Coming Across The Man Who Has Been Struck by Lightning (pp. 50-53).
In one’s own reading, a sense of empathy was emitted for the stricken man; he was helpless and scared. McCarthy’s blunt expression and description is all that is needed to evoke this response; the brutal truth is normally all it takes to bring forth an emotion. For what happens next to this man, we do not know, for all one can assume, this man may go on to make his way to safety but, the more likely assumption is for him to be captured by the road-rats in much a pessimistic novel.
In my experience of reading and re-reading this episode, there are various changes of moods; fear for we, initially, do not know who this man is or if he poses a threat to the pair who are travelling. However, the fear changes to a mixture of relief and sorrow. Relief as this man poses no threat to the pair and sorrow at the fact that this man has been struck by lightning. The naivety of the boy is what draws the audience to truthfully feel emotions as reader’s often forget the innocence of the young and their views of wanting to help others in a world where they know they are helpless. This episode shows the close, yet strained, relationship between the boy and his father. The boy just wants to aid people on their own journeys without realising that helping others will affect his own life. The man knows this as, from reading the book, we can guess that the man has some experience in military/medicinal work. One would most likely guess a first-aider in an army (but this is just an educated guess). These two parallel ideas of each character is what puts a strain on their relationship- the man does not want to be too harsh to the boy but knows he needs to learn that helping others can, in fact, get yourself killed. The techniques McCarthy uses in this extract keep within all over parts of the novel; simple grammar, lots of description.
Shooting the Roadrat (pp. 62-69).
This episode began with the foreshadowing of the boy playing with his truck and making "truck noises" before the road-rats are spotted in their own truck. However, due to McCarthy's vague description as what was coming along the road, and what the "something" was that awoke the man. Wonder was created but soon wonder transformed into fear at the man’s reaction of the road-rats. When the boy was grabbed by the road-rat, concern was felt but when the road-rat was shot, relief was felt briefly as the boy was safe but it was only there momentarily- fear was once again felt as there was now only one bullet left and the other road-rats may have heard the shot ring out. When describing the man and the boy’s escape, with the boy’s forehead being “covered with gore”, sympathy for the child is emitted. The detail in this episode was the main thing that caused this response, that and the conversation that was taking place between the man and road-rat as tension was being built; the conversation was just a distraction and to delay the road-rat’s actions. After this scenario, one can imagine the child to be in shock from the events that had just taken place whereas the man would, most likely, be creating a list of action in his head (e.g. run, find shelter, make sure the road-rats are gone so they are safe, check if the boy is alright, continue down the road). The quickness of the man’s response and his actions after the shooting truly show the relationship between himself and the boy. The man is willing to sacrifice his own emergency escape-from-life plan in order to save the boy and make sure that the boy still has his own emergency bullet.
This episode, one would say, is key to the novel as this truly shows the desperation and scenarios and fears that the pair is running from. This account shows their struggle in this post-apocalyptic dystopia. We, as the human race, are programmed to remember fear (it is the way our brains are wired) and, therefore, this is how this episode is remembered without the help of chapters or chapter titles.
Finding the Cellar of Naked and Mutilated People (pp. 112-121).
This is probably, in one’s own opinion, the most emotional episode in the novel in regards to the constantly changing emotions of fear, relief and disgust; at the beginning of this event, fear is felt by the man’s cautious behaviour upon entering the residence and curiosity at finding the clothes in a pile and the door being padlocked. These emotions soon turned into shock and disgust at the findings of what lay behind the locked door and the state at which the people are in (one man had no legs and burnt stumps up to his hips). Fear soon returns as the boy sees people returning to the house and the pair starts running into the forest. Relief and fear are felt at the fact that the man thinks that they have not been followed but then hear the woman in the road talking and hearing leaves being walked upon. The feeling of sickness and panic settle in when the man tells the boy to take the gun and asks him if he knows what to do when it comes to the boy killing himself whilst the man begins to doubt himself about whether he will kill his son if needs be because the gun doesn't work or the bullet doesn't fire.
