Pages 29-49;

"Ate cold beans they'd cooked days ago"-(page 29) Telescoping through time.
"Late in the year"-(page 29) Telescoping through time.
"Where once he'd watched trout swaying in the current"- (page 30) References to time before (flashbacks)
"They set out again in the morning"-(page 30) Passage of time.
"He woke towards the morning"- (page 31) Passage of time.
"A few miles each day" (page 32) Telescoping through time.
"Dark of the invisible moon"-(page 32) Time expands.
"Within a year"- (page 33) Telescoping through time.
"Tomorrow came and went" (page 33) Telescoping through time.
"And then one evening he stopped and looked all about..."- (page 33) Time expands.
"Where he stood once with his own father in a winter long ago"-(page 34) References to a time before (flashbacks).
"In the morning they pressed on" -(page 34) Passage of time.
"They slogged all day..."- (page 35) Telescoping through time.
"It took four more days to come down from the snow..."-(page 37) Telescoping through time.
"Then it returned" -(page 38) Time expanding/a more abstract reference to time.
"They were all day reaching the river"-(page 38) Telescoping through time.
"It's getting colder every day"-(page 42) Time expanding.
"The tree had been there for years"-(page 45). More abstract reference to time.

Passage of the days:
"In the evening" pg 92
"In the morning" pg 93
"He woke in the morning" pg 95
"In the afternoon" pg 98
"Eternal blackness" pg 101
"Blackness... darkness..." pg 102
"When day broke" pg 103
"Within the hour" pg 110


Markers in the year:
"It could be November" pg 93
"Snow" - winter - pg 100


Telescoped time:
"In the evening... tomorrow... dark of night" pg 92 - all in one paragraph

"They might have covered three miles" pg 107
"They'd had no food and little sleep in five days" pg 111



Time expands:






Before (flash backs):
"He'd had this feeling before" pg 93
"He'd seen it all before" pg 94


Suspended time:
"The snow fell nor did it cease to fall" pg 101




Abstract references:



Other:
"In time to wink out forever" pg 93
"It takes a long time" pg 106
"In the early dawn at latest. Running the road in the night" pg 108
"We probably don't have much time" pg 109

Handling of time - Pg 113-133
Passage of days
‘In the night’ – p121
‘it was almost light enough to see’ – 123
‘The boy wouldn’t wake for hours’ – p124
‘He lay there a long time’ – p129
‘They spent the afternoon’ – p131
‘He wondered if it was even midnight’ – 133
‘By evening’ – p133
Telescoped time
‘...rose and set out.
He came across the barn...’ – p124
‘Afternoon... evening...light draw down over the world’ – in one paragraph p131
‘He was gone longer than he’d meant to be’ – gives an indication of time flying p130
Expanded narrative time
‘It was as long night as he could remember out of a great plenty of such nights...dawn was a long time coming...after a while it was day’ – gives a sense of expanded time p132
Before and flashbacks
‘Lingering odour of cows... and he realized they were extinct’ – p127
‘nothing in his memory anywhere of anything so good’ – p130
Abstract references
‘When the time comes? When the time comes there will be no time. Now is the time.’ – p120
‘Phantoms not heard from in a thousand years rousing from their sleep’ – p122
Other
‘He would have ample time later to think about that’ – shows there are no deadlines/rushing p113
‘No time to look’ – contrasts to above quote, shows how we perceive time differs depending on our situation p117
‘stopping to rest each fifty counted steps’ – shows a new way of making references to time; whereas we might say every 5 minutes, the man uses steps as an indication of passing time p123

