Aspects of Narrative

Beginnings:

• Beginning of the journey "Like pilgrims in a fable swallowed up...."
• Sea creature foreshadowing the dead animals later in the novel "And on the far shore a creature..."
• Introduced to the father and then the son later "He woke in the woods....the child sleeping beside him..."
• Introduced to their way of life "....stinking robes and blankets....any light but there was none..."
• The memory of his wife in his dreams "....In his dreams his pale bride came to him...."
• Shown aspects of his previous life "Its the house where I grew up..."
• Introduced to the idea that God doesn't exist "He raised his face to the paling day....Are you there?"

Endings:

• World is ending- the light is disappearing "...cold glaucoma dimming away the world..."
• Loses faith in God "If he is not the word of God God never spoke..."
• Can't let go of his old life "This is where I used to sleep....My cot was against this wall..."
• Rhetorial Question- Debating whether he can kill his son or not " When the time comes? Can you?

Characterization:

• Lack of emotion in speech- father does not want to become to emotionally attached to his son in case something bad happens "Are we going to die?... Sometime. Not now..."
• Child is innocent and needs reassurance "Im really scared....Its alright. We shouldnt have come..."
• No names- no identity "He"
• Subtle hints of emotion "...he'd reach out to touch the child sleeping....sat with his arms around the boy trying to warm him...."
• Link between the child and Jesus "He knew only that the child was his warrant..."
• Weather- "cold glaucoma"

Settings:

• Key setting- the Earth "Tolling in the silence the minutes of the earth...."
• Woods- "When he woke in the woods...."
• The Road- also a major key setting "....walked out to the road..."
• The petrol station- "...they came upon a roadside gas station..."
• Father's childhood home- "...they came upon an old frame house....It's the house where I grew up..."
• The shore- their final destination- " ...they were sitting on the beach....Cold. Desolate. Birdless...."



Destination:

• The South is the basic destination
• Note: The sea links to the memories of the uncle and better times, he thinks he goes to the sea it will be a better life for them both
• Always turn to the road in the end

Journey:

• "They were moving south" (physical destination)
• Emotional journey- whether the Father can kill his son or not when the time arrives
• Unsteady- unplanned route- not really sure where they are or where they are going; just need to head south

        Time:

• "...taking in the silence of the earth..." (just waiting- not time)
• never ending- monotonous "They bore on south in the days and weeks to follow"
• Time no longer means anything- key is survival

 

The Road Rat Questions

What element of forshadowing is employed in this section and why? (pg 62)

The boy playing with the truck "The boy took his truck from the pack..." foreshadows the arrival of the truck and the group of men,more specifically the arrival of the Roadrat. Also the innocent act of the boy playing gives an indication that something bad is about to happen because that tends to be the norm with this narrative, whenever something good happens normally something bad is about to happen. McCarthy does this to keep the reader interested and also to remind us that nothing is really good about the way the world is at this point.

What does the description of the men teach us about them? (Characterisation pg 62-3)

The description of the men suggests that they have adapted to living in the conditions that they find themselves in and it is a new normality for them. "....hooded heads...." suggests that the men are quite sinister and quite intimindating and powerful. The quotes "wearing canister masks....One in a biohazard suit..." suggest that they are well equipped for living in those conditions and the lives that they have been given doesn't scare them, they have simply adapted to the new way of living. "Slouching along with clubs...." also suggestes that they are intimidating characters and that they are not scared to hurt anyone who gets in their way. The fact that they are slouching shows their physical deterioration also, it shows that although they seem quite powerful and intimidating they are in fact very week characters and in fact put on an act of being sinister and powerful.

McCarthy uses a simile when describing the truck 'Lumbering and creaking like a ship'. Why does he do this?

