Hunter ReaganMrs. PaschallHonors English IV30 October 2013The Good Guy RulesIn Cormac McCarthy's play The Road, a father and son struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world surrounded by evil. They always refer to themselves as “The Good Guys” (McCarthy 66) and try not to become evil. They see things like cannibalism as evil and would rather go hungry than succumb to this evil. The father constantly tries to avert the child's gaze from the gruesome scenes that characterize this environment. When they consider themselves good guys they refrain from doing anything bad. Erik J. Wielenberg explains it best when he lists the rules of good guys. He lists them as follows: "1. Don't eat people. 2. Don't steal. 3. Don't lie. 4. Keep your promises. 5. Help others. 6. Never give up." (Wielenberg 4). All these rules also have biblical implications behind them. These rules are taught by the father to his son. Even if the father doesn't always follow them. The father has difficulty following rule five: "Help others." The biblical reasoning for this rule is, “And as ye wish men to do unto you, ye also do unto them likewise” (King James Version, Luke 6:31). The child continually wants to help all the people who don't seem to be bad people. At one point the man and his son find a man who has been struck by lightning and the child asks: “Can't we help him? Daddy?" (McCarthy 25). The father does not want to give him any help. This conflict is exemplified when the child and the father meet a man named "Ely". The man seems tired of the man, as shown when it is said: “He looked up and down the street. If this is an ambush, he goes first, he said." (McCarthy 83). The child follows the rules better than the man, as shown when... in the center of the card... the child lives by seven rules that they make them good guys. They do what they have to do to survive, without compromising their morals. They are the epitome of a light shining in the darkness. The conflict between the opposing personalities of father and son is exemplified by observing how they feel about to the rules. The child has ease in following every rule except number six, while the father has difficulty with every rule except number six. This shows that perhaps the characters complement each other. This also shows that perhaps the son is better suited to live in this kind of world than his father. This fact proves that the father taught the child correctly. Works located "Bible Gateway.com: an online Bible available in over 100 versions and 50 languages". Web. 14 November 2013. McCarthy, Cormac. The road. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Print.