To Be Or Not To Be

Suicide is a very controversial topic. It was presented earlier this year in our reading of Hamlet, and was brought up again this week in The Road.

The Road presents two opposing perspectives on suicide. The mother kills herself, while the father chooses to try and live. The world has been destroyed by some presumably man-made apocalypse, and most people are dead. Many that aren't dead have joined Blood Cults and other such groups that brutally rape, kill, and eat people. This is not exactly an ideal scenario to be in. The mother says that she can't go on trying to survive, and she'd rather not live in such a cruel and messed-up world. The father, on the other hand, does not commit suicide. He chooses this path because of his son. He loves his son very much, and wants him to grow up and live a happy life. The thought of either killing his son or leaving his son alone is unbearable.

Some might call suicide an easy way out. I would definitely agree that it prevents a good deal of suffering and harm, both physical and emotional. However, I don't think it should be looked on (in this instance at least) with disdain. With the world in such an awful place, the question arises about whether it is better to try and survive, or whether it is simply not worth it.

I'm not suggesting I have an answer to this question, and hopefully I'll never need one. I just want to stress the fact that suicide is not as black-and-white and issue as it is often portrayed.