Does This Book Complete the Road to AP Merit?

Upon completion of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, it is my duty to asses the validity of the claim that this book is AP worthy. Beyond being a Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction, The Road is clearly a book of AP merit- but why? The Road is an AP level novel for a variety of reasons; it can be interpreted in multiple ways, it is a detail oriented story, and the purpose of the novel goes beyond entertainment.

When I say that the road can be interpreted in multiple ways, I mean that different pieces of the book can be put up for debate. As I mentioned in a previous post, I believe that the most debatable theme in this story is noting the differences between good and bad. Throughout the novel the son constantly ensures that his father and him are the “good” guys. Some might make arguments that there are no good people left in society. Others may say that everyone is good from their own point of view. Overall, it is important to note that the novel will be read differently for each reader. One of the reasons this novel is AP worthy is because 5 people could read it, and come up with different meanings. Unlike novels that children read, the good and the evil are not clearly stated, and not everything is laid out to be easily seen. The Road begins to make a journey to becoming AP worthy by providing a different experience for each reader.

Part of the reasoning behind why a novel can be interpreted differently is due to the focus on detail shown throughout the novel. Focusing on detail over general plot is a huge part to creating an AP worthy novel. In The Road, there is not much plot. There is a basic guideline, move south, but there is no army to defeat, no journey to overcome, and no large end goal like most plot based novels. Plot based novels are easily seen in young fiction, like Harry Potter. In these stories, there will always be an attention to detail, however the focus will be on the plot. In AP worthy novels like The Road, detail is key. I do not mean detail as in describing a tree or a house very well, but by repeating descriptions, or using specific language to show hidden meaning within the novel. For example, McCarthy uses repetition of detail as a key in showing the overall bleakness of life; almost every sentence in the first half of the novel referenced the grey landscape. Novels have different focuses depending on the difficulty level, but AP merit novel must keep a focus on detail more than plot.

Tying in to the last qualification of an AP merit novel, a book must have a greater purpose than entertainment. For example, books read for the purpose of stretching imagination, like the Hunger Games, should never be called AP worthy. An AP novel is one that requires thinking. This is linked with the last reason, stories that are focused on plot generally are more focused on pure entertainment. It is the stories that focus on detail that provide a deeper meaning. In The Road, the purpose of the novel is not to enjoy or focus on the journey, but to see what McCarthy is shown with his writing. One of the major ideas McCarthy shows is how basic concepts will change as society does. As previously mentioned, the idea of goodness is one that can take many forms in the new world. As a whole, a novel becomes AP worthy if it is meant to be taken as more than words on a page. Much like The Handmaid's Tale, which had an underlying focus on people's roles of society, and how control is gained, The Road is more than simply words on the page, making worthy of the AP title.

Obviously the novel is considered AP worthy… it has to be if students are reading it for this assignment. After completing the novel I can easily say that it is rightly awarded this title. It goes above and beyond many standards, and is a novel that has many underlying meanings. This well written novel has clearly earned its AP acceptance.