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.