Quotations

Quotations 

This is my child, he said. I wash a dead man's brains out of his hair. That is my job.

This quotation extenuates the genre of a horror/thriller through the horrific image created.  There is a strong contrast between the “dead man’s brains” and the “child” which conjures the idea that the father is washing away the innocence of the boy’s childhood and replacing it with a disturbing memory.  The theme of death is prominent and symbolises the realisation of mortality that the father struggles to come to terms with.  He cannot bear the thought of living without his son and therefore has a moral duty to protect him, however if he didn't have a child he would be able to end his own life and suffering.  They have encountered a grim journey and a shocking experience which only draws the two characters closer together as they fear what else is waiting for them on their journey when they continue; there is still an air of tension through the idea of “death” looming around them.  The personal, possessive pronoun used by the speaker, “my child” may suggest a certain responsibility and ownership that the father feels towards his son and therefore, he considers it as a “job” to protect his son rather than to be the image of a happy father. This further may link to the concept that they may not make it through to the next day together and if the father does die, his son will be able to carry on independently without a strong emotional attachment.  However, the use of “my” could also suggest a companionship and friendship that they both have towards each other and the use of short sentences could also connote that many words are not shared between them and they have a bond through surviving together and trusting one another.  McCarthy may not use speech marks to make his meaning un-convoluted and provoke the reader into focusing on the true horror of the image itself.

Yes I am, he said. I am the one.

The theme of responsibility is particularly represented in this quotation as although the father is protecting the boy from the evil in the world. The son is protecting his father from the fear of insanity. When the father reveals to the boy that he is the only one there for him by using the singular word “one” it is difficult to understand whether the son understands the responsibility that he carries and this exemplifies the innocence and fear of the unknown within the character.  The “one” is not only an emotional sense of acting as a devoted son, but also a literal sense as everybody is dying out and there is nobody that they can trust.  This isolation is prominent within the short syllables used. Also, it could connote that they are the only good people left and perhaps the son is the only one who is able to protect him and save him. The use of, “I” suggests the son is a special figure in the novel and is protected by his father; the father seems to appeal to God as if some power has selected his son to save him.  This quotation may also create a further idea of companionship and the idea that they are dependent on only each other. The expressionless tone is cold and echoes a small message that they are beginning to recognise how close they are to death and the likelihood of their survival, hence the reassurance form the father to the boy.

Tomatoes, peaches, beans, apricots. Canned hams. Corned beef. 

McCarthy uses this moment of the father and the son finding food on the verge of starvation to provide a slight tone of optimism and portray that they still have hope left although a small chance of survival.   If we compare these items to how society views them, they are everyday essentials that are taken for granted, the use of the list emphasises that this food is necessary and a miracle to the characters and is something that they have been without for a long time.  The use of commas and full stops expresses the relief and disbelief of finding these luxuries and as McCarthy consistently relates to the harsh life in reality they survive in, the food may represent the small amount of good that is left in the world and invariably difficult to find. Dramatic pauses between the short sentences could relate to how the father values this food as such a significant importance that it will save his sons life and a pace begins to build.  On the other hand, within this section, we see as readers that the food is within grey, metal tins.  These could imply the apocalyptic atmosphere that is trapping the goodness within it. Also, the father and son could be considered as being close to freedom and being free from this suffocating world by dying of the starvation that they would have endured if they had not found these contents. The food may provide a close to the pain, however in the long term, the “goodness” will only act as a poison and prologue their suffering in a trapped world.

Are we still the good guys, he said.

This quotation captures the innocence of the boy and how he is only a child who takes on a large amount of responsibility and understanding to horrors that no child morally should ever have to face.  The father, in order to prepare his son, creates a good versus evil impression for the boy which McCarthy particularly focuses on for a realistic approach of how the son would be able to view everything around him. Almost in a fairytale dream style, the childish attitude could be enforced by the father who is trying to cling onto the boy’s final moments of an untouched and simple childhood.  However, the son only has a basic understanding of right and wrong within a person and doesn’t understand the perplexities of human nature. For example, someone can be good but also do bad things which emphasises that they boy is set to a strict set of morals and ideas. As the son keeps seeking his father’s reassurance it reflects the theme of trust and how he must trust his father to justify that they are the good guys as he wants to be reassured that he is alive for a specific reason and has a purpose in this dying world . The father always repeating the term “good guys” links to the end of the novel where after his father has died, a man approaches the boy and emotionally the boy asks the man whether he is a “good guy” and he begins to follow in his father’s footsteps.

We should go, Papa, he said. Yes, the man said. But he didn't.

The reader recognises a further depth of the relationship between the struggling father and the innocent boy.  Some may argue that this quotation represents how the father is struggling to continue and has lost all motivation and purpose, but it also reveals a spirit within the boy as he is the only source of his father’s sanity.  Although the father struggles to carry on, the boy tries to create some authority over his father by becoming a voice of reason and McCarthy creates a role reversal as the man becomes the innocent and lost character.  There is also an element of fear as the father’s act of recklessness or bravery seems to welcome danger as he is unable to move in a state of depression which is portrayed within the short sentences which connote how they must constantly be aware of their threatening surroundings. This signifies how the characters have little control over their fate and are driven by their surroundings towards the fear of the unknown.  However, the father at this moment in time could be further distancing himself from his son to provoke him into taking on responsibility and becoming accustomed to taking control if they are separated.

