OTHER EPISODES

How the episode impacted on you?
What was the writer doing to evoke this response?
Plot progression (what will happen next?)
Your experience (change of mood? A ligher moment? Increase or release of tension?)
How does this develop character and their relationship?
The techniques employed by McCarthy. Is the language in keeping with the rest of the novel? Are there particular symbols or images that are foregrounded?
Is this in fact a key episode? What makes it important? How does it stand out in a novel without chapters or chapter titles?

Coming across the man who is struck by lightening (p 50-53)

"who is anybody? " this quote evokes the image of isolation very distinctly, he means that no one has an identity anymore, that in this post apocalyptic world everything has lost their meaning and morality to such an extent that even names are wasteful now, even demonstrated by the the father and boy himself, they are never given names which shows the lack of identity in full. 

McCarthy begins the description of the man to clearly shows his staggered stance "dragging one leg slightly and stooping from time to time " this description is a clear lift from Romero's zombie classics, it creates the image of a half dead man staggering and struggling and even " stopping from time to time " this reference shows how the book is a post modern novel with its obscure references and clear gore inspiration from the next description including "one of his eyes burnt shut ... " 

" as they passed he looked down. as if he had done something wrong " this statement seems strange, its that the burnt victim seems lesser to the man and the boy, maybe he recognises their class as above them? or it gives the impression that he feels he has failed, maybe in knowing he is near death he feels himself not worthy, as if life was a challenge he has failed- however he is then described to of had " shoes bound with wire " which shows he has tried to kill himself, and failed. he must be ashamed in the fact he could not kill himself and is now ended up suffering more- this again shows the gore within the novel, and the image that maybe death in itself would be better than the current world they maintain.

McCarthy then uses short full stopped dialogue to build tension and shows the fathers lack of remorse for the man- the boys innocence is shows when he asks to help the wounded man "cant we help him " with no prevail. " the boy was crying " this is the first time we see any emotion portrayed within the book, we start to build empathy with the boys character as we realise he is just a boy stuck in the post apocalyptic world and his innocence of wanting to help the man contrasts with the harsh reality of them being better of without- promotes the selfishness of them but need of survival. 

"couldnt even tell what it was " the man has lost his identity, he is no longer a dying man but an " it " blurring in with the rest of his surroundings and becoming part of their twisted normality.

" picture of his wife " leads the reader to question what happened to his family. all his possessions can be spread out in one place, reflects on their lack of anything, they have nothing and are starving, he decides to leave all this behind and this is them fully letting go and realising they have no identities anymore, no past.




shooting the 'roadrat' (pp. 62-69)

" the first if them were already coming into view " already creates danger with the idea there is plenty of them to come, they are being approached by something obviously not of good nature as the father " whispered ". " one in a biohazard mask " using dark imagery, they are hunting for them... the biohazard masks are symbolisms of the end of the world, or their end. referencing zombie movies again, or " exterminators " as if they are rodents needed to be killed.

McCarthy is constantly using short sentences and speech to further build panic. " quick. " This is the first time we see the characters in any immediate danger ( not starving ) and develops the fathers obvious care for his son " don't look back. come on " we feel further empathy when showing how the father is trying to save his child from the "gas canister " wearing monsters.

" rifles " black diesel smoke " coiled "ropy. " missing and puttering " uses dark and slimy language to describe the men and their truck- helps create the evil/danger they represent, we begin to feel scared for the characters. 

" he sand down and put his hands on the top of his head " shows the father as retreating, hiding, he is unsure of what to do and begins to panic himself- makes us doubt the immediate safety of the characters and doubt their successive survival. " then just the silence " creates further tension in that there is no sound, yet we know the canister men are searching for them- creates dark atmosphere.

" if you call out you're dead " i am surprised when the father is the first to react and pull out a weapon, shows him as being brave and a certain determination to survive- along with raw savage instinct. " he came forward " `the man seems unfazed by the threat creating more tension, " deeply sunk " his face resembles a skull. symbolism of further death. " looking out the eyeholes :" a mask- significant in that the man may have changed since the end of the world, become a savage in which this is now a mask- a new identity.

awkward conversation, short, blunt, tense. " are you doctor? " the fathers intelligence is shown here, probably the most significant in the book, " we got a man hurt " he rejects an offer to help a wounded man- shows a degree of selfishness but again the harsh reality of everyone to himself. he will not take risks. However clearly doesnt want to shoot the man, not in guilt but for the fact he wants to save it for himself. 

" no expression on his face at all " the boy seems unfazed by the death. Comfortable with death- unnatural- result of a post apocalyptic world. The man runs miles until " he dropped to his knees " shows devotion to his child.

finding the cellar of naked and mutilated people (pp. 112-121)








goes into detail of house, seems luxurious as, decorated with " grand staircases" McCarthy deliberately makes this bit tension free to create a calming sense of false security. " the rest of it was too large to burn " we realise the house has been raided and used of its wood. " he would have ample time later to think about that " hints at strange going on- more tension as everything is not what it seems. " shh, he said " the father recognises something is wrong with his surroundings- yet needs to investigate further- " the ashes were cold  " whoever was here appears to be gone, another release of tension. ( house modelled on that in the TCM - obscure horror reference linking it to a post modern novel ) 
" he was almost in tears " the father is ignoring his child's breakdown- ignorant to his calls and questions rather transfixed to realise what is going on, the character seems foolish at this point and not as clear headed as normal. 
" half dragging the child " he is forcing the childs motions and further fails to acknowledge his scare. " all these things he saw but did not see " failing to notice his surroundings- not ho he normally is- not level headed- becoming panicked. 
" just stay here " father is willing to leave his son in search of food... is this selfish or brave?
" like an offering " the light seems a beacon to anything in the darkness, offering, satanic, darkness, gore. 
Builds up description of his surroundings " ungodly stench " builds tension. " old mattress " we realise this is or was inhabited. 

McCarthy's scene here is by far the most graphic in the book, it takes influence from the zombie basement scene in Romero's " dawn of the dead " and illustrates the savagery that us as humans resort to in a post apocalyptic world, it is not said, but we infer that some people have been gathering humans and storing them in the cellar, " with an ungodly cell " and a stained mattress. We see a man with no legs " burnt " "blackened" which shows us that the captors have been amputating their victims, most probably to eat themselves. this act of cannibalism again refers to Romero's zombie flicks but perfectly portrays the lengths us as humans will resort to in a " post apocalyptic world ". As a plot thickener it tells us that their travels are only getting worse, and their hopelessness doesn't seem to be getting any better when the world around them opens up to being more and more gruesome.

"please help us" he again rejects to helping another person, he is selfish but recognises the benefits of it being just him and the boy. 
Short sentences to build tension " up the stairs. "
" are they going to kill us? " "shh" he does not answer the boy, he is unaware himself.
 " you are going to have to do it " presents the fact to the boy he has to kill himself is they find him, he understands showing they have talked about this before.
" he took the gun from him " realises the brutality he is putting him through.

the next paragraph are his fathers words, short questions show doubt and panic as he thinks over how he cannot kill his son. " could you crush that beloved skull with a rock " horrible gorey image- brutal truth.
constant comfort " i promise " feels boys discomfort.

They lie in-front of the house in waiting to go, hear " shrieks " at night, further gore imagery. and even witness how the murderers system works, interesting to see it from a perspective where the characters are not involve but appreciate how clever it is.