Pages 155-175

'He followed the man back and forth across the lawn' (Page 155) - Time is being expanded
'It took a long time' (Page 155) - Passage of time
'While the boy slept' (Page 156) - Passage of time
'The town had been abandoned years ago' (Page 157) - References to the past.
'In the night he was wakened by the muted patter of rain' (Page 162) - Passage of time
'They spent the day eating and sleeping' (Page 164) - Telescoping through time
'Impossible to tell what time of the day he was looking at' (Page 164) - Abstract reference to time
'The day was brief, hardly a day at all' (Page 164) - Telescoping through time.
'By dark the rain had ceased' (Page 164) - Passage of time
'They sat for a long time' (Page 167) - Expanding time
'In the long gray dusk' (Page 169) - Passage of time
'They followed him for a while' (Page 171) - Expanding time
Handling of Time (Page 176-196)
‘When did you eat last?’ ‘I don’t know.’ ‘You don’t remember.’
This shows the reader that there is no reason for people on the road to remember when they have eaten as they have no reason to plan meals. We only plan meals today because our day follows a set routine and we eat to keep up with this. On the road however, day and night have almost become one due to the ash and dust that falls, blocking out the sun. They have no concept of time and no reason for it so all they can really distinguish between is day and night so it is easy to imagine how a person could lose track of the days as they are all the same; as long as they are alive, they have no reason to remember when or what they eat.
‘How old are you?’
Similarly to the food, the old man is unable to truthfully recall his age as there is no reason for him to know it and no reminder of the date. Time and day are hypothetical things created by humans to gain a routine in life. However, mankind is dying out and everybody lives in the moment and has no cause to plan ahead, unless people meticulously count each day then it would be impossible to tell precisely when a year has passed and even if someone did work it out, what would be the point? It’s hardly like they’re going to celebrate. McCarthy uses the old man as an example to show that in the novel, the reader can never be certain as to how much time has passed, as the characters have no idea either.
‘How long have you been on the road?’ ‘I’ve always been on the road.’
Once again, in this section, McCarthy uses the dialogue between two characters to make the reader question the necessity of time; the fact that the man can’t actually remember how long he has been on the road for suggests that time is insignificant. The way that the man says he has always been on the road would suggest that time is standing still for these people. McCarthy handles time simply by putting a halt to it to show that it is just another thing on the road which is dying.
‘People were always getting ready for tomorrow. I didn’t believe in that. Tomorrow wasnt getting ready for them.’
This quote is suggesting that for all the care we take over time, it doesn’t care about us. It is telling the reader that all the worry we have over keeping to a schedule is ridiculous because time is a made up thing and isn’t going to alter itself to suit us. All the people who worried and invested plans in the future, ironically, weren’t actually as prepared for the next day as they could have been where as those who take each day as it comes are surviving still as they had no expectations and don’t need time to rule their lives.
‘In the morning the stood in the road’
McCarthy gives the reader absolutely no idea what time in the morning they are talking about to once again highlight the lack of importance time holds for people on the road. All they have to go by is the road; they walk along it when it is light enough and sleep when it isn’t, to them it is completely irrelevant what time it is as they have no goals in life other than to get to the sea as quickly as possible with no real aim when they get there, meaning that they can take as long as they need to.
‘In the early afternoon’McCarthy uses slightly more detail in this section. This could be because this is the first time phrase used since they left the old man alone in the road so the man and they boy are paying more attention to time as they are feeling guilty, wondering where the old man is and how long he has been left on his own for.
‘In the night he woke in the cold dark’
McCarthy uses this phrase to lead onto ‘coughing and he coughed till his chest was raw’ to fit in with the image that cold dark night quite often symbolise death, something that we know is imminent for the man but the way the author associates it with time suggests that his time is running out quickly.
‘You said it would last a few weeks’ ‘I know.’ ‘But it’s just been a few days.’
This back up the previous quote in suggesting that time is speeding up and things are going a lot quicker than the man and the boy expected them to.
‘He’d slept little in weeks.’
This shows McCarthy skipping through time to move the novel on but also showing the rapid declination of the man’s health, he gets several weeks worse in the few seconds it takes the reader to read it, to emphasize the point.



Pages 197-217
References to the passage of the day:
'Early the day following'

Markers in the year:
'Three days. Four.'

Passages in which narrative time is telescoped:
'The following day'

Points at which narrative time expands:
P.g. 197- 'When three men stepped from behind a truck'- time expands because there is suddenly a lot more detail than the narrator usually gives; this is because it's a tense, potentially dangerous situation but also could be because it's a break from their monotonous daily lives, so every moment is taken in.

References to before:
P.g. 199- The man dreams of the past in which he visited a half destoyed library.

Points at which time is suspended:
During the mans dreams on p.g. 199.

Abstract references to time:
'They had not gone far'- The novel's characters use distance instead of time as a way to measure their progress, since time is now meaningless but their journey is vital to their survival.

Handling of time pg 218-238

Page 226: 'They stayed in the house for four days eating and sleeping'. Time is contracted into a short paragraph.

Page 229: 'Long days.' Time has suddenly moved on, we cannot tell whether it is days or weeks.

Page 230: 'An hour later...' Chronological order.

Page 233: 'With dark they built a fire.' Shows the turning of day to night.

Page 235: 'In the morning...' Chronological order.

Page 219-224: Several pages devoted to a short time, less than half an hour. Every little detail is told.

Page 228-229: Time goes very fast, one second they are at the abandoned house and in the next paragraph they are standing in a supermarket. Then it skips to 'Long days' and we cannot tell whether is has been days or weeks or months.

Page 234: Flashback, 'he remembered walking once on such a night...' he is comparing his old beach memories to his experiences on the beach now. He is remembering a better time. This is significant because flashbacks occur throughout the novel as a running theme.
Time- Pages 260-280

References to the passage of Time...

1) "He fixed dinner" could suggest evening time p. 261
2) "He loaded the flarepistol and as soon as it was dark" p.262
3) "In the morning" p.263
4) "He held him all night" p.265
5) "In the evening he opened a can of soup" p. 266
6) "...the fire had died down almost to ash and it was a black night" p.266
7) "The boy slept all day" p.267
8) "He tried to stay awake all night" p.267
9) "It rained briefly in the night" p. 268
10) "When he woke again" "Grey daylight" p.268
11) "In two days time" p.270
12) "They went on. It was already late in the day and it wa another hour and deep into the long dusk" P. 273
13) " ...stood there in the cold and gathering dark" p. 278
14) "In the morning" p.279
15) "he woke that night" p.279
16) "In three days" p.280

Markers in the year...

