From Literary Narrative to Cinematic Representation: Examining the Impact of Narrative Structure on Interpretation in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and Its Adaptation

Pourgharib, Behzad

doi:10.22034/jlc.2025.527138.1737

From Literary Narrative to Cinematic Representation: Examining the Impact of Narrative Structure on Interpretation in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and Its Adaptation

Document Type : Original Article

Author

behzad pourgharib

Associate Professor of English Language and Literature, Department of English Language Translaton, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran

10.22034/jlc.2025.527138.1737

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative analysis of Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road and its film adaptation directed by John Hillcoat. Drawing on Linda Hutcheon’s A Theory of Adaptation, the study regards the cinematic adaptation not as a mechanical transfer or mere rewriting of the source text, but as a creative and independent reimagining of the literary work. The analysis is conducted on three levels: narrative structure, character development, and audiovisual elements, examining the fundamental differences between the two media in terms of storytelling and meaning-making. The findings reveal that the film, through the use of mise-en-scène, lighting, music, sound, and actors’ performances, offers a distinct visual and sensory experience of the story; whereas the novel, with its minimalist style, economical language, and nonlinear structure, delves more deeply into the psychological, emotional, and philosophical layers of the narrative. The study concludes that despite structural and thematic alterations, the film adaptation of The Road succeeds in creating a fresh, autonomous, yet complementary interpretation of the post-apocalyptic world portrayed in the original work.

Keywords

Cinematic Adaptation, Cormac McCarthy, Linda Hutcheon&‌rsquo

s Theory, Intermedial Narrative , The Road

Subjects