Abstract: Ethics and morality are the central themes that run through the novel The Road. Through an apocalyptic post-modern parable on ethics and morality， Cormac McCarthy discloses the ethical disorder and demoralization in post-modern society and depicts the ethical dilemma modern men are in. For the sake of being alive， “the man” and “the boy” are confronted with many ethical difficulties and ethical choices， which form the most important ethical complexes in the novel. Based on the post-modern ethical theories and from the perspective of ethical literary criticism， the paper analyzes the protagonists’ ethical identity and ethical choices， and decodes the ethical complexes for a good and new understanding of McCarthys ethical values.

Key words: Cormac McCarthy, The Road, post-modern ethics, ethical literary criticism, apocalyptic novel