Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Cameron, like many kids of his generation, grew up watching the roadrunner cartoons. He still enjoys watching them occasionally, particularly when he's stoned and can enjoy the subtle humor (yeah, subtle like an anvil to the head). In the beginning of the book, Cam decides to get high and relax with his favorite cartoon:
Finally, I flip on the ConstaToons channel so I can watch a marathon of my favorite animated classic, the one where a poor, bedraggled coyote chases a roadrunner around a tumbleweedy landscape. Every single time, this poor guy gets his ass handed to him by TNT gone wrong or falling anvils or other backfiring ruses. But he never stops chasing that damn roadrunner. (5.6)
The idea that someone could keep chasing after a goal even after he's encountered seemingly insurmountable obstacles sounds familiar, doesn't it? Perhaps the coyote is a stand-in for Cameron, and he's constantly chasing after life—the roadrunner—which throws numerous roadblocks in his path until ultimately evading him.
I've seen this one a million times. The coyote rigs a skewed-perspective backdrop of a long hallway with many doors painted on it. It's just a painting, but somehow, the roadrunner zooms right into the picture as if it's real, opens one of the doors, and escapes. The coyote's got a big "Wha … ?" on his face. He runs into the painting, and they chase each other in and out of doors, just missing each other. Finally, the coyote opens a door and a train runs him right over, poor bastard. (5.7)
That hallway with the endless doorways is a lot like Cameron's mission to save the world. It's one big illusion and in the end he gets nailed anyway. Bummer.