1) "The wintery dawn was coming" p. 266- This suggests that the months are later in the year. We depend on hints like the weather and how McCarthy describes the sceneary to establish/ estimate what time of the year it is.

2) "The earth itself contracting with the cold" p.279 This tells us that it is winter time or maybe the Earths condidtion is just becoming even worse so it is getting colder. Either suggestion could tell us that the novel has moved to the winter months of the year.

3) "What time of year?" p.279 This contradicts the hints of what time of year it is, because the man and the boy do not even know, so it is impossible to be certain what time of year it is.

Narrative time is telescoped...

1) "In three days they came to a small port town"- This passage of time has no mention of what may have happened within those three days,which creates confusion as the reader wonders why this passage of time has gone quicker than others as McCarthy often describes the days/nights events.

2) "In two days' time they were walking the beach as far as the headland and back"- Again time has passed quickly as we do not get any description of what has happened within those two days.

Points at which Narrative time expands...

The shooting of the Road Rat and the stealing of their possessions is an example of Narrative time expanding. This is too build up the tension of what The man will do to him. Also the narrative time could be expanded to show the true character of The man, and how The boy reacts to his fathers actions. The event goes for seven pages. McCarthy may have done this to show the raw emotions of the boy and how his fathers action have shaped and changed his view of him.

Points at which time seems to be suspended...

When The boy and The man are looking for their stolen cart, time seems to be suspended "They went on. It was already late in the day and it was another hour into the long dusk" the words "Another" and "long" create a sense of time going slowly. This creates tension as the reader wonders if they will find their cart as time seems to be running out for them before it starts to get dark. McCarthy suspends time here to build up tension, "They went on." makes it seem like they have been searching of their cart for a long time. This suspends time because we as the readers want them to get their belongings back, but it appears to be taking a while to find the thief so we start to doubt id they will find it.

When the boy becomes ill, time seems susupended. ""You have to stay near, he said. You have to be quick. So you can be with him. Hold him close. Last day of the earth" Time appears to be suspended becasue the we can sense that the man is worried for the boy, and it seems like he is getting worse so time has slowed down and is hanging on to this tense moment. The mans speech also creates suspended time as it appears like he is trying to prepare himself for the worst, which creates more tension.

Pages 302-307

Reference to before-'Once there were brook trout in the streams in the mountains' page 306
Time seems to be suspended and more abstract view of time- 'On their backs were vermiculate patterns that were maps of the world in its becoming' page 307
Time is telescoped 'He cried for a long time' page 306
Time seems suspended 'You could see them standing in the amber current where the white edges of their fins wimpled softly in the flow' page 307

Symbols & Meanings
Water- literal importance- cleaning and washing, quench thirst, crucial for survival
          - symbolic meaning- life pool, where life began, purity- only pure thing left, hope (page 129 'cistern filled with water so sweet' 'nothing in his memory anywhere of something so good') reminder of life previously, reassurance, 

The mountain- literal- Earth, landscape, impressive beauty
symbolic- journey in itself, desperation, ambition, represents their lives- a huge mountain, forever climbing never reaching a peak, isolation, intimidation, discourage

Religion- page 14- 'watched it expire there like the last host of Christendom' 
The sea- literal- end of the land, motivation for journey, reason they are on The Road
symbolic- hope, reassurance if it is blue, motivation, end of the desolation on land colourful beginnings, reminder of the past, calm, mesmerizing, tranquility, peace, devotion, at rest/ease.   

The colour grey- literal- dull, oppressive, pitiful, somber
symbolic- refers to somber state of the world, moods- depressive constraining, lack of hope determination, grey future- bleak, mood lifts when father dies new hope/life, mute. 
Death- sullen, cynical, hostile  

Fire- what is the fire anymore?
literal importance- provide heat, hope, fascinating
symbolic-various interpretations: 1. 'carrying the fire'= fire within the soul, hope, morale, positivity, saviour for man kind idea of the boy being a Messiah. The man lives on within him
2. 'carrying the fire'= harsh reminder of the past, idea of redemption- the world is slowly beginning again more positively, man abused it, set in old ways, isolation, links to interview man became too smart which is not always the most important thing- being good is. E.g creating new technology destroying the world etc. Fire= destruction, abusive, branded the earth, demolished and devestated. Man carried the fire and destroyed the earth.
Fires always burn out. Cannot be kept lit, man dies- does the fire die with him? i.e past, make way for new. New world for man kind. Reset.

Sight/sightlessness- literal- vision, what they see around them, haunts
                             - symbolic- sightlessness= oppressive state of world, disaster, blindness, carelessness, cruelty, forgotten, dull, perspective different people see different things, no sight= no hope, no life, tragedy. (page 250 'they went on in the perfect blackness, sightless as the blind' summary of whole journey, lack of hope, world is black dull depressing, almost delicate and beautiful, sense of no complaint runs throughout novel.


