(Photo Credit: http://radekaphotography.com)
So as you can tell, I am creating posts on this novel based on page numbers...it may not match your pagination, but it should be pretty close. And so, we begin...
Remember the dream that starts the novel. McCarthy wouldn't have begun the novel with the dream if it wasn't important.
"With the first gray light..." This paragraph is packed with info, both stated and implied. What important info can you get from this tightly written paragraph?
McCarthy chooses not to use quotation marks for his dialogue. Why do you think he made this stylistic choice? What effect does this have on the story?
Why do you think the man tried to call his father from the gas station?
What color(s) dominate the story? What is the symbolism of the color(s)? What tone do the colors in the book help to create? Without naming a color, McCarthy often mentions objects that we see as a particular color in our mind's eye. What are some of these objects?
Who is the narrator? What stands out about the narration?
On p. 10, the point of view changes to the boy, but just briefly...what stands out to you about this conversation between the boy and the man?
How would you characterize the man's religious beliefs?
The man describes his perfect day from his childhood. What stands out to you about this brief memory?
"It's snowing, the boy said. He looked at the sky. A single gray flake sifting down. He caught it in his hand and watched it expire there like the last host of christendom." Love this. What is so good about this excerpt?
First real mention of other people in the book's present tense: bloodcults, road-agents, and marauders. What does this suggest about the area where they are?
The man is very handy and a creative, practical thinker. What profession do you suppose he had in the past?
"...the right dreams for a man in peril were dreams of peril and all else was the call of languor and death." Do you agree with the man's assessment of dreams? Why do you think he believes this (or at least says that he believes it)?
Where are the only sections of the book with bright colors set? What is significant about the use of bright colors?
Where is Rock City? What does this reference do for us as readers?
What do you find significant about the Coca Cola scene?
So up to this point (p. 27), there hasn't been an encounter with another LIVING person or animal...what do you think has happened here? Do you think it is a regional, national, international, or universal event?
50 comments:
At first McCarthy’s choice to not use quotation marks was somewhat confusing and I found myself having to look back and read through the conversation again. After a while you begin to recognize the difference between how the man and boy speak so there is no need to quote things. I think this style makes the reader feel more involved in the story and less like they are just hearing a story being told. The story becomes more personal and the reader becomes captivated by the novel.
I also noticed the reference to Rock City. I have been there before and it is a fun and interesting experience. Rock City is in Chattanooga, Tennessee, this reference shows the location that the man and boy have reached. It gives us a general idea of how far south they are, and how much further they have to go to reach their destination. Although all we really know is that they want to head south.
On one hand, I see where Shelby is coming from, there is a difference in the manners of speech which the man and boy use, but I don't feel like that is the main reason for an absence of quotation marks. To me, the absence of quotation marks really detaches the reader from the actual story. It doesn't serve to make the story more personal or accessible to the reader, but it does draw the reader's attention. With the lack of quotation marks, the reader really has to examine every paragraph, every sentence to find the dialogue. I think McCarthy knew that leaving out quotation marks would detach the reader from the emotional aspects of the story and force them to actually examine his word choices and sentence structures.
Also, I love the paragraph that begins with "With the first gray light", because within the first two pages of the novel, McCarthy has already established a chilling setting for his tale that informs the reader about the barren world. Beginning with the first sentence, ("With the first gray light he rose and left the boy sleeping...") McCarthy establishes that the world his protagonist is living in is entirely void of color. The light that initiates the new day is gray and absent of color. McCarthy also dehumanizes his characters by constantly referring to them as "he" or "the boy". Coupled with the image of breaking gray light, the reader is left with the concept of a bleak, barren wasteland. Also, McCarthy emphasizes that the characters have been running so long, that they don't even know what month of the year it is. I also feel like the author wants to draw the reader's attention to the fact that this world has vastly changed. It caught my eye that the protagonist knows that there was "no surviving a winter here" referring to the south. Common sense tells us that the south is generally more warm in winter, why would it be harder to survive a winter in the warm southern states unless something has drastically changed? With this initial paragraph, McCarthy has efficiently set the scene for a chilling novel.
