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