Original artwork, not a still
The Road · 2006
The boy and his father, The Road (2006)
Are we still the good guys? / Yes. We're still the good guys.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
In a world with no law, the father and son keep a private moral code, and this repeated question is how they check it. The simplicity of the exchange is why it is quoted at funerals and by parents; it is also why it hurts, since the answer is a vow the father cannot prove. 'Good guys' has become the book's shorthand for decency under pressure.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The RoadShow the scene
The exchange comes late in Cormac McCarthy's The Road, between the man and his young son as they walk south through the burnt, ash-covered country after an unnamed cataclysm. The boy asks if they are still the good guys, and the father says they are, and always will be. They have survived by avoiding other travellers, some of whom are cannibals, so the question is a real one. McCarthy wrote the book in six weeks and dedicated it to his son John.
Sources (2)
- The Road (Wikiquote)whole pageReference checked
- The Road (novel) (Wikipedia)whole pageReference checked
Context reviewed
