Prompt: In many works of literature, a physical journey- the literal movement from one place to another- plays a central role. Choose a novel, play, or epic poem in which a physical journey is an important element and discuss how the journey adds to the meaning of the work as a whole. “The landscape in the work does not function as the background or physical setting of the narrative It is something that is alive, something that takes a thousand forms; it is a symbol and something more than a symbol: a voice entering into the dialogue and in the end the principal character in the story.” (Alan Cheuse) With the road becoming a character in the novel, the man and boy are constantly faced with challenges from the road. The road and the journey change both the man and the boy as the novel progresses. In The Road, a dystopian novel by Cormac McCarthy, the physical journey the father and son take plays a big part in their survival and their relationship; the road is their only source of direction and greatly affects the way they handle the situations they encounter. Throughout the novel the father portrays his love for his son in many ways; he often protects him from the bad in the world by sheltering him. Towards the beginning of the book, the father and son run into a group of bad guys. The father tells the “roadrat” to “just keep coming,” closer to them as he readies his gun. The father shoots the “roadrat” as he has a hold of his son even though they only have two bullets. The father is constantly trying to shelter his son from the world, saving him from harm. Immediately after shooting the “roadrat” the father realizes he must save the other bullet in case he ever has to kill the boy if they are captured. The dangers of being on the road give the man reason to protect his son as well as shield the boy from threatening situations. The father’s sole purpose is to keep the boy from seeing the reality of this new world in which they are living. He continues to foster the belief in t