Seeds- literal- plants, nourishment, life,
symbolic- plant the seed of an idea- can destroy someone or make them- like man and the earth, life began with 'seeds', everything begins with 'seeds', life, hope,

Music/musical instruments- literal- harmonies, sounds, escapism, variation, relaxation. 
Symbolic- reassurance, hope, unite the man and the boy- apology. Flute (page 81) 'he'd carved the boy a flute' after shooting road rat awkward atmosphere in the air, boy angry at the man, are they still the good guys? 'A formless music for the age to come'- only music for the future, devastation of earth. 'perhaps the last music on earth called up from out of the ashes of its ruin'- final song, destruction, loss of hope, giving up, motivation gone, reflects the desolation and disaster. 'ashes of its ruin'- bleak outlook, isolation, dull, decrepit. 

Animal imagery- dog, savagery of human behaviour- cannibalism 

Religious imagery- Ely- literal- man on the road, surviving in the same way everyone else is attempting. 
Symbolic- shares name with biblical prophet Elijah, hobbling along road, riddles, wise, ancient, immortal almost, how is he surviving? Elijah= coming of a messiah (savior) the boy. 

Coca Cola Can- (22)- 'sat looking at a Coca Cola'- astonishment, reminder of past, haunting, a 'treat' luxury, 'its bubbly'- never experienced it, shock, honour. 'I want you to drink it'- reminder of deprivation of Earth, wants to provide his son with some luxuries/presents, make him content, satisfaction etc, savour it last one they will see. 
symbolic- savior, luxury item, deprivation of man, appreciation, consumerism- product used day to day

'Do you plot everything out?'

• natural talent, natural journey
• 'lonesome sound'- inspiration taken from world around him and imagination
• 'waste'- world has gone to waste, devastation, oppressive state 
• 'my little boy'- character of boy may have been influenced by his own son, personal, absolute
• 'the book sort of wrote itself'- self explanatory, accustomed 
• 'subconscious' didn't need thinking about, hidden within him, not carefully plotted as it may appear
• mesmerizing infrastructure came naturally- shocked

'I had no idea where it was going. I had no idea where it was going to end'

• no solid plan to abide by
• mystery to McCarthy as well as reader throughout
• may explain ending choice- 'cop out' in some opinions
• spontaneity 
• impulsive
• impressive technique
• seemingly intricately planned book was not actually planned
• writing style is magnificent to lead us to this conclusion

'It's a pretty simple, straightforward story I like to think.'

• simple with climatic events
• highlights power of human emotions- sculpt this book as being much more when in reality it is a simple plot, attachment, tragedy, trauma

'A lot of the things that the kid says are things that John said'

• personal influences on character of the 'boy'
• 'said' past tense, almost as if John has passed away- grown up older, more wiser, horrors of the world, childlike naivety vanished 
• attachment

'It's really more important to be good than it is to be smart'

• father= smart
• boy= 'good' morally
• may infer the man is too smart, pessimist, mystery surrounding man- is he a good guy, why are they not in a commune etc etc
• conflicting characters
•  contrasting of smartness and goodness- if man wasn't so smart would they have been more successful, survival
• why was he so smart? almost spy like. 
• WAS HE A 'BAD GUY' 
• reinforcing way McCarthy depicts the man
• McCarthy does not feel this smartness is important

'I just sat there in bed and held them'

• do not appreciate what we have
• large impact on readers, realization, appreciation for what we have got

'absolute minimum' 'no need to blot the page with little weird marks' 'if you write properly, you shouldn't have to punctuate'

•  intricate sentence structures
• The Road is 'proper' writing style
• 'simple declarative sentences' sums up style of the road, McCarthy was writing 'properly'

Reading Homework
'The End'

1. About.com

• I agree with this
• 'whimper' highlights disappointment
• spent whole novel wondering the outcome if the man died, then he is just rescued almost
• however, does not take into account family could be cannibals, 'bad guys' etc
• poor ending, too good to be true
• cleverly sculpted book ending lets it down

2. Amazon reader review

• pleasant idea of 'timelessness'- accurate, book seems timeless due to monotonous descriptions repetition etc reflects world
• agree with huge amount of unanswered questions- what are the family, how did the world become like that, where are the rest of his family etc
• 'still don't have the answers' beauty of the way McCarthy crafted the novel, element of mystery, abstruseness, anger reader maybe

3. markrossiter (favourite)

• 'redemption' is 'inconsistent' didn't interpret in this way until reading this opinion strongly agree, leads to disappointment
• 'not a consequence of the two protagonists' didn't evaluate this either, throughout whole novel followed them and all outcomes have been down to them. Again highlighting inconsistency
• 'desired' and 'undeserved'= impeccable description/summary

4. William Kennedy

• agree with 'deus ex machina' did not think about man talking about it throughout 'goodness'
• 'boys becoming- or his mission' interesting interpretation, reinvent the world- solve all problems- 'messiah' salvation
• previously confused by ending of novel- beginning to apprehend more 
• 'rhythmic poetry' magnificent summary of McCarthy's creation

5. Amazon

• 'tragedy'
• disagree- optimist. don't know the boy has found salvation, family may be formidable
• 'hope' is there but disappointment to in comparison to the emptiness/hollowness of rest of the novel
• 'young boy provides a glimpse of optimism' agree with this, moral compass throughout.