Erin, I think you misunderstood that statement...the one about not surviving the winter. I believe the man means that if they stay where they're at, they will not survive the winter, which explains why they continue to move south.
The color gray seemed to dominate this story. For some reason this story is an in between. This story is mixture of white's serenity and black's mysterious perceptions. By this I mean like every day of what will happen is a guess. Their days to come are very questionable. Nothing really indicates that they'll not starve to death and this to me made it seem like surrendering to death might come. I don't feel they'll both make it to a save place alive. I really don’t see this story turning out to be all sugar plums and fairies. This story seems like bitter sweet is how it will end.
I like that McCarthy chose not to use quotation marks for the dialogue -- he may have done so because there are really only two people to speak and it makes the reader pay attention to who is speaking. I feel like it saddens the (already sad) story a bit but I don't really know why. I also noticed he doesn't use apostrophes for words like "don't," "can't," "won't," "wasn't," etc and I recently saw a quote of his in another book and apparently he doesn't use apostrophes in other works as well. Pretty bold.
Maybe the man tried to call his father from the gas station to see if he would answer (probably not, though. I'm thinking he just wanted to lift a reciever to his ear because he dimly knew he would never be able to again, and because telephones are virtually extinct in this world -- and because speaking to someone you love on the phone, even if they aren't there, can give comfort).
I'm thinking the man has denounced g-d or any higher power, thinking "why would any g-d destroy the earth" (even though the destruction may have been caused by humans themselves...) or "what is the use believing in something that cannot / will not / has not shown any sign of helping me even though I have done nothing wrong." Also McCarthy quotes the man's heart as being grey as the snow... doesn't seem very hopeful for religion to save him at this point.
Maybe the man's former occupation was an engineer or something in academics... he has skills that have kept him and the boy alive for as long as they have (unless his cough kills him). I bet (when he isn't thinking about survival) he thinks about his old life and how he never thought his present would be like it is.
In a society where the world is almost ungodly, I am not sure if the man believes in God. However, the novel starts with an important quote, “If he is not the word of God God never spoke” (5). I think by stating this quote, McCarthy is saying from the man’s point of view that either his son is the word of God or the universe is godless. However I feel as if there are examples of both of this in the novel. Many times in the book, the boy finds food, for example the house in the distance and the underground bunker. Also, quite a few times the boy wants to save people he finds in need. However the boy and man live in a seemliness ungodly world, filled with cannibals.
As I'm reading through this novel, I can't help but see similarities to the movie Zombieland. I know it's no masterpiece, but I keep picturing scenes from the movie as I read certain things. The boy and his father are traveling to a different part of the country to find something better, to find people like them. In Zombieland, they are traveling across the country to find other humans and to avoid being attacked by zombies. I know it's not really a mature thing to think while reading this serious book, but I just can't help but picture the movie as I read.
At first, It drove me crazy that the author did not use quotations, not being used to it I had to go over the conversation again so I was not confused on who was speaking and what they were saying. Stylistically I do like it, and I think it works with the story. The boy and his father seem to be detached from the world, not really knowing where they are going, just a general direction. It seems like they are searching for somewhere to belong, and live happy, and not be detached from. The father has a dream, and we see a favorite childhood memory of his. The father even revisits an old childhood house where he clearly had some very good memories. I feel that need to live happy again from him. I think he wants a good life for him and his son and not using quotations puts the conversation or phrase all together as one element.
What is significant about the Coca Cola scene is that it shows how much people can take things for granted. Things as simple as a can of Coca Cola mean so much more to us if it is taken away. I've drank pop several times without giving it a second thought, but when something as insignificant as that is missing, it all of a sudden becomes many times more significant. The setting in the novel shows that things like Coca Cola, heating, and even other people are not things that the protagonists can easily find. The significance of this scene is that the novel helps readers be thankful for what they have, even for things that might seem small at the moment.
