2022 IB Diploma Extended Essays

the basis of the inherent good and evil in representing human experience. The methodology used for this investigation includes a close reading of both books, alongside critical annotations. I will also be using a variety of secondary sources, to extend the research and gain a further understanding of the plethora of significant features that surround the ‘Grotesque’. Throughout this extended essay, there are three main sections that are discussed in depth: the exploration of the unavoidable sin of human nature, the effects of characterization on reader reflection through the lenses of different individuals, and the intrinsic beauty of nature. The assimilation of all three sections combined, reveals key factors of the genre - more so its influence on readers in comprehending the raw and twisted nature of being human. Cormac McCarthy is an American writer, known for his unique writing style and ghastly depictions. Written in 1971, his third novel, Child of God , sheds light on the life of a depraved young necrophile in Appalachian Tennessee. As a social outcast his whole life, Lester Ballard is driven to insanity after losing his childhood home. Desperate for affection and sex, his violent tendencies grow after he is falsely accused of rape. Ballard gradually detaches from society and becomes a heinous creature who hides in mountain caves, dressed in his victims’ hair and clothing. This alludes to the paradigm of individual versus society, which explores Ballard’s need to escape reality. Eventually, he is admitted to a mental asylum and dies of natural causes. Ballard leaves behind a mythical narrative that is enshrined by the inhabitants of the town. Child of God elucidates a sense of vulgar violence yet undeniable realness through the damaged mind of Lester Ballard. McCarthy utilises a combination of wicked deviance and the absence of value judgments to build the confronting essence of the ‘Grotesque’, which allows readers to explore the power of the profoundly immoral disposition that typifies humankind.

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