The snow fell nor did it cease to fall.

The pathetic fallacy within the cold atmosphere not only brings a physical representation but also a metaphorical boundary towards their hope of survival.  It could be suggested that it also symbolises the future cold world without life and as it never “ceases” it provokes the idea of something forever falling and a constant atmosphere for danger.  The man and the boy have little control over their own fate which the reader sympathises with as life has frozen the humanity. The father detaches himself from the situation to maintain his sanity and this could convey an example of how they are unable to become attached to something beautiful or respect it as it will, naturally be taken away from them.  In our society, snow is viewed as something beautiful within nature; however this apocalyptic world enforces a negative impression. By not using punctuation, it suggests that the snow will not stop and is constantly pushing them further towards danger and death, a paradox to the beautiful side of nature that we are familiar with. The archaic lexis of “nor” creates the impression of something that has an image of something from a horror film and something old and threatening.

Okay? Okay.

This repeated word on the surface appears to display a lack of emotion and communication within the relationship of the father and the son.  It creates an un-naturalistic conversation and through their lack of energy leading to complete exhaustion it is significant because it is a sign of struggling. However, the short and direct tone of both characters, prominently displayed within the father’s language, pragmatically displays a hidden emotional connection. Both characters are registered to the fact that words have become meaningless; there is nothing that either could say to one another that would provide comfort or make their situation any different.  Unknown to the boy, the father is unable to display any emotion as he wants the boy to feel an emotional detachment from him; which inevitably only partly works to its purpose because of the nature of the boy. They both only appreciate each other, nothing else around them and these words become words of reassurance.  They are all each other have and there is a clear attachment between them, although hidden, as words do not have to be said, for the father and son to still have a bond between them of trust and hope.

They sat on the edge of the tub and pulled their shoes on and then he handed the boy the pan and soap and he took the stove and the little bottle of gas and the pistol and wrapped in their blankets and they went back across the yard to the bunker.

This simplistic but heavily elongated sentence is monotonous which portrays their life and actions as consisting of nothing but a routine; there is a certain blankness within their lives that they are unable to escape from.  The repetition of the word “and” creates a pace displaying the constant flow of actions, they move without thought. Their behaviour relates to being purely from instinct, perhaps in the way that animals live and the way the father is able to find these resources implies that he has a strong knowledge of survival and therefore is trustworthy for his son to seek guidance in.  The item of the blanket symbolises the small comfort and warmth the man and the boy have which contrasts to the pistol which is significant as it is their only weapon of defence. By combining the two and wrapping the pistol in the blanket, it could be because this is a precious place and somewhere where they know they can trust it being there and have comfort in the fact that they are protected from danger.   The act of washing themselves, may indicate that they are trying to wash away something that has recently happened before this however ironically, they are unable to wash away their memories.  The simplicity of these actions creates a sense of peace and rhythm throughout and a stronger sense of security towards the reader.

Tolling in the silence the minutes of the earth.

McCarthy, by using this quotation sets the tone of the novel to convey that it is written in a post-apocalyptic world where the earth that we know as full of life and lively is in a state of silence that is regarded as normality.  The two characters, already signify a lack of control that that they have and appear disconnected from the rest of the world, sitting in silence and watching the world go by.  The word “toll” could symbolise, “death toll” implying the loneliness and isolation that the two characters feel as they are unable to experience this life and can only wait to die and be freed from this suffocation. The “tolling” could also display signs of a decent into darkness and a destruction to life and noise; is there any room left for humanity? Nobody seems to be left to witness these surroundings which lead us to question whether there is anyone else alive accept these two characters? It also reveals the character of the father as having no power, only being able to reflect on moments of the past where he had familiarity to his surroundings; it highlights the uncommunicative relationship between the man and the boy and how the man’s pure purpose is to keep the boy alive.

She was gone and the coldness of it was her final gift. 

There are contrasting opinions towards the mother within her suicidal escape out of life and perhaps responsibilities.  Interestingly, although she left them isolated, at the same time she is personified as a “gift” to him.  The selfish attitude the mother seemingly held would have created a reason for the father to hate her but also seems to be revealed as a blessing as if he had watched his wife die, then questionably he would never have been emotionally strong enough to provide protection to the boy.  Her cruel way of departing reminds him of the person he used to be and the emotions that he held over her and their past memories plays a significant role in how the man does not comfort the boy physically but is supportive.  The word “coldness” suggests that she took the life from the man however at the same time she saved him from loosing himself.  The lack of punctuation within this lyrical sentence could convey the memories the man has of the mother to be romantic and soft but then destroyed by the “coldness” when she left.