6. Guardian

• 'cheesy cop out'- true in my opinion
• spent book waiting for a more traumatic, mysterious ending 
• inconsistent with the rest of novel- monotonous, discouraging, oppressive

7. John Holt

• 'timeless' reflects rest of the book

8. Guardian commenter

• 'seduced'- boy is niave 
• 'why do we think this guy is good'- my opinion, too optimistic in comparison with the novel. 
• more likely to be 'bad'

Re-evaluation

• desired ending
• disappointment
• inconsistent with rest of novel
• mystery
• different interpretations depending what reader wants to believe
• niavety
• mystery

The Opening
Dramatic, establishes post-apocalyptic style -'Nights dark beyond darkness and the days more long than what had gone before'- each day similar, getting grayer each day, loss of hope, dimming of the world
'Barren, silent, godless'  post-apocalyptic, emptiness, desolate, nothingness
'He hadn't kept a calender for years' time no longer matters, bleak, days, seasons etc are merging, monotonous, tedious
'there'd be no surviving another winter here' desperation, tragic, harsh reality, no one to support them or humanity, death, no sustained life, struggle, desperate situation
'this was not a safe place' feeling of danger, curiosity- what is dangerous?, fear, mystery

• Plot progression- waking up 'when he woke' checking child is still there 'he'd reach out to touch the child' fear or loss
• Describes dream 'granitic beast' 'naked and translucent' see through, hopeless, scary.
• With boy, feeding. On the road again, desperation searching for food, used binoculars, rear view mirror- someone bad watching them, following, dangerous attack them

Change of mood, tension- relief child is still there

Mood of the dream- mysterious, supernatural, damp, dull, gloomy- even his dreams are now bleak, ironic usually dreams are perfect, hope

'we're not thinking. We have to go back'- change of casual mood, realization now more intimidating, more intense

Characters & Their Relationship

•  'he'd reach out to touch the child'- cares for him, checking he's still there 'child' lacks emotional bond, perhaps his son
• 'Papa' father and son, middle class family previously, love, care, natural bonds
• 'sat watching the boy sleep' -boredom, nothing else to do, waiting for him, depending on him, caring

'ash' 'glaucoma' 'dimming' 'cave' dull, bleak, grey throughout

The Ending

• Hope- child is in a nuclear family, may be loved and cared for
• Loneliness- the only constant in his life has passed on, abandonment, isolation, no family left
• Luck- throughout the novel they have had no luck, after the mans death the child is left with a nuclear family, sudden alteration of luck
• Deus et machina (God is in the machine)- one thing happens to fix everything, the child meeting the family, 

Where does the end begin?

My opinion- the beach

Page 230

'the gray beach'- after the journey throughout the whole book so far still no colour, limited visual imagery, disappointment

'desolation of some alien sea'- empty, bleak

'vast and cold shifting'- the same as the rest of the world, emptiness, death

'gray squall line of ash'- imagery of 'ash' used throughout the novel, emphasizes the similarity of the beach to the rest of the it. All the same, no future

'He could see the disappointment in his face'- visually aware of their disappointment

'I'm sorry it's not blue'- NO COLOUR. Described at the beginning to be scanning the horizon for (page 3) 'anything of colour' still none. Journey is wasted, demoralized, uncertainty 

'smog across the horizon'- everywhere is in the same situation, no colour anywhere, world is bleak, death is impending

'bleak sea' - no colour, limited palette.

'Cold. Desolate. Birdless'- links to quote on (page 2) 'Barren, silent, godless' reinforces the similarity throughout whole book. Journey here means nothing as it is desolate as is the rest of the world

'any ships out there?'- the naivety of the child, still hopeful, younger generation hope, bleak reality 'I don't think so'

Links

Loss of hope: mother committing suicide

Lack of colour: throughout whole novel 'gray' 'ash'

Themes

Disappointment, lack of hope, fear, uncertainty, repetition, crushing, monotonous, dejecting, anti-climax, limited linguistic palette.

• Looking for something colourful- hope. That somewhere in the world there is promise of recovery, safety but there is none. 
• Whole book has worked towards this journey- arrive and it is exactly the same as the rest of the world. Crushing reality, uncertainty
• Where will they go from here? 
• Harsh reality of everything being the same
• Contents of sea is also dead- where life began 'life pool' 
• Shortly after man dies- symbolizes him giving up, lost heart the moment they reached the beach perhaps, empty promises, no where to go, lonely

Other Opinions- When The Man Dies

• throughout whole book man has been looking after child- in charge, helping him
• Niave/hopeful child relentlessly positive, moral compass for the man

Quotes

'Old dreams'- past hopes, no longer his, empty

'unknown creatures'- fear, unknown future

'fading light'- end of his hope, the light is fading, fire fading metaphor

Page 300

'point of no return'- giving up, gone too far

'cold corridor'- been travelling long corridor, emptiness, futile

'by the light they carried' pointless, death is inevitable

Page 298

'You said you wouldn't ever leave me'- alters from lack of emotion shown in rest of the book.

