The Road, By Cormac Mccarthy

Is there a time you remember a time where you were moved? A moment in time where you just thought about something that really struck you? Well, throughout the book, The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, there were many passages which really struck and moved me. The story line provides and displays numerous amounts of influential passages, and one that really struck me the most is when they find a door leading downwards to a "cellar" type area. The passage reads as follows:

He started down the rough wooden steps. He ducked his head and then flicked the lighter and swung the flame out over the darkness like an offering. Coldness and damp. An ungodly stench. The boy clutched at his coat. He could see part of a stone wall. Clay floor. An old mattress darkly stained. He crouched and stepped down again and held out the light. Huddled against the
back wall were naked people, male and female, all trying to hide, shielding their faces with their hands.
On the mattress lay a man with his legs gone to the hip and the stumps of them blackened and burnt. The smell was hideous (105).

Without a doubt, this to me stood out to be the most moving scene in the book for many reasons. Firstly, when I read, I read books as if I were watching them, almost like a movie. I like to imagine what's happening and put myself in the place of the character so I can fully experience the book. While reading this scene, putting myself in the place of any of the characters was very moving to me. Imagine yourself in a world like they live in, facing all the hardships, experience all the things they have, and then come to this. The little bit of innocence the boy has left is taken right away from him, almost as if his "childhood" was taken right away from him. As for the man, he worries more about to kid than himself. Although the sight still affects him, I believe that I would be more disappointed and worried and about the kid being traumatized and having his innocence being taken away from him in such a harsh manner. Also, for most books and movies, usually the most memorable one is
the one that moved me the most, and the one that is most memorable is usually the scariest, happiest, or funniest scene. In this case, the memorable scene came from a rather horror based book, creating a scary memorable passage. To me, the most terrifying moment in any horror story is when a noise is heard. Either a noise behind a closet door, a noise heard in an attic, or the basement etc., and then a person pursues the sound. We always get a sense of urgency and want to yell to the character to not go there. It's that moment of suspense, the second before the "surprise" is revealed, that is the most gripping. Which leads me to the third reason that this passage is the most moving, gross factor. The gross factor refers to how raw or disgusting a scene presents itself as, making it more memorable and moving. For example, even after all that the two have been through, they are still shocked and disgusted by what they see, proving that the sight is truly horrendous. With all there contributing factors, putting myself in the place of the characters was almost impossible. Overall, the man and boy experience many scenes that could stand out as the most moving passage, but to me it is the one when they go down into the room and find all the naked people huddled up against the walls, waiting to be eaten. This is so because of the memorability, shock factor, and gross factor, stayed with me and moved me more than the other passages did.