The mention of others in the book suggests that the area where they are is very dangerous and not stable. Bloodcults suggest violence and terror. It is obvious that the father is indeed terrified of these other people. He often refers to them as "the bad guys". He instills the same fear into his son. Road-agents and marauders suggest a instability around their area. People are being deceived and captured and killed, and it makes it scary to continue down the road. It is a very terrifying area to be in. The father and son are on constant alert. The father even explains to the son about constantly being afraid and being on alert and how they are related.
I find that black and grey are the most dominant color in the novel. While the color grey is mentioned a few times in the novel, it often is implied. Black on the other hand, I do not recall seeing, but I did get the impression that the color black was associated with death. A good example is this quote from the first page: “Nights dark beyond darkness and the days more gray each one that what had gone before.” McCarthy frequently describes things being covered in ash and lifeless. It almost leaves you with a feeling that there is no color left in the world. On the other hand, I do not recall the color white being mentioned nor implied. I believe this is because the color white usually represents purity and innocence, which is not common in this setting. I am surprised that McCarthy does not use the color white to describe the child, which is a symbol of innocence.
I think that the lack of quotation marks in this book creates a very quiet setting. I can't explain it, but as I read I just imagined that the world is mostly silent and the lack of quotations may have been a large contribution to this feeling. I give McCarthy definite style points because it makes sense that speech and thoughts would start to blend in a world where human life has become a shortage. Communication just doesn’t matter as much anymore. Besides, who cares if there are quotation marks when the world is ending? The narrator may have more important things to deal with.
I also loved the quoted about dreams of peril. I completely agree with the statement. If you are dreaming of danger and peril, I assume it means that you are still afraid of dying and that you haven't given up yet. As soon as you start dreaming of sunny meadows and rainbows, well then you have probably given up on reality and that is at least a figurative death. Physical death is sure to come when your subconscious fear of dying leaves you. Because you no longer have the desire to live, your survival instinct will leave you and you will be alone and happy with your dismal fate.
I agree with the quote, "...the right dreams for a man in peril were dreams of peril and all else was the call of languor and death." As the man's assessment of dreams, I think it makes sense. I think he believes this because in order to survive in a time of "peril," a sharp and attentive mind is necessary. When you dream about trouble, you haven't let your guard down by forgetting trouble. When you dream about pleasant things, your mind is slipping into hallucinations, and your defenses are set aside. Also, pleasant dreams can be "the call of languor and death" because they beckon the dreamer to continue dreaming. If the world to wake up to is awful, why leave the perfect world of pleasant dreams? They are a sweet taste of death to the man and the boy. To me, it seems logical for them to be wary of good dreams.
Personally, no quotation marks is annoying but I think maybe his point of it is to make everything kind of dead and gray, just like the story and the town...
The one color that dominates the story so far is gray. McCarthy throws some black in there but it's mostly gray, symbolizing that the town is dead, something has happened. This makes the tone of the book kind of creepy and dead-like. There is no one around, everything is abandoned or vacant. Everything is dead. He even says at one point to the boy, "there's nothing in the lake".
First off, I really do not like how this author ignores many grammar rules. I found myself rereading many pages again because of the fragments and the lack of quotation marks. For me, the beginning of this novel is really slow and hard to get into but the one thing that sticks out in my mind is the Coca Cola scene. After reading it, I did not envy their life at all. This scene also showed me how much the dad cares for his son and how much he feels bad for the boy.
I agree with what Katelyn means by the color gray. The story does seem black and white, and it seems like nobody really knows what is going to happen each day. I also think that no quotation marks in the book is very significant. It creates a mysterious and quiet mood and it shows that communication isn’t too important anymore.
I think McCarthy chooses not to use quotation marks for his dialogue to make what the characters are saying blend in more with the story. It was hard to differentiate between the speakers at first but the more and more I read, I like the idea and I feel like it gives the book more style. I feel that the struggles the boy and his father are going through are being more declared and simplistically stated for the reader, and not using quotation marks underlines that idea even more.