emotions being unmasked- true colours, heart wrenching

out pour of grief

loss of hope, no one left

boy prevents the man from killing him- symbol of morals, 'good guys' moral compass

The Structure & Handling Of Time
Page 86
'looked toward the darkening town'- evening, getting towards night time
'they slept in a parked car' night time, sleeping
'shivering in his coats'- season is winter time, coldness

Page 87
'In the morning a cold rain was falling' woken up, morning, start of the day

Page 127
Time is expanded- slow process of explaining of the man in the barn, he is thinking 'stopped and stood listening to the wind' 'creaking of a tin' 'lingering odor of cows' 'he stood thinking of cows'- may reflect his thoughts being slow, he's taken a moment to reflect upon the world. Realization  emptiness, bleak future, death

Page 141
The man is once again questioning life. 
Telescoping: 'How many days to death? Ten?' future, uncertainty, bleak reality
Contracted time: him moving across the grass

Page 208
'long night anyway'- night time

• McCarthy refers to breakfast and dinner constantly throughout- their only routine in life, only structure (page 3- 'came back with their plates and some cornmeal cakes' breakfast at this point, introduced right from the beginning. Page 162 'They ate a sumptuous meal by candelight.' dinner, found bunker with food)
• Idea of it perhaps keeping them sane, only relation to old life
• Clinging on to past experiences- maintain motivation, empty promises
• Maintain some normality 

5 + 5 + 1
1. Six main episodes
2.Short sentences, lacking punctuation
3. What telescoping is- lengthening time etc
4. How McCarthy subtly gives away day and night and why. 
5. The way he builds tension in some situations by altering sentence lengths

1. Episodes
2. Simplicity
3. Telescoping
4. Time
5. Tension

1. Journey

The Ugly Duckling
Before them were six eggs. One stuck out. It was larger than the rest. The shell was grey and colourless with black specks like ash. They all hatched but that same one was delayed. The mother duckling contemplated it's fate. Before she could question too long the shell broke with a crisp snap. Out emerged a godless creature. It's feathers were rough and grey. It's appetite was intense and so he outgrew the others making it even more unusual. As time passed in the cruel world misery soon replaced it's happiness. No one wanted to play with him. Isolation was it's only future. It was teased. It was lonely. It was dejected. Why are you so different from your brothers? The mother said. The duckling felt even worse. 

Then he escaped. Living by a pond and some reeds it had plenty of food. Until winter came. It's harsh winds swept violently. There was a flock of swans. They flew gracefully in the sky. A farmer found it cold and wet. It was fed by his children. It soon regained strength and so they let him free. The swans appeared again. Where have you been hiding? One said. It realized it had been a swan the whole time.

Page 50-53
The first line describes the man to be 'shuffling' and 'dragging one leg slightly', this creates imagery of a creature which is injured at the leg or perhaps something from a horror film such as a zombie. McCarthy creates the impression that this is a post-modern style novel using this. It may reflect the fact that the Earth is now full of the walking dead as it has become so desolate, desperate and frightening after the apocalypse. The impact of this made me feel uneasy as we do not know what is going to happen next yet we feel curious at the same time. The mood of these three pages is uneasy and tense this is highlighted when the boy says 'What shall we do, Papa?' signifying his worry and fear. On page 51 McCarthy again reinforces the idea of the living dead when he describes the man as 'burntlooking' perhaps influenced by low culture horror films. This man may represent the state in which humanity is now perishing. Slowly leading their lives with nothing to live for, nothing but a blank future of destruction ahead of them. Every aspect of humanity is decaying including morals and emotions due to being pushed to the brink. One is made aware of this when the man replies to his child 'We can't help him'. The boy is then said to be 'crying'. From this one may infer that older generations have lost hope whereas the younger generation still remain sincere and innocent in this situation- they are naive. The idea that 'you couldn't even tell what it was' when the man fell over implies that he has merged into the gloom and background of the world. He is easily forgotten, the world is cold and unforgiving. 

62-69
The first introduction to the people nearing them made me feel frightened and cautious for the boy and the mans life. One is exposed once again to McCarthy's clever reference to low culture horror movies creating the impression that this is a post-modern style novel. They are stated as 'Something' which suggests the man is not exactly sure what they are, it is brief with mystery intertwined. Their movements are supernatural and eerie as they are said to be 'shuffling through the ash'. Negative imagery is created by embedding the desolate post-apocalyptic landscape into this. The fact that they are in 'biohazard suit' which is 'stained and filthy' reinforces this. Fear is highlighted when the boy is said to be 'frozen' with it. The atmosphere is tense especially when all they could hear was 'silence'. The man and the boy would be listening out intently resting every moment on their lives. Previously throughout the book we have perceived the man and the boy as 'the good guys' and so in this moment we may establish that these men appearing are 'bad', however  we see on page 65 the man acting quite the opposite in today's society. He states 'If you call out, you're dead'. This highlights that he is willing to kill this man which would be a grievous sin. The fact that the world has now become so desolate that this is his only option portrays the confusion for humanity. Being pushed on a daily basis has forced the man to act in ways which originally as a 'good guy' he would never dream of previously. McCarthy is demonstrating through this the emotional boundaries and  limits that mankind is being pushed to in such extreme conditions. After the man describes how the 'roadrat' will not hear anything once shot he responds by asking if he is a doctor. The man replies 'I'm not anything'. I think this is one of the most important lines in this scene. The man is suggesting that he does not matter anymore, there are no labels for anything. It may be a metaphor for the fact that humanity is nothing to Earth but specks of 'ash', we are insignificant. After the impostor grabs the child and the man 'fired' the pistol it shoots him in the head. As the reader we may have doubted that the man would actually kill someone but these doubts are now shattered. Humanity is collapsing.