Relief begins to set in as McCarthy describes the wait the pair have throughout the night and the fact that nothing has not occurred. When the man begins to hear the screaming from inside the house, relief is still being felt but a sense of sickening is once again ignited as the mind wonders what occurrences are taking place where those people are; relief because the people whom had returned to do the house are busy doing something else (most likely amputating another unwilling subject) so that the man and the boy are not caught. But anxiety sets in as the pair begins to travel down the road again. McCarthy did not have to employ any dramatic vocabulary or an excess of description- just stating in simplicity is enough to evoke the feelings felt in this emotionally draining episode; all of which keeps with how the rest of the novel is written. This episode helps develop the characters of the boy and the man, as well as their relationship by exhibiting the pair’s desperation and how they handled the scenario. The man was consciously worried about the boy and gave him the gun with the single bullet; the man would have sacrificed himself so the boy would have a painless and swift death. I find this to be a key episode as it truly displays the breakdown of society and the disgusting measures people are forced into; it exhibits McCarthy’s truly horrific post-apocalyptic world.
Relief begins to set in as McCarthy describes the wait the pair have throughout the night and the fact that nothing has not occurred. When the man begins to hear the screaming from inside the house, relief is still being felt but a sense of sickening is once again ignited as the mind wonders what occurrences are taking place where those people are; relief because the people whom had returned to do the house are busy doing something else (most likely amputating another unwilling subject) so that the man and the boy are not caught. But anxiety sets in as the pair begins to travel down the road again. McCarthy did not have to employ any dramatic vocabulary or an excess of description- just stating in simplicity is enough to evoke the feelings felt in this emotionally draining episode; all of which keeps with how the rest of the novel is written. This episode helps develop the characters of the boy and the man, as well as their relationship by exhibiting the pair’s desperation and how they handled the scenario. The man was consciously worried about the boy and gave him the gun with the single bullet; the man would have sacrificed himself so the boy would have a painless and swift death. I find this to be a key episode as it truly displays the breakdown of society and the disgusting measures people are forced into; it exhibits McCarthy’s truly horrific post-apocalyptic world.
The Baby on the Spit (pp. 210-215).
This episode impacted on the realisation of how desperate people are to eat and the lengths of which they will go to; impregnating women to only have ‘food’ when the baby is born. The description of the cooked infant, though simplistic, was enough to evoke a disgusted response to the cannibals along with the boy’s reaction to the scene before him. The mood of the episode changes from worry of seeing the fire (a symbol for both hope and destruction) to the relief that the pair think they can smell food only to be disgusted that the ‘food’ is an infant. The boy’s response evokes sympathy and fear for him as this is what the roadrat had probably had in mind for the boy.
As the pair keeps travelling and the episode comes to an end and worry begins; they haven’t eaten in two days and have no water. The actions of the man and the boy in this part of the novel develop their characters and their relationship; the boy’s naivety of the post-apocalyptic world is shown through his reaction of the baby on the spit, the man’s role of the boy’s protector and his emotions (he worries about the boy and if he’ll ever speak again). The simplicity of the vocabulary keeps with the rest of the novel and McCarthy’s writing style.
This episode can be deemed as an important one as it displays mans’ desperation to find food and eat, which is what makes this episode stand out in a novel with no chapters or indicated parts.
This episode impacted on the realisation of how desperate people are to eat and the lengths of which they will go to; impregnating women to only have ‘food’ when the baby is born. The description of the cooked infant, though simplistic, was enough to evoke a disgusted response to the cannibals along with the boy’s reaction to the scene before him. The mood of the episode changes from worry of seeing the fire (a symbol for both hope and destruction) to the relief that the pair think they can smell food only to be disgusted that the ‘food’ is an infant. The boy’s response evokes sympathy and fear for him as this is what the roadrat had probably had in mind for the boy.
