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Vent: This guy at our library book club argued that the ending of 'The Road' was hopeful

We were in the community room last Tuesday, and he kept saying the boy finding the other family proved humanity would survive. I said it just showed more people suffering in a dead world. He got really quiet for a second, then said, 'But they have the fire. That's the whole point.' It made me rethink the book's last paragraph. Has anyone else had a debate that totally flipped how you saw a book's ending?
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3 Comments
sagejackson
Ugh, that book wrecked me. I read it years ago and still think about the canned peaches scene. I always saw the ending as just more of the same gray, awful world, but your guy has a point about the fire. It's not a happy ending, but maybe it's the only kind of hope left, you know? Like the kid gets to keep being the good guy for a little longer, even if the world is still dead.
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the_lucas
the_lucas1d ago
Ever think the fire just means more people to watch it go out?
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alex820
alex82018h ago
Nah, the fire just means more people to watch it go out, @sagejackson.
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