112-121
The building they have entered is depicted as being derelict, the wallpaper is said to be 'waterstained and sagging'. This description may also apply to humainity at this point in the novel. Slowly they are being worn away with nothing to live for, the only certainty in there future being a dark, slow and painful death both emotionally and physically. One's attention is drawn to the 'great heap of clothing' the atmosphere is tense and uncertain. Questions are raised as to why there is clothing here of all places. The fact that there is 'bedding on the floor' implies to us that someone has been here not too long ago. One may fear that these are 'bad guys' but it is unclear at this point. When the man and the boy make their way down 'the rough wooden steps' I felt petrified of what may be awaiting them. This scene may be a pictorial representation of a scene from 'Dawn Of the Dead' which was a low culture horror movie creating the impression that this novel is post-modern. The person on the mattress is depicted as being imagery from a horror movie further reinforcing this as his 'legs gone' and his stumps 'blackened and burnt'. This presents an ungodly circumstance with prominent gore and shock for the reader. Again humanity's corruption and devastation is represented through this, things like this are immoral and unthinkable in normal circumstances. One may think that the Earth's emptiness is infecting their emotions and minds. As they return to the house and see people coming towards them panic invades. The atmosphere is relieved when the man says 'no' they are not coming for them. Amongst this hysteria we are reminded of the intensity of the apocalypse when the boy is described as 'so thin'. McCarthy highlights this using little snippets throughout the book creating harsh reality of their situation for the reader. When they fall asleep and then awake 'only darkness' could be seen. This may represent the darkness of the situation and the life they are leading.

210-215
One is emotionally awakened with realization of the devastation of their situation when introduced to 'a charred human infant'. The people previously seen with the pregnant woman were so desperate they turned to cannibalism.  To humanity this may seem unimaginable and hideous, by including this McCarthy is presenting exactly how extreme and horrifying the worlds situation is. This terror is further reinforced when the man wonders 'if he'd [the child] would ever speak again'. Children are far more impressionable than adults and this young boy may never forget this incident. It creates tension in the novel and disgust.

227-230
On page 227 the atmosphere is more positive than some places in the book, the man and the boy have found shelter, food, 'workshoes' etc. Things appear to be improving for their situation.Their hunger has been ceased for a short time as they 'ate well'. Unfortunately this would not last long and the harsh reminder of the 'long days' would impose so they 'ate more sparingly'. McCarthy reminds us again of the devastation the Earth is in when he says 'they could hear nothing' this reflects how isolated they are. For the whole book they have been heading for the beach along the road, this represents hope and holds promises to them. In this situation they may have used it as something to look forward to. Sadly, when they arrive these dreams are shattered. One is first introduced to it as 'the gray beach'. The fact that it is grey shows that it is not colourful and full of happiness like they once thought but instead is bleak, dull and depressing. This may reflects the journey they have travelled and the future ahead of them. The simile 'like desolation of some alien sea' is used creating imagery of horror and barren landscape. One is reminded of their impending doom and the harsh reality of the life they are living. The emotions felt at this point will be distress, disturbed and overwrought. Visual images throughout the book are also mentioned here: 'squall line of ash', which further reinforces the fact that this beach holds no sympathy to them. It is exactly how the rest of the world they have travelled is and holds notions of decay. As a young boy the child may have been naive and so drawn up ideas in his innocent mind of expectancy and improvement. One is made aware of his despair when the man 'could see the disappointment in his face'. At this point the reader may be paralyzed by the loss of hope and see no way the plot will progress. After all the whole book so far has been the journey to the beach. I think this is a key episode as it demonstrates the bleak reality and sheer magnitude of the situation. There is no saving them, and this stands out without chapter numbers.


270-278
One first finds out something is wrong by the man's reaction, he says 'Oh Christ' twice. By using repetition McCarthy reinforces his panic, the reader feels tense and frightened. The list of things missing is presented in short, simple sentences highlighting the amount that has been stolen as one has to pause constantly. In reality these possessions are the man and the boy's whole life now, they have been travelling the road for months carrying these with them and so they will be of great value mentally. The reader is made aware of the child's fragility and gentle nature when 'he was beginning to cry'. The effect living in a desolate world is having on the man is accentuated as a dark reminder when McCarthy describes them moving at a pace that the man thought he could 'keep up but he couldn't'. The man who stole the cart was 'an outcast from one of the communes'. This is the first real example given that there are 'communes' in the world, one may question why the man and the boy have not situated themselves in one of these if they are 'the good guys'. However, the man lacks emotions in the next part which may highlight a hidden darkness to him. He makes the thief strip naked and leaves him 'shivering and hugging himself'. This evokes disgust in the reader and questioning as to whether they are actually 'good'. This episode is important in the book as it highlights the harshness of the world they are living in. Morals begin to deteriorate over time and one is left questioning humanity. This may be reflected by the man's actions.

