The Darkest Path Summary & Character Analysis

The Darkest Path by Jeff Hirsch is an futuristic fiction novel that takes place in the year 2026.  The United States is divided into 2 factions The Golden Path and The Federation.  Cal was given the choice which is to be recruited into the Path or die.  Cal and his brother James have been in the Path for 6 years.  Cal was novice he was close to being a civilian which grants him a room to himself and everything else he wants.  Cal had to do one thing to be promoted he had to manipulate a whole base of Federation into leaving their base but he also needed to look the part.  Cal was beaten by a sergeant so he could look like a runner the plan worked but Cal was mislead.  Commander Monroe instead of giving Cal what he promised he promoted him to private which makes Cal a official soldier for the Golden Path.


Cal is a persistent/brave person mainly because of what he goes through just to achieve his goal.  In the book it states that Cal runs through deserts while being malnourished and goes up against Federation and Path soldiers unarmed.  Cal's goal is to make it to New York because he thinks that maybe his family is alive.  Cal gets a chance to go to New York on a plane but the plan changes and the plane is going to Canada instead.  A little more into the chapter Cal gets told by a character that the people guarding them are heading to Philadelphia and Virginia.  Cal goes to the airstrip with his new friends and starts running through the woods to New York.  Cal runs through refugees, Path, and Federation Soldiers to get to New York he seems persistent.