The Father and The Boy from Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road'

[Curt]

Hi All,

My apologies for the cross-post from my blog but I wanted to give some additional press to these wonderful figures.

As per tradition, I make sure to open and close each year’s Painting Challenge with my own entries. As rearguard this year I decided to post a small vignette based on one of my favourite books, Cormac McCarthy’s ‘The Road’.

In McCarthy’s book an unnamed father and his young son journey across a grim post-apocalyptic landscape, several years after an unexplained apocalypse has destroyed civilization and most life on Earth.  While the story is framed in this horrific setting it is, at its core, a tender love story between a father and his son.

Much of the book is written in an abbreviated third person style, with references to "the father" and "the son" or to "the man" and "the boy."

Realizing that they cannot survive the oncoming winter, the father takes his boy south, along desolate roads, always towards the sea, carrying their meager possessions in their knapsacks.

They have a pistol, but only two bullets. In a chilling passage in the book, the boy is reminded that he is to use the gun on himself, if necessary, to avoid falling into the hands of other survivors, as most have turned to cannibalism.

The father struggles to protect his son from the constant threats of attack, exposure, and starvation. In the face of these obstacles, the man repeatedly reassures the boy that they are "the good guys" who are "carrying the fire". On their journey, the pair scrounge for food, evade roving bands, and contend with many horrors.  An old man they discover on the road acts as seer for them and says that the boy has a glow about him – inferring that he is blessed. As the story moves forward the father feels he has to do things that are insensitive if not inhumane in order to keep his son safe.  This progresses to the point where the reader is left with the impression that The Father is perhaps no longer ‘carrying the fire’. But one can only sympathize with his situation and we are forced to ask ourselves, ‘If the world ran down, and chaos reigned, how far would we go to keep the ones we love safe?’

The book is very powerful and I believe it ends the way it should (I won’t say more as I don’t want to spoil it for those who’ve not read it). If you haven’t picked it up it I heartily recommend you do so.

The figures of 'The Father' and 'The Boy' are from Lead Adventure and are modeled closely to the actors in the film. Beautiful castings. I did them in greyscale with only The Boy’s face being in colour, ‘carrying the fire’, as it were. I diverted somewhat from the original colour tones in the stills from the film, instead playing with the contrasting greys of their clothes to bring attention to both their faces and The Father's hands. I created the base to depict one of the many roads that they traveled on. The centerline is broken to foreshadow events in their journey.

Thanks for looking in!

Regards,

Curt
http://analogue-hobbies.blogspot.ca/

[Timbor]

Great job!  I have seen the movie but not read the book, I think you did a stellar job here with some stellar miniatures. 

[Ray Earle]

Lovely monotone work. 

Although, possibly one of the most depressing films I've ever watched.

[Cotton Eyed Joe]

Great job on some cool minis..

The Road is cool and depressing...

Joe

[Brummie Thug]

Fantastic job from a fantastic book.

[Mason]

Beautiful brushwork and clever thought process behind the monotone theme.
 

[Curt]

Thanks very much for your comments everyone - it's greatly appreciated.

Curt

[Stepman3]

great job on the figures...The book was one of the most depressing things I've ever read with absolutely no joy in it what so ever...I think I'll read it again...

[Daeothar]

Great work on those minis; the well thought-out paint job could indeed only be conceived by those who have read the book. You've perfectly captured the essence of this great volume.

I really loved the cadence of the prose, which had an almost poetic rhythm to it. And even though it was bleak (very bleak), the relationship between the father and his son was heart warming, and the ending was like the ray of sunshine the rest of the book so desperately missed.

It does leave a mark on the soul though, and even though I own the DVD of the film (for several years now), I have yet to find the right time to watch it; if it is even a little true to the book, it will not be a frivolous sitting...

But your excellent paint job might just convince me to pop that disk in the player on some rainy, gloomy evening. Luckily spring is upon us, and it will be sunny outside again the next morning!

[Malebolgia]

Fantastic post and paintjob. The whole memory to the intense experience that was The Road made me scour the web to find the Last Heroes package...and finally found it. Thanks!
I watched the movie by the way. Was stoked before going (never heard of the novel before) and left the cinema dazzled. A fantastic movie, but so bleak, sad and gut wrenching. Never had that experience before and never had it afterwards. Now (as a father of a boy) I don't know if I'd watch it again...

[miros]

Really nice job.

[Pizzagrenadier]

Great job on these. I think they do justice to the spirit of the book. The Road was one of those books that comes along once in a lifetime. I read it when my son was two (after having been born early and being in the NICU). It had a huge impact on me about what it really is to be a father. So heart wrenching. But so good.

[Kikuchiyo]

I know this is an old thread and digging it up might be not the done thing on here

but if this is a still avalible set I cannot find it?

Any help would be appreciated

[ulverston]

Not seen the film but I read the book and got thoroughly down! Would not recommend anyone read it but those figures are very nice and very well painted.

[Iv.An.]

Hate this book