As the pair keeps travelling and the episode comes to an end and worry begins; they haven’t eaten in two days and have no water. The actions of the man and the boy in this part of the novel develop their characters and their relationship; the boy’s naivety of the post-apocalyptic world is shown through his reaction of the baby on the spit, the man’s role of the boy’s protector and his emotions (he worries about the boy and if he’ll ever speak again). The simplicity of the vocabulary keeps with the rest of the novel and McCarthy’s writing style.This episode can be deemed as an important one as it displays mans’ desperation to find food and eat, which is what makes this episode stand out in a novel with no chapters or indicated parts.
Getting to the Shore (pp. 227 - 230).
This episode impacted me because the man and the boy have now achieved they’re goal, but it not the climax that readers expect. The colour symbolism of ‘gray’ and the man being ‘sorry it’s not blue’ creates the anti-climax of the disappointment the boy feels. However, as the novel progresses towards the end, there is happiness to be seen when the boy goes into the sea.
But, as with the rest of the book, McCarthy ruins this happiness by having the man commenting how thin and pale the boy is. Comparing to other episodes, this one does not elicit as many emotions; the begin with, relief is felt as the pair have food, extra clothes, new blankets and new shoes but, this changes to worry when the man keeps coughing (a symbol of his near-occurring death). Relief is felt again when the pair gain more supplies. The episode ends with disappointment when the man apologises for the colour of the sea. Character and relationship are developed in this part; the man’s resourcefulness is shown when they collect gasoline, the relationship between the man and the boy- the man’s efforts of keeping the boy’s hopes alive of the coast but then apologises (out guilt for keeping his son’s hopes up when he shouldn't have?) for the sea’s colour. The techniques McCarthy employs are the simplicity of grammar used throughout this whole novel and the symbols of the man’s cough and the sea.
This episode can be considered key as the man and the boy have now reached their destination of the shore. Reaching the beach stands out from the novel without the help of chapters as the man and the boy have no more road ahead of them to travel.
This episode can be considered key as the man and the boy have now reached their destination of the shore. Reaching the beach stands out from the novel without the help of chapters as the man and the boy have no more road ahead of them to travel.
The Theft of The Man and The Boy's Belongings (pp. 270-278).
This episode impacted me due to the emotional attachment readers get to the characters that when something happens to them, readers, instinctively, feel fear for the pair and it’s the fear that readers remember most. There was nothing different in the book that McCarthy has done in order to evoke this response; his simplistic writing style does not alter but, the emotions that occur do. Relief is the first thing to be felt as the pair are eating well which soon turns in worry when they find footsteps on the beach and follow them to find the cart has gone.
Relief and joy is emitted when they see sand in the road which they follow to find the thief and the cart. There is a moment of tension when the man acts cruelly towards the boy and the man is holding the gun at the thief. Because this scenario of the man pointing the gun at someone has happened before, readers worry whether the thief will try to hurt the boy like the roadrat attempted to. Sorrow is felt followed soon after when the boy tells his dad ‘I’m scared’ and whether he understands him or not. Relief follows sorrow as the pair has their belongings back and have something to eat. Empathy and shock is felt at the end when the man says that he ‘wasn't going to kill him (the thief)’ and the boy replies ‘But we did kill him’. This shock at the boy’s words is what is what evokes the final response; the man’s goal of the boy becoming emotionally detached has worked, but has backfired onto the man. This episode develops their characters and relationship; the boy is too naïve and kind but is now phlegmatic, the man tries to make his son understand the harsh reality of the world they live in so the boy is able to carry on without him.
This episode can be seen key as the pair overcome another obstacle in the road but, it is more important that this episode is considered key because of the boy’s emotional change.
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| If only it said Coca-Cola... |
This episode can be seen key as the pair overcome another obstacle in the road but, it is more important that this episode is considered key because of the boy’s emotional change.
