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Plot Summary • Story starts with the man waking up. We get a flashback of a dream he has, then he surveys the barren, ashy land. After the boy wakes up they start their travel and find a gas station, from which they get some oil. As they lay down for the next night, they have a conversation about death. During the next day, the father has a flashback about a day on the lake with his uncle.
Further on, they find a barn, but do not go in because of the bodies hanging on the rafters. In another dream, the man thinks about his “pale bride.” They go into a house, where the man takes two blankets, but leaves tomatoes because he doesn’t trust them. In a supermarket, the man finds a can of coke for his son. When they move on, they go to the man’s old home. The boy doesn’t want to go in, but the man makes him. They continue heading south, an earthquake occurs, and the man has a flashback about “the first years” of the tragedy.
Time passes. Further flashbacks of the wife and the early years. They finally reach “the gap” where the man had been with his own father before. After the man makes a fire, he makes them some hot cocoa, but puts only water into his cup, and the boy gets angry at him for doing that. When they wake up, the boy talks about a bad dream. They come upon a waterfall and go swimming even though they are freezing. They find mushrooms and have dinner.
Characterization The Man – not much of a physical description is given. Main concerns = safekeeping of son, food, shoes and heading south. Father is mainly concerned with their survival. Prays to God, but is distrustful of humans, as evidenced by the quote, “On this road there are no godspoke men” (32) and has a pistol. Seems stuck in past: calls his father, daydreams about the lake and his uncle, goes to his old house, and goes to the place on the mountain where he was with his father. Resourceful – thinks ahead with knapsacks, finds morels, makes fire.
The boy - Almost appears to be stronger than his dad, and more trusting. When the dad indicates that he is there, the boy responds, “I know” (5). Seems to be scared when dad gets pulled into his past world; the boy does not want to go into the dad’s old house. Although the boy is often scared, he seems adapted to the present world: wants to go into the barn with the hanging bodies to look for food, and makes his father eat and drink with him.
Themes Father/Son relationship – obviously both the father and son care about each other, which is evidenced many times; however, they seem to be separated from any other survivors. The narrator notes, they are “each other’s world entire.” The man puts his arms around the boy so he is warm and is always quick to tell the boy he is there. The boy makes sure the father eats.
Theme - Survival The boy and the man are in a life where they are fighting for survival everyday. The elements are cold and ashy, and if they don’t go south, they will likely die. The man always makes a fire, but doesn’t appear to teach his son how to do so. Also, they struggle to find food, but at one point eat an entire ham and don’t save any for later. The man is also worried that their shoes will not last much longer. Also, the man keeps coughing up blood, which shows he is dying. He tries to keep this from the boy, but the boy hears him anyway.
Theme - Hope • They don’t seem to have much to live for, but persist never the less. The father seems to be going on only because of his son, seen in his answer to the boy’s question, “If you died I would want to die too” (11). The man also keeps looking for other signs life, even though he is scared of other humans. Also, the father shows a belief in God and talks to him often.
Symbols/Motifs • Water – water seems to present often, even though the man doesn’t seem to be too worried about where to get clean drinking water. The man has that strange dream about the sea creature coming from a lake, the man remarks to the boy that there is “nothing in the lake” (20)(they must have been destroyed too). Earlier, the man’s daydream took place on a day he was fishing in the lake with his uncle. They play in the waterfall as a façade of normalcy.
Dreams/memory – In addition to the memories discussed previously the man also dreams about his wife. He has a need to retain his memory and most of the color is present in dreams: “The color of it moved something in him long forgotten. Make a list. Recite a litany. Remember” (31). The son has his scary penguin dream, which seems to indicate an abnormal life. Fire is interesting because it is what keeps them warm and alive, but has also seemed to have caused destruction.
Important Quotes • “But he knew that if he were a good father still it might well be as she had said. That the boy was all that stood between him and death” (29). • “Look around you. Ever is a long time. But the boy knew what he knew. That ever is no time at all” (28).
Questions/Predictions • What did happen with the mother? Are we going to learn more? She is obviously dead but still alive in the father’s memory. • Are they going to encounter anyone else? If so, should the father be as distrustful as he appears, or will they be safer with more people?
Other • Page 21 – mentions Rock City … This is in Chattanooga, Tennessee. • Also note the flashbacks with the mother • Knows they are likely going to die “There was a good chance they would die in the mountains and that would be that” (29). • Form and structure, which we talked about already. • Keep noting the importance or lack of God, while the father prays, he also curses God: “He raised his face to the paling day. Are you there? He whispered. Will I see you at last? ….Have you a heart? Damn you eternally have you a soul? Oh God, he whispered. Oh God” (11-12). He also views himself as a good guy, although he remarks that there are no “Godspoken” men out there.
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