"Lack of hyperbolic language highlights the extremity of the situation."


The lack of hyperbolic language suggests there is no divide between the ordinary day to day activities which they carry out and the events which we as the reader would consider 'extreme.' For the man and the boy, every single day is extreme because they never know where their next meal or resources will come from which is just as big a problem as their encounters with the dead corpses and the 'bad guys'. The man's language is limited and expressionless now because he has no need to exaggerate because if anything he would wish their situation was less extreme. Their is no need for words for exaggeration because not much could be worse than telling the truth of how awful their lives have become. His plain and simple language mimics the minimalistic and primal lifestyle they have had to adapt to and the brutality of the events seem incredibly real due to the flat, expressionless way they are told, using familiar daily objects we associate with to make the story 'real' but with a negative twist. 


The man and the boy must constantly continue travelling to reach the South where they believe it is better, so not involving hyperbolic language they are spurring the reader on to continue travelling with them, as they leave themselves no time to wallow in their own misery as they reflect on their extreme situation. Everything is told in a monotonous tone, showing they just have to take everything as it comes and cannot let whatever happens affect them in a great way, as it is nothing they can control. Most of the situations they face will only continue to haunt them if they allow them to so by not dwelling on the events it will leave a smaller impact, hinted by the quote "you forget what you want to remember and remember what you want to forget". Attempting to forget the events will only make them more prominent so disregarding them as normal situations makes it easier for them to detach themselves from the cruelty of the new world.


They do not wish to spend time feeling sorry for themselves and realise they have no other option than to keep doing, ruling out giving up. If one bad thing happens to them, they do not give up completely but rather they keep trying in hope of finding a better place. By not letting the events get to them it is easier to do this as their hope is not dwindled by their past experiences. Exaggerated language does make the reader empathise with the characters, but it is not necessary in The Road because the events which happen to them are much worse than anything we as readers could imagine happening to us. Their is no need to provoke sympathy from the reader because it is assumed they will automatically empathise with the characters because of the cruelness of their situation anyway. McCarthy clearly does not want the reader to become too attached to the characters though, so to combat this they are shown as very emotionless themselves and are difficult to become attached to as they are such empty people from their traumas. 


"Avoiding emotional language and keeping it simple makes the narrative all the more emotionally engaging."


Emotional language seems to be avoided in The Road to show detachment from the characters to each other and with the reader. Lessening the emotional attachments they share with each other makes the events which follow seem much less painful and upsetting for the man and the boy when they can pretend they do not feel emotions. For example, the man's wife leaving him on page 57 appears to be an extremely cruel and selfish act for her to do, especially the way she tells him, using phrases such as 'I don't care', however if she was more emotional and caring, it would be much more difficult for the man and the boy to move on and keep wishing she was with them. Detaching herself from the situation allows them to accept that she has gone without feeling so much regret and hurting them more than if they felt she should still be with them. 


Simple phrases in The Road have much deeper meanings than what is initially read so the book manages to engage the reader to try and work out what they truly mean, for example the phrase 'tolling silence' is used to personify the earth to show the deafening silence of death inhabiting the world, creating an eerie atmosphere and urges the reader to continue to discover more about the novel. The quote "Query: How does the never to be differ from what never was?" brings the idea of the past and present together, with the 'never to be' suggesting false hopes of what will never happen. The man wishes to forget what 'never was', such as his wife and the old memories of his past life as he realised they are 'never to be' again and he cannot dwell on them any longer. This is reflected by him placing down his belongings in the middle of the road and walking away as they are no longer a part of him anymore. Dwelling on the 'never to be' and 'what never was' distracts him from being able to focus on the present which is essential to ensure they have a chance of survival. The lack of emotional language on the surface provides a pathway to his inner emotions which mean much more than what he could express with words. 


Perhaps another reason emotional language is not used is because the man simply has no emotion left to express his feelings. 'On this road there are no godspoke men. They are gone and I am left and they have taken with them the world' could suggest the good men have disappeared and left with his emotions and feelings and he is left as a bad man who does not deserve to have emotions because he is no longer good. His lack of emotions reflect his bleak outlook on life and they were torn away from him the moment his wife left him. I believe his wife had a huge impact on the way he now views the world because she 'cheated' on him with death and death now surrounds and engulfs them. His memories of her are fond and provide a contrast to the dull, harshness of their current world, hinting that when she left she took part of him with her.


We are engaged with his lack of emotional language because we as the reader constantly use emotional language. We are not accustomed to his expressionless vocabulary and are encouraged to try and understand him by wanting to figure out why he is the way he is. The man and his situation are alien to us and our desire to understand different people engages the reader with the book to see how he can possibly lack so much emotion.