The Gift in Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead and Cormac Mccarthy’s The Road

The theology of the gift explored, in the writings of John Barclay, John Milbank, and Simon Oliver, provides a useful framework for understanding how the gift operates in two Pulitzer-winning novels: Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead and Cormac McCarthy’s The Road . While scholars of Robinson and McCarthy have explored the religious dimensions in each text, there has been a dearth of analysis connecting these two texts, especially around the topic of grace. Both novels share an understanding of gift rooted in a biblical vision of creation and incarnation. The essay, in turn, questions postsecular readings of Gilead and The Road that emphasize the presence of “weak religion” by suggesting that a robust theological content exists in these two texts.