The plot of Cormac McCarthy’s novel focuses on two people, the father and his son having a challenging journey across the post-apocalyptic continent. Throughout the novel, there is an idea of carrying the fire. Even in the end, the boy asks a stranger, whether he has been carrying it as well, and the affirmative answer gives hope to the desperate boy. The notion of carrying the fire is strongly related to the Picunii people, it means revitalization and continuity, so the father aims to make the son confident in the positive outcome.
The main characters are “carrying the fire” with the hope that one day everything will return to its place and become even better. According to Picunii traditions, the fire was a method to destroy the land so that nature would renew; the fire also symbolized continuity (Forest Service 00.01.07-00.02.23). Picunii people used to carry the fire from the previous settlement to the new one so that there was the same fire in the new place (Forest Service 00.02.23-00.03.31). In the novel, the family is struggling to find shelter, a safe place. For the main characters, the idea of carrying the fire means that in the future, they will find a place where the new life will begin, and they will be able to live the way as it was before. Father has taught his son that he will bring the fire to the final destination, so the boy feels safe when a stranger says he has his flame.
To sum up, the idea of carrying the fire stems from Picunii traditions; it meant a revitalization and continuity. In the novel, the father is talking about carrying the fire to teach his son that there was hope. The family, later only the boy, has a strong desire to bring the flame from the previous place to the new one where everything can start again.
Work Cited
“Carrying Fire the Pikunii Way.” Youtube, uploaded by Forest Service, 2017.