McCarthy uses this similie to describe the truck because he wants us to realise the disintegration of everything in the world. It shows us that the truck is old and falling apart.It could also symbolise the size of the ship and the "creaking" could suggest the struggle that the men have to start the ship. However, it is also a biblical reference to Noah and the ark that he built to save the animals. This reference is quite ironic however as the ship was built to save the animals whereas the journey of the man and his son is about their survival and their survival only. The "creaking" could represent the cracks in the hope of the boy and his father as well as the low chance of their survival. The "lumbering" could represent their continuous and monotonous journey on the road.

Why does Mccarthy describe the Road Rat in such detail? (Characterisation pg 65)

McCarthy describes the Road Rat in such detail because he wants to show the reader how humanity has decreased and how most people have turned to cannabilism and violence as a way of survival. The similie "Like an animal inside a skull looking out the eyeholes.." shows the deterioration of the mans physical state and also gives us the indication that the man has turned to violence in order to survive. It also shows us that he has lost all of his humanity and the only thing is left is the uncontrollable need for survival. The description also gives us the sense of the difficulty they face to be good in a world of bad and violence and that sometimes it is easier to just 'follow the crowd.' In this case it seems as though the Road Rat has decided that it is easier to turn to violence and cannabilism rather than fight for survival like the father and son.

Why is the Road Rats character so explicit whilst the man is so implicit?

What do we learn about the man through his exchanges with the Road Rat? (Pg 68. Consider the Man's impressive medical knowledge, look at the description of the grabbing of the boy and the shooting of the Road Rat)

"A single round left in the revolver. You will not face the truth. You will not" Who is the man echoing here? How do you believe these words are uttered?

Why don't the other men chase after the boy and the man following the shooting? (there are clues on pg 73-4).

It is not until page 77 that the man finally cleans the "gore" and "dead mans brains" from the boys face. Why? (Be aware that in the intervening pages he has kept him warm with blankets, fed him etc yet not cleaned his face)

The End

The ending was an anti-climax. It should have ended when the father died because it would have been more of an effective ending.

Limited Palette

The pared down language of the narrative reflects the pared down life the characters have to live- essentials only

• We as readers are only told what McCarthy thinks we need to know, the descriptions are very basic and only important details are given " In the knapsacks were essential things. In case they had to abandon the cart and make a run for it..."
• It could be said that the details are not important to them, as characters there only worry is their survival, so if the details are not important to them, then why should we be told them, they are no importance to us, as readers "They ate their poor meal cold...." There is no indication of what they ate, this reflects the idea that their only need is to survive and what the food is, is not important. There is no importance to them so why should there be any importance about it for us?
• The gaps in time during the novel reflects the unimportance of the events between two points " They bore on south in the days and weeks to follow..." Yet again there only worry is their survival. Between this point and the previous point nothing of importance has happened. McCarthy has also probably done this to speed the story along and to keep the reader interested and wanting to read on. 
• The language is very simplistic which reflects their simple lives, they go day to day just trying to survive. It could also reflect the increasing tiredness of the pair and how they just continue a long the road, day after day. "They kicked snow over the fire and went on through the trees and circled and came back." Covering up their tracks is yet again a part of their survival and their simple lives, it has become routine to them.

Avoiding emotional language and keeping it simple makes the narrative all the more emotionally engaging

• At first glance there seems to be little or no emotion in this narrative, especially when it comes to the father "We have to go...." Their is no ergency in his voice, yet again trying to keep them both same has become normality, there seems to be no fear anymore.
• There are hints of emotion however, when we look deeper and 'read between the lines' "It'll be okay..." This line is an example of the hidden emotion that can be found in the narrative. The father loves his son dearly and sees it as his job to protect the child from harm. On the other hand, he does not want to become to emotionally attached to the child because, he knows that there is a chance that either the child or he himself will die and he believes that if there is no strong bond between them it will some how be easier emotionally if something does happen to either of them.
• The aspects of emotion during the novel shows the struggle that the father faces to hide his emotions from his son "If you died I would want to die too." This quote in particular shows the struggle that he faces, it also shows his love for his son. By keeping the emotion to a minimum it makes the novel more engaging and it makes us want to read on as readers, almost in hope that the father will begin to show more love and emotion towards his son.