the concept of the American dream and analyze its evolution, which takes place alongside the gradual shifts in society. In an attempt to define this elusive notion, we shall come across various meanings of the American Dream and its significance as an integral part of one’s identity. The American Dream is then related to the Utopian impulse, as the author sets out to relate the pursuit of happiness to an overall prevalence of hope as a guiding factor. While Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road is set in post-apocalyptic wastelands devoid of any hopes and dreams, one of the protagonists, the Boy, embodies remnants of the American Dream. The Boy thus provides hope for a brighter future, which allows him to preserve the remnants of what we call the American Dream.