symbols - adventure.

the question of whether it is an adventure novel is definitely debatable.it does conform to the conventional theme of good guys and bad guys being protagonist and antagonists. with the introduction of these bad guys it allows the struggle against oppression of these evil people to be portrayed in a way that makes the adventure seem morally right. when looking at it as an adventure novel we see the road as a symbol for their adventure ever going and never stopping even as the man dies the boy must move on as the road goes ever onwards. the road also becomes a symbol for the book itself and that as we read it we move along the road learning like the boy what we can about humanity and moral implications of the actions taken.

other symbols in the road-
water. water is used primarily for drinking though when they find the bunker it is used to wash and clean.this is a symbol of batism as the man washes the boy he tries to wash his sinsaway as well as the sins of humanity to cause him to live in this world.
the sea. the sea is symbolic of their hope, though it provides no salvation once they reach it,it always was their goal, their aim and it promised them reward even just for reaching it that the rest of the world has been lacking.
the fire. fire is significantly viewed in both a positive and negative light as it becomes more than just the destruction and death it causes and is instead a form of goodness and life in the way a phenoix is reborn so had the world been destryed in order to give way to something more. in this way when the boy is said to be carrying the fire it shows he is going and ushering in this new begining.