Well. I think that we are dealing with a national event. Throughout the book, there is mention of ash. Which obviously points to a fire. But everything is dead, which leads me to believe something bigger happened such as a nuclear explosion. I believe this may be the United States' point of view after something like World War III? I may be completely off, but it's a theory.
i really like the line "like the onset of some cold glaucoma dimming away the world", because the man's life, his family, what's really important to him, is still there in the center, but everything else is slowly becoming out of sight.
i think mccarthy doesn't use quotations, or apostrophes in contractions, to bring about a feeling of simplicity, because the characters live in a world where they care much more about making it to the next day than using proper english, and maybe it's even been long enough since organized society existed that contractions and quotation marks no longer are used.
the perfect day stands out to me because it is reminiscent of a time when he could enjoy nature, when it wasn't his enemy. and he could think about his relatives in a way other than just trying to keep them alive. and it was very calm, unlike the days he is currently facing.
i love the snow quote because usually we think of snow as white and pure and beautiful, but in the book it's characterized as grey and sad and an incredible burden.
i would think the man had some sort of army experience, or some sort of mechanic. he seems to know how to live very efficiently, like he's had some sort of survival training.
i love the coca-cola scene, especially because it first shows the son's selflessness when it comes to special things, as much as his father wants to give it all to the son, the son never lets him.
So far, this book is very dull. It talks a lot about gray, silence, and death. McCarthy does a good job setting the mood for an abandoned world. Everything is very simple in the novel including the writing style. However, a little more action in the beginning wouldn't be the worst idea.
I believe that it was an international event is what caused the post-apocalypse world in the book. The event probably involved a nuclear event due the ash that even blocks out the sun. I believe that Alexis's theory is correct.
The fact that McCarthy does not use quotation marks in his dialogue goes along well with the novel. It makes everything just seem so bland, along with the whole plot of the story. The world is almost fully destoyed.. A man and his son survive.. The fight for survival.. So typical! And of course gray and black are the colors most refered to throughout the story. The symbolism for these includes that of hopelessness, death, and just a feeling of bland and boring.
I was very confused at the part when the man tried to call his father at the gas station. Everyone was dead, right? So why would he even try? Maybe it was because he had to know if it was real, if he was really gone. He may have been in denial of everything that had happened, and needed a reality check.
I like that McCarthy doesn’t use quotations. I think it makes the story more detached. I love how the novel doesn’t have emotion, or that you don’t really have anything to relate yourself to the characters.
It seems like the man might have been someone important, like a doctor. I like to think he is, but it doesn’t say much about the past, other than his wife, so it’s quite hard to tell.
I really like the Coca Cola scene in the novel. It shows how something so simple can bring joy to a person once it has been taken away. The man could’ve drunk the Coke himself, but he gave it to his son, who had never had one before. The boy shared the drink with his father, who only took a small sip. He wanted the boy to have the drink instead of him, no matter how much he wanted it. I thought this was a special moment for these two. It was a faint glimmer of happiness in their bleak situation.
The coca cola scene seems very significant because the boy has never had a pop before. Almost everything is gone and to find that one sweet drink, it seems to be a miracle. Something so common in our society today where people can consume many in just one day and this little boy doesn’t even know what it is. It just shows that even the simplest of things can seem like the best thing in the world when everything is taken away or vanishes.
The beginning of the book they are in a cave, it seems like the child is having fun checking out the lights shimmering around, he is even leading his father because he wants to explore. They were "like pilgrims" discovering somewhere new and adventurous. That seems to be more of a child's dream, or an adult that wished he was a child. There is even a giant monster trapped in the lake at the bottom of the cave, a mysterious but unharming creature. That probably would have taken someone by surprise, but the father and son didn't move.
I honestly am having trouble with how McCarthy does not use quotation marks. However, I think I understand why he did this. There really aren't many characters in this book, just the boy and the man, and how he doesn't use quotation marks kind of highlights this. It gives the story more of a sad, dreary feel.
When it comes to color, I don't remember McCarthy straight out mentioning black or gray. Instead, while I read, I'm visioning the book as a black white movie. With this man and his son pushing a cart along this on-going road, alone. Again, this gives the book a more dreary kind of feeling.
