Key Episodes

Coming across the man who has been struck by lightening 50-53
   This episode illustrates the helplessness and the suffering 'dragging one leg slightly' of those on the road as the man is just as helpless as they are and the man and the boy risk their survival if they try to help the man struck by lightening. It gives the reader a sense of despair that even though the man clearly needs help, the way in which the man and the boy respond to him show that they have to be uncaring or they will suffer a similar fate that awaits the man. McCarthy achieves this by keeping the man anonymous to suggest that this could be anyone as mentioned earlier 'who is anybody?' and by not giving him a name it suggests that they are all the same on the road and gives the book a cold tone. There is a suggestion in how the plot will continue as the man (as in the father) places out all of his belongings 'Like gaming cards' as if to suggest that he's gambling with his life as his survival on the road is not guaranteed. The fact that he also leaves them behind could also be seen to symbolise him leaving behind his humanity/civilised ways. The mood at the beginning of the episode is that of uncertainty as they don't know whether the man will harm them 'they came to a set of tracks'. This then turns to apprehension from the boy 'What should we do Papa?' as well as in 'he was as burntlooking as the country'. This then turns to despair as illustrated by the boy 'Can't we help him?' after which the mood turns cold 'nothing can be done' this is then continued for the rest of the episode. This coldness expressed by the man to the child's pleading suggests that he is distancing himself from the boy by not attempting to console him. This stands out in the novel as it shows the suffering and and the coldness required to survive.

Shooting the 'roadrat' 62-69
   This episode highlights the man and child's morality and that the road is a dangerous place as well as showing how limited their protection is as after the shooting they only have a single bullet left. This helps to convey to the reader a sense of urgency and tension that accompanies their fight for survival. McCarthy installs a sense of danger 'He raised his head slowly, the pistol in his hand'. 'They came shuffling through the ash' builds tension as it is not immediately clear what the danger is. This is built on by the suggestion that they are armed and outnumber the man and child 'clubs in their hands'. Fear is also introduced 'frozen with fear' which is then emphasised by the fast paced sentences indicated by the punctuation 'We have to run. Don't look back. Come on.' The survival instinct is also highlighted in 'gasping for breath' as if they are being hunted. The name 'roadrat' is also suggestive that these people are vermin which increases the sense of danger. McCarthy uses 'silence' to build the tension by pausing events only to build it back up again as in 'Shh he said, Shh' this repetition not only conveys urgency but also tells us about the man's relationship with the child as in this context he is not trying to comfort the child but hush him quickly so that they survive. This survival instinct is also highlighted in describing the roadrat as an 'animal' which suggests that he would harm them. This is emphasised when the roadrat 'grabbed the boy' as this is the point the tension has been building up to. The tension is then released after the roadrat is shot 'hole in his forehead' The suggestion for the plot to progress is that they will continue on the road 'staggered on another half mile' and that after this episode there will be more where the man and child are in danger. This is key to the story as this means that the man and child have only one bullet which means that the man would have to end the child's life if they were in danger so that he wouldn't suffer.

Finding the cellar of naked and mutilated people 112-121
   In this episode the tension is built by the boy's reaction to the house 'What if there's someone here' and 'We should go, Papa' which gives the first suggestion that all is not as it seems. The description of the grand, dilapidated house that is slowly decaying. This is emphasised by the slow pace of the prose as indicated by the long sentences. The only time McCarthy leaves this is when the man finds the first indication that people were preparing supplies 'Clothes and shoes. Belts. Coats.' This is especially highlighted in 'There's a reason why this is locked' The sense of fear is built up in 'I am scared'. Just before the man is about to find the people McCarthy builds the tension by varying the pace 'Clay floor. An old mattress darkly stained' until the tension is released in ' one by one they slowly turned and blinked in the pitiful light. Help us, they whispered. Please help us.'  The urgency is then emphasised in 'Hurry.' to show that they have to escape or they will suffer the same fate as the people. The danger is then reintroduced in 'he went cold all over' at the sight of the 'four bearded men and two women' walking towards the house. 'tore through the house' helps to raise the  pace. The tension is then built once more 'This is the moment' and in 'Are they going to kill us' and is sustained in the lack of movement and the silence as the man is trying to 'listen' until it is released in 'Are they coming? No.' The plot progression could be shown when the father tells the son how to kill himself with the pistol if they are  in danger 'put it in your mouth and point it up' which is then followed up with the child's 'terror'. As the father is prepared to instruct the child on how to kill himself it shows that the father is unemotional and unattached. This is important to the plot as it helps to reiterate that they are close to dying.

