Daniel makes stuff, and, in his spare time, writes about things like movies, kid culture, and geek stuff.
A Conversation with Cormac McCarthy

The Wall Street Journal has a conversation with author Cormac McCarthy and director John Hillcoat, preceding the release of the film adaptation of McCarthy’s 2006 novel “The Road” – a post-apocalyptic story of a father’s and son’s struggle for survival.

McCarthy shares some very poignant thoughts on writing, getting older in life, and fatherhood. I was especially moved by this passage in the conversation, offered in response to a question of whether he felt humans were innately good:

I don’t think goodness is something that you learn. If you’re left adrift in the world to learn goodness from it, you would be in trouble. But people tell me from time to time that my son John is just a wonderful kid. I tell people that he is so morally superior to me that I feel foolish correcting him about things, but I’ve got to do something—I’m his father. There’s not much you can do to try to make a child into something that he’s not. But whatever he is, you can sure destroy it. Just be mean and cruel and you can destroy the best person.

Nov 14, 2009 :: Tagged under: , , , , :: #