I love, love, love Erin Fortinberry’s comparison to Zombieland, mostly because as I was reading the book, I was trying to figure out where this strange sense of déjà vu was coming from. I was trying to pick apart post-apocalyptic movies apart, wondering which movie had taken a chunk of this book for its own when I had realized I actually had watched The Road with my dad a while back. It was one of those “sit down halfway through the movie” ordeals, which explained why I hadn’t remembered the beginning part.
I realized what I was reading when the Coca-Cola bit came around. It was really an exciting revelation, I even ran downstairs to inform my dad that I was reading the book. The Coca-Cola is significant because most people probably never stop to think that something life-altering and devastating would stop their kids from ever having a sip of pop. The father was also probably hit with a sudden pang of guilt because he lacked the ability to ever provide a leisurely life of cold Cokes and fishing with his family. It’s a really, really sad scene.
When I read Erin Fortinberry's comment about the book reminding her of Zombieland I couldn't help but feel somewhat amused.Yes, having no quotations did make the novel seem a little off at first but it actual moves the story quicker. The boy and his father never have a long conversation.
The young boy was born into the world at a time of the destruction, or war. So he hasn't really experienced much. That's why I think the Coca Cola seen was so significant.That was the first time the boy ever experienced something good and sweet.
The Coca Cola scene, in my opinion, represents hope. The boy and his dad have been traveling the country side trying to head south and get away from the cold. Everything is picked through and taken and it seems as if they have no hope, until the dad finds a lonely Coke can jammed up in a pop dispenser that someone must have missed. As the dad finds the can it seems like everything is forgotten for a split second and the pair can enjoy themselves. What I find interesting is that the father gives the son the can and treats it like a novelty item, like something that should be cherished. I can’t even begin to imagine a world described like the one in the novel. Coke is an everyday item that is literally everywhere, but in this new America, Coke is something that is never seen. It is almost like the author is trying to say to cherish every moment and to never take anything for granted because you never know when it could all disappear.
The absence of quotation marks really bothered me. Along with Grace, it was bothersome that McCarthy ignored common grammar rules. However, after progressing through the story i started to see that the lack of breaks in the dialogue created one big blob of the story. It created a weird tone to what i was reading - kind of mysterious feeling. I don't know exactly how this makes me think of the color gray, but it does. The color gray dominated my mind while i was reading. The story seemed so bleak to me at times.
The Coca Cola scene is significant because it was the boy’s first time drinking a pop. I liked that scene because it showed that even something as simple as pop can be new and exciting for someone. The Coca Cola scene also shows that as a society, we take things for granted. We can go out and buy a whole case of pop, and the boy was having his very first one. Another thing the scene shows is how caring Papa is. Even though I’m sure Papa would have loved to drink the pop, he gave it to the boy. This is just one act of how he puts the boy first.
I agree with rachel when she says that not using quotation marks in his novel fits well. The blandness continues throughout. Also the typical struggle for surviving is a topic in many novels and reflects how boring it is with the use of the grey and black.
Some symbolism so far is how bland and not exciting life can be along with no admirations.
In the first paragraph of this novel, I just wanted to say that I really liked the comparison “with eyes dead white and sightless as the eggs of spiders.” I thought it was a very original, appropriate, and creepy description. As to why the author chose not to use quotation marks, I think it makes the story and the characters sound more isolated. It kind of implies that since there seems to only be these two characters that there is no need for quotation marks. I also think that it kind of fades a character’s importance into the dull gray background.
With words like gryke, lardcan, and pipeclayed, I definitely question this author’s word choices. In just the first few pages, McCarthy also uses the words knapsacks and wonky which makes me think of British people. I don’t know, I’m just thinking out loud here.
As to why there have been no encounters with other living beings, I think it is because of a great number of disasters. And I think one of those disasters was a nuclear war that affected the health of the entire planet, hence all the ashes and darkness.
“Just remember that the things you put into your head are there forever, he said. You might want to think about that.
You forget some things, dont you?
Yes. You forget what you want to remember and you remember what you want to forget.”
