The Ending

In The Road, several points could be considered as the ending of the book.

Reaching the beach?

• End of the literal journey. Getting to the beach was the goal for the man and the boy, and by reaching the beach, they have reached the end of their physical, literal journey.
• Could be considered anti-climactic, reality versus expectations. The man and the boy were hopeful for what they'd find at the beach. The man had said to the boy that the sea might be blue, and apologised when there wasn't. 
• Links to the mother's death, full of hopelessness. Mother gave up.
• Limited linguistic palette.
• "Smog across the horizon." This quote shows that the whole world has come across the same fate as the country the man and the boy have. Also, the fish are found dead on the beach, showing that whatever has happened has killed everything, including the sea life.
• Nothing changes when they reach the beach despite the travelling. "Barren, silent, godless" at the beginning of the book mirrors the description of the beach at the end of the novel, "Cold. Desolate. Birdless."

When the man dies? (Page 301)

• End of original narrative viewpoint from the man.
• The "fading light" symbolises the end of hope. 
• "Old dreams encroached upon the waking world", the man dreaming the same dream as at the very start of the novel makes The Road seem cyclical, that hope will always end.
• The boy has to accept that the journey has ended. "In that cold corridor, they had reached a point of no return."
• The "ever darkening" tunnel shows that their journey has been pointless and futile.
• When the man dies, the scene becomes incredibly cheesy and emotional. The boy says to the man "You said you'd never leave me." This outburst of emotion is unusual. Wearing a mask, mask taken off and emotions revealed.
• The man fails to do what his wife knew he couldn't, can't kill the boy. "Take me with you."
• Start of new narrative viewpoint (the boy) which could be a reason why ending is more hopeful and optimistic with no questions asked.

The final paragraph? (My choice for the ending)

• Physical ending of the book
• Retrospective of pre-apocalyptic world
• Fish go home to breed but can't go home, nothing can return to how it was.
• "They smelled of moss in your hand" appreciation of senses that have now been lost.
• "Maps of the world" definite, fixed. Nothing will return to how it was pre-apocalyptically.