Metaphors and Symbolism

Water, cleansing and washing Suggests some kind of cleansing of all the destruction. Also symbolises the boy and the man trying to maintain some form of hygeine to show that they have not completely regressed from civilisation

The mountain Shows that nature can still prevail from the destruction. Possibly reresents the challenges they face along the road as well as the struggles that people face to survive

The sea This shows the decay of the boy and the man's dreams as their goal is to reach the coast but when they get there the boy is disappointed by the fact that the sea is grey like much of the scenery in the novel rather than the blue that his father remembers. This symbolises that the world that the man lived in has changed to the one that the boy lives in and will remember. The decay is also highlighted at the end where a dead fish washes up on the shore showing that there is little life left.

Ash  Suggests that the earth has died, symbolic of a cremation. The ash will turn to dust showing that once all the life is gone there will be nothing left to show their existence. It could also represent hope that life will return as it represents a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Fire Shows the destruction and devastation but could also suggest a beauty about it as at the same time it is the fire that keeps the boy and the man from dying in the cold and 'carry the fire' is also symbolic of the spirit and determination they need to survive.

Sight/Sightlessness Sight/lack of it would suggest that man was unable to look forward and pre-empt the apocalypse but the sight symbolises that it is crucial to survive as if they were blind they would not be able to escape from trouble.

Seeds Represents new life/beginnings but as there are no nutrients in the soil as the land is 'desolate' the seed cannot be nurtured to grow and regenerate the world/restore what used to be.

Coca Cola can  Symbolises what America used to be. Also represents comercialism and how materialistic people used to be before the apocalypse. Represents the death of American society and values as the brand is distinctly American but also shows the impact that it's had worldwide as has the apocalypse

Other metaphors/symbols The boy represents the goodness and the hope that many others on the road seem to have lost. If he survives long enough he represents the possibility to restore some kind of order or society as he lives out his life, however the regeneration that he could possibly symbolise is limited because when he dies the rest of human life seems likely to end as the lack of women in the novel suggests that reproduction would not be possible.

Voice and Point of View

   Voice and POV in page 28: Unattributed dialogue or thoughts. Omniscient 3rd person narration. Possibly addressing the reader in 'Look around you' to encourage them to feel involved and engage with the imagery before it 'Creedless shells of men tottering down the causeways'. It could also be a form of free indirect style where the reader feels like they see what is being described Doesn't signal where the narration ends and the thoughts of a character begin-unclear who's perspective it is, possibly because it adds to the anonymity of  all of the characters on the road and that what the man has seen has been a shared vision by all who have walked the road.
   The paragraph appears to be unusual as there is no mention of the man or the man and the boy together 'The boy knew what he knew' this is rare in the novel as it rarely focuses on the boy's thoughts, opinions or emotions. This gives us an insight into the boy's perspective and suggests that the boy knows more about the road than the man suggests 'ever is no time at all' as this indicates that the boy is aware of the man's inevitable death and that it is always looming. Overall the paragraph gives a bigger picture of the apocalyptic world and  reminds us that it has affected other characters as well. It's easy to forget the toll of the apocalypse on general civilisation as there are so few characters featured in the novel as it is difficult to assess the magnitude of the apocalypse other than on the houses and towns that the man and the boy encounter.
   The final paragraph in the novel also matches the style of the paragraph in page 28 as it has similar features. The difference is that when the reader seems to be addressed 'you could' gives it a timeless feel as it's not suggestive of any particular tense. This is said by an omniscient narrator which helps to distance the reader from the scene which is reminiscent of the paragraph on page 28 as distanced view of what had gone on before.  

Fairy Tale in the style of The Road

Winnie the Pooh

   We'll go look for it, he called out.

   Sometimes when people have finished taking a person's house there are bits that they don't want and are glad for the person to take back. So I thought if we just went-

   Come on.

   In little time they got to the corner of the field by the side of the pine wood.

   There. Not a stick left. I've still got all this snow. Don't complain.

   But the boy wasn't listening he was listening to something else.

   Can you hear it, he said

   What is it? Somebody laughing.

    Listen.

   They both listened. A deep gruff voice singing that the more it snowed the more it went on snowing and a high pitched voice tiddeley pomming.

   It's Pooh, said the boy

   Possibly, said Eyeore.

   And Piglet.

   Probably. What we want is a trained bloodhound.

   The words of the song changed suddenly. 

The Ending

   Deus ex machina- God is in the machine: It's something that solves all problems e.g. a magic ring/potion. Used in the ending of The Road.
   I feel that the ending starts when the father dies on page 300 'His father was cold and stiff' and the boy accepts that he's dead on page 301 'He's dead' and then the boy's story begins when he says goodbye to his father's corpse 'I won't forget'. The boy's journey continues in 'walked back out to the road' and his new life begins.

5+5=1

   I've learnt that the book directly references horror movies. McCarthy also lengthens and shortens sentences to build tension and expand and contract time. Key events stand out in the book despite there being no chapters to define them. There's a continuing theme of coldness and decay. The man is constantly trying to distance himself from the boy.

1. horror

2. tension

3. events

4. theme

5. distance

1. Suspense

Structure & Time

Page 62: 'The day seemed almost warm' suggests it's summer which could explain why they 'slept' in the day as the nights are shorter

Page 32: 'The nights now only slightly less black' It's spring and nighttime is in the past 'dream'

Page 113: 'ample time' suggests that they have no rush or deadline and that it doesn't matter how much time they take even though their time is running out

Page 91: 'after a while' time is passing but they have no way of measuring it or it's not important to them anymore as even if they could tell how much time had gone past it wouldn't mean anything anymore

The Opening

  Immediately suggests it's a dark setting 'dark and the cold' Darkness is emphasised 'dark beyond darkness' to suggest that it is relentless and that even in the daytime there is little light 'days more gray'. 'Glaucoma' is used as a metaphor to represent this dimming but it could also be interpreted as representing the extinction of  human life/morals as people become more and more desperate to survive as highlighted in 'precious breath'. The 'stinking robes' gives the idea of uncleanliness or suffering. This could also be suggestive of the end of civilised society as they no longer have the option to clean the robes or change them as they would otherwise. 'Tolling in the silence the minutes of the earth' suggests that time is limited but drawn out as 'tolling' suggests a long and slow beat which helps to illustrate the idea of prolonged suffering. The minutes belonging to the 'earth' is suggestive of an apocalypse but that also the earth that people knew and survive on will soon perish. In the man's dream the 'creature' signifies that nowhere is safe and gives the impression that they are being watched or hunted. It could also be symbolic of what people have become, that they have become animalistic as a result of their instinct to survive as well as that the danger that they face is 'soundless'. This combined gives the impression that they are in a dark, dangerous place where their time is running out but it's not clear exactly when.
   Plot progression-They will be 'moving south' which gives the direction of their journey but could also symbolise the gradual deterioration of their journey.