What is a significant major event in the book 'The Road' by American novelist Cormac McCarthy?

A significant major event in the book 'The Road' by American novelist Cormac McCarthy is the discovery by the man and his young son of a group of people who have resorted to cannibalism to survive. The two, in their journey, have happened upon a dilapidated house in the countryside. The father goes into the house to investigate if there is sustenance there that they can acquire – food and clothing, medicine, and such.

While...

A significant major event in the book 'The Road' by American novelist Cormac McCarthy is the discovery by the man and his young son of a group of people who have resorted to cannibalism to survive. The two, in their journey, have happened upon a dilapidated house in the countryside. The father goes into the house to investigate if there is sustenance there that they can acquire – food and clothing, medicine, and such.

While in the house, the father hears a racket coming from downstairs, but he’s unsure of what this is all about. He pries open a floor door to peer down into the subterranean level of this house. What he sees shocks and reviles him.

Down below are human beings who are missing legs, arms and more. This is because the marauders who captured them are keeping them captive below as a food source-  as disgusting as this is. This is a powerful and repugnant scene in the novel. However, it is used to great effect by Cormac McCarthy to show how society has totally broken down.

Mankind has, in essence, turned on itself to survive. The author is showing that it is an “every man for himself” mentality. Common decency and morals are now a thing of the past as concerns a significant number of survivors who are now left in America. This major event in the novel, that cannibalism is now a reality, informs the reader that humankind has possibly reached the point of no return in its decadence.

This scene propels the novel forward in that the man now realizes that he and his son have to quickly get away from the desperate marauding bands that are about. They must get to the coast – their goal -  and see if there are any decent, moral, humane people left in America. The discovery of cannibalism spurs the father to want to protect his son even more. As a result, he will do whatever it takes to protect his son and give him at least some small chance of surviving in this post-apocalyptic world.