Key Episode 1- Struck By Lightning

Key Episode 1- Struck By Lightning

Within this episode, I was shocked in how this horrific scene is underplayed by McCarthy.   As the man and the boy are walking, they come across a man who has been struck by lightning and is nearing death. The significance of this harsh reality symbolises the danger around the main characters and their struggle to survive.  Personally, I found that this episode is particularly important as it introduces a third person into the story and contrasts with the main two characters that we become drawn to.  This third figure, could be used by McCarthy to create the idea that through the father refusing to stop and help the man when worrying of their safety, all of human kind are driven by their own motives, rather than helping the greater good of nature.

 The two different responses that the reader experiences from the Man and the boy to this devastation  both contrast as we are able to see two self-justified motives. The theme of helplessness is constantly present within this novel and is particularly prominent within this episode as the man encourages his son to completely detach himself from others around him as there is truly nothing that they can do to help them as the are struggling to help themselves.   The boy, both young and naive, is desperate to help the man and take him away from the torture that he is suffering as he pleads his father, “ Cant we help him papa” which perhaps symbolises the lack of innocence and humanity there is in this post-apocalyptic doomed world of violence.  I feel that as the boy “hung onto his father’s coat” he is afraid of what he might see; he is inexperienced and it provokes the reader into feeling remorse for this young child who has to witness such a shocking disturbing image.  The father has a paradox approach to the boy although cynical he is practical, with a pure motivation to protect his son. Although a prejudged character as on the surface he could be interpreted as selfish within his actions, the father’s subtle yet constant compassion towards his son portrays that his only motivation to live is to save his son’s existence.

The emotional distance between the father and son created by McCarthy, is perhaps because the father’s intentions are to give the boy the knowledge to be able to survive when he is no longer there to protect him.  I felt there is also a rise in tension as they both disagree which potentially could strike fear into the character of the father as he is attached to his son and doesn't want to lose the trust that he has formed between them.  The language of the father when stating horrific scenes without emotion, “he was struck by lightning” displays the truthful yet vague approach the father wants to give for the son to be able to discard scenes like this and focus on their key motivation; to survive. 

This idea of the necessity to survive is further echoed when the man lays down his identifiable belongings on the ground as though he is discarding the person that he used to be and ridding himself of the painful memories of his past. They are described as “gaming cards” which could give the idea that he is gambling for their lives and that there is a small chance of survival.   This includes the mother figure; she is no longer present and in order to provide full attention to his son, the father releases himself of carrying his past with her.    The items, although once important to society are useless now. McCarthy, within this novel, takes low cultured things and coveys how the man and the boy cling onto them as their last shred of humanity.  However, as the man discards these, it could be interpreted that he no longer values anything around him apart from a purpose to keep the boy alive.

The description of the man, who has been struck by lightning, brings forward the ultimate threat and control that nature holds over earth above all other beings.  Beyond the physical damage that has been inflicted on the man, there is a metaphorical theme within his description such as the “burnt clothing” representing the ruin of the country and the repetition of “black” suggesting that they are suffocated.  I think the symbolisation of the “road” could echo that it is a journey to hell and that there is no way escaping their fate. When the man says, “nothing can be done for him” it implies something more than the physical injuries and beyond this mans destruction. There is a decaying image to the human race and could mean that they are being haunted by their own ghosts; nobody will be able to avoid their ultimate destination.  I found the description of the man when he had “fallen over and at that distance you couldn't even tell what it was” to be prominent as it made me feel as though the man was morphing into death and becoming part of the road. The structure with the lack of proper sentences ,”Charred bits of wood,” gives a constant rhythm to the book throughout and is almost as though it is personifying the rhythm of them walking.