The Road, a gripping novel about a post-apocalyptic world, demonstrates a great understanding of the reasoning behind human choices. While he leads a normal life with his wife and child, an unknown disaster occurs, leaving the world in ruins and a father caring for his son alone. He continues to raise his son, facing difficult decisions every day, but inclusively decides to continue living. After discovering a bunker full of non-perishable goods, the father makes the difficult decision to leave. Finally, the father chooses to take the clothes of a thief; which presumably leads to the death of the thief. However, the son declares his disagreement with his father's choice, leading to a change of heart. The incredibly difficult choices the father makes throughout the novel demonstrate his commitment to a strong relationship between him and his son. The first difficult choice the reader becomes aware of comes in a flashback about a fifth of the way through the story. The father must choose whether he wants to live with his son or follow his wife's actions and commit suicide. The father chooses to live with his son in this new wasteland of the world; even though his wife chose the simplest path, ending her life. Only together, the two must learn to survive in this new wilderness. As Ms. Lana Beckwith says in a review of the novel: "All these two people have left is each other, and so begins a story of tenacity, sacrifice, and redemptive power of love” (20). Every day the boy and his father struggle to survive and at one point the boy states, "I wish I was with mommy," and his father interprets this statement as a wish to die. They continue to struggle to survive until; Eventually, they find a “refuge”. This “refuge” in the middle of paper... uh probably would never have survived. The two characters complement each other as the boy “carries the fire” acting as a Messiah-like figure, seeing the good in everyone and everything. The father acts rather realistically, living in constant fear. The father's decisions: to leave the bunker, continue his life and tell the boy that the thief was going to die anyway, come from a more realistic point of view; while the boy considers everyone to be really good, as if he wants to return his clothes to the thief. The father's choices reflect his love for his son, and although he suffers greatly throughout the novel, his relationship with his son remains unbreakable. Works Cited Beckwith, Lana. “HarperCollins’ corporate communications wizard on a modern post-apocalyptic classic.” The Bookseller May 15, 2009: 20. Gale Power Search. Internet. March 5. 2014.