The baby on the spit 210-215
   The episode begins with thick tension as indicated by the lack of motion at the beginning to give it an eerie feel 'listening', 'still air' and 'No sound'. There is also the introduction of 'fear' and wariness as they 'circled the fire' as if they are unsure of it. Tension is also built by the slow passing of time 'listen for a long time'. Danger is also hinted at by the boy 'could be a trap'. The tension is drawn out further still 'They waited' after which the situation is diffuse slightly by the man 'nothing to see' and shrugs off the boy's concern 'It's really scary, Papa. There's no-one here it's okay'. The pace of the prose is then sped up 'He looked quickly to see what had happened. What is it? he said.'. The tension is then released upon revealing the cause of the boy's horror 'charred human infant'.  The relationship between the father and son is shown afterwards when they are reflecting on the event 'The boy said: If we had that little baby it could go with us. Yes it could. Where did they find it. He didn't answer.' this shows the father trying to keep the boy from getting upset about the true nature of what had happened and that they were still good. This is important to the novel as it illustrates the desperate measures that people will go to to survive when they have no other options  It also shows how barbaric and cold people can be and this is one of the themes in the novel.  

Getting to the shore 227-230
   This episode shows the main goal of the man's journey: to reach the coast. During this they abandon the cart that they had used for the journey so far 'pushing the wheelbarrow' and change their clothing with what they could find 'work boots'. This suggests a new era in the man and child's journey. Unusually, there is a clear mention of time 'two days later' before they set off again. This helps to mark the change in the characters appearances. McCarthy also uses pathetic fallacy 'the weather had cleared' which suggests a more positive mood 'We did good, didn't we Papa?' this is also illustrated by 'They ate well'. This positivity is continued by 'hopes' that it would be 'brighter in a world where for all he knew grew darker daily'. This  positivity is then contrasted by the potential plot progression that the man is going to die 'a man waking in a grave' and that many had died from 'cholera' and then the decaying theme returns 'stained and rotted coffin floors.'. Time is extended again 'Long days' however there is the suggestion that they are now finally making 'progress' until they finally arrive at the 'gray beach'. This is important to the story because the genre of the book is based around a journey and this is when the character's finally reach one of their destinations. This could also be symbolic to represent the end of the man's life.

The theft of the man and the boy's belongings 270-278
   At the beginning of the episode McCarthy begins to build tension as the man discovers that their belongings are missing 'He stopped and looked at the beach. Oh Christ, he said. Oh Christ ' this is achieved by shortening the sentences to build a sense of urgency. As he draws the pistol it shows that he is willing to use the last bullet to defend their chances of survival 'They took everything'. The description of the thief helps to illustrate the theme of suffering 'the fingers of his right hand had been cut away'. The man had taken all of the thief's belongings as a punishment for taking theirs which shows how cold the man has become however the boy remains the same 'Just help him'. The man and child's relationship is highlighted in 'You're not the one who has to worry about everything' as the man still takes responsibility for the child and their survival but the child shows that he is not as naive as McCarthy has presented him as he replies 'Yes I am, he said. I am the one' which shows that he knows that he will have to continue the journey without his father at some point as he has a better chance of surviving than the man does. There is also a tension when they camp for the night as the boy acts as a conscience for the man who is trying to reassure the boy 'I wasn't going to kill him' and the tension builds through the lack of speech.The episode ends when the tension is built even further by the boy who replies 'But we did kill him'. This is particularly dramatic as this ends the notion that the boy has had along the journey up until this point that they have always been the 'good guys' and this change is crucial to how the story evolves.