What do the extracts tell us about:

• the type of novel

• the story

• themes

• characters and relationships

• how the story might be told

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

One may learn from this extract that the relationship between the man and his son is very distanced and lacks emotion, this is due to the fact he refers to him as 'child' which shows no emotional bond or passion unlike the word son does. As he is washing a 'dead man's brain out of his hair' we may infer that they could die at any moment or that they are in danger which could be the reason for this. This also suggests that this novel is postmodern as it is obviously horrific, there are no speech marks although someone is speaking and the gore may be based on low culture horror movies produced in the 1950s. Strong themes created by this extract are of gore, thrill and danger. If there is a dead man's brains on a child's head one may infer someone has been shot violently, creating questioning as to why. The structure of this extract lacks complexity giving the impression that this novel will be told in a basic repetitive way, this may reflect the style of the events or journey that these people will embark on. The way the person is describing the situation shows no shock, disgust or confusion which highlights the fact that whatever is going on is no longer out of the ordinary to them.

'Yes I am he said. I am the one.'
The reader becomes aware that there are at least two people in this situation, someone is telling another that they are the 'one'. From this small portion we are not aware what being that 'one' exactly entails, creating an element of mystery. By being 'one' it singles out one person and may effectively put them on a pedestal in comparison with others. It may also suggest that this 'one' will be relied on by others, making them of utmost importance. The speech is not presented in speech marks making it seem unnatural to regular books, this highlights the fact that this is a postmodern novel. 

'Tomatoes, peaches, beans, apricots. Canned hams. Canned beef.'
From this quote alone one may infer that there are many foods in this situation, however these foods appear to be limited. The use of the word 'canned' twice suggests that all of these foods are tinned and therefore are not perishable, they are all very basic. Due to the fact that they are being presented in a list may show that whoever is narrating is pleased and excited to find these foods, this may highlight the fact that they are starving and that they have not seen a selection quite like this in a long time. This may present the novel to be a post apocalyptic novel, if the person is struggling to find foods it could possibly be the result of the 'end of the world' as there are few people to carry on production of food. The structure is a basic list followed by two short, simple sentences creating the presentation of the novel to be basic and that limited sentences will be used.

'Are we still the good guys, he said.'
This quote alone creates huge mystery. If someone is questioning whether they are still the 'good guys' it implies that there are bad guys existing who are committing crimes in some way making them bad. The fact that this person is questioning whether they are still 'good' suggests that they are starting to question their own morals and values. This may lead us to infer that they are in a situation where they are being pushed to the brink both emotionally and physically where views are beginning to become clouded along with life itself. Being 'good' or bad alters the whole way you live your life and how you perceive things around you, reinforcing the fact they are in a confused state. The fact that someone is asking someone else suggests there are more than one of them, they must know each other well and trust each other if they have been the good guys all along. The theme of trust is presented as the person questioning themselves is resting their whole persona on the other persons response. There is no punctuation to create speech which highlights that this is a postmodern novel as it is ignoring the conventional elements in novels. The sentence is basic with limited punctuation further implying this. After establishing that there must be bad guys for there to be 'good guys' one may infer that this novel will include fear and violence. 

'We should go, Papa, he said. Yes, the man said. But he didn't.'
From this extract we learn there is a child speaking to their 'Papa', the use of the word 'Papa' may suggest that these people are of middle or high social class. One may infer that they are in a situation they shouldn't be in as the child says 'we should go' to which the man agrees. However, they 'didn't' leave. This may suggest they are in a curious state of mind. To put themselves into a situation they should not be in may also imply they are desperate for something or at a point mentally where they no longer care about their fate. The child may have strong emotional bonds to the man as he is referring to him as 'Papa', the man responds bluntly which may create the impression that he is not as emotionally attached. The sentences are short and simple suggesting the whole story will be told like this, which may reflect the concepts presented in it being simple. The type of novel appears to be postmodern as there are is no punctuation in the speech, effectively removing it. This ignores conventional ways of writing novels, contradicting them. The story presented is one of mystery and rebellion as they are somewhere they shouldn't be.

'The snow nor fell, nor did it cease to fall.'
This sentence appears to contradict itself as the snow was not falling but at the same time it did not 'cease to fall' creating an awkward reading. McCarthy may have done this to portray the fact it is a postmodern novel. Postmodern novels are novels after modern which is initially a contradiction as you cannot have something after modern creating controversial ideas. It may have been written this way deliberately to call attention to the fact that the novel is unusual, one may also infer that the situation/weather they are experiencing is bizarre. The voice of a character sounds archaic and almost poetic, this may suggest they are of high intelligence. From this extract it may appear to the reader that the book will be archaic and intriguing.