This quote is all too true sometimes but I think the significance of this conversation lies within the reason as to why the father told his son this. The father desperately wants to protect his son’s innocence as long as possible in a world that is making it nearly impossible to do that.
When i first started this novel, the way conversations are presented confused me. I found myself re-reading a lot until I could recognize the different tone of the two characters. I believe McCarthy did this to emphasize the mood and setting of the novel. Punctuation adds emotion and by not using marks it creates a very dull appearance, just like the setting of the novel.
As I began reading this book, I couldn’t help but notice the many rambling sentences and fragments. There are also a lot of missing commas and such. Despite being a grammar Nazi, it didn’t really bother me. I suppose it’s because these “mistakes” seem more like stylistic choices. It’s strange, but instead of taking away from my enjoyment of the book, it actually contributes to the atmosphere. The same goes for the lack of quotation marks in the dialogue. Not using quotation marks certainly makes one pay more attention to who is speaking, and it adds to the...strange atmosphere of the book. (I can’t seem to find a more suitable word for the atmosphere that I’m sensing... It’s dark and gruesome, yes, but there’s something else...) I really like McCarthy’s writing style. It’s different, but in a good way.
After reading just the first page, I could tell I was going to enjoy this novel.
I also agree with Grace that the disaster that occurred may have been nuclear related. As i was reading, that was the first thought that popped into my head. It reminds of pictures that i have seen and articles that i have read about the Chernobyl disaster. I definitely believe that this was a world wide epidemic. If it wasn't, these two would at least have contact with someone in the world.
Since the man in the novel is handy, creative, and a practical thinker, i believe that he probably had a job of higher education. He has to be a problem solver because of the hand that him and his son were dealt. His survival skills were learned as him and his son experienced things so he must be a quick thinker. I believe he might have been an engineer or possibly a lawyer with his previous occupation.
The first mention of other people currently living in this time is somewhat disturbing. The very idea of a bloodcult makes me shudder. The author pretty much is conveying the fact that there are few refugee's that walk the road, and a vast majority of those that do are bad people. In response to another question, I found the Coca Cola scene to be significant because it showed that even with someone who has no memory of the old days, small little things that we today take for granted in our lives can make their day.
Dark and dull colors dominate the reality in this story...in dreams bright colors are used. The dark colors give an idea of lack of life and death. in dreams he uses bright colors, signifying a time when there was life and happiness.
Rock City is in Chattanooga Tennessee. It is right on the border between Tennessee and Georgia. This reference gives us a setting that we may be able to relate to.
I think this event is either national or international, considering how they have not seen anyone else since the beginning of the novel.
Gray seems to be a very prominent color in this book. The color gray is used to evoke feelings of loneliness, which is fitting considering the man's situation. Gray is also a medium between black and white, which may help to establish the man's view of life. He is distant and detached from everything, not having much emotion, just like the color gray.
The man is very handy, is creative, and is a practical thinker, so I suppose that he had an advanced education along with an advanced profession in the past. I agree with Jessi when she points out his survival skills (which is one of many themes in The Road), and his problem solving skills as being possibly an instinct to what his profession in the past could have been. Cities were destroyed and life as it was had broken down, which is when I noticed these skills play into action. I feel that the man was some kind of teacher or engineer from his actions and behavior.
The dull colors of gray, black, and white dominate the story. These colors symbolize the feelings of need and loneliness, along with a tone of sadness and depression. However like Carroll said, I also found that it was in dreams when there was usage of bright colors. These colors were then used to symbolize the feelings of happiness and new beginnings, along with a tone of rebirth and light.
The other characters are savages that portray the lose of civilization after a horrible disater. These people stopped caring about doing the right thing and started caring for only themsevles. The father and his son are part of the last surviving remenats of good left in the world. The fathers love is all that keeps him from becoming like everything else.
I also agree that he color gray seemed to dominate this story. I like Katelyn's choice of words saying this book is a misconception between white's serenity and black's mysterious perceptions.Their days are very questionable and are at random by what happens around them. I also got confused in the beginning of the story when McCarthy would not use quotation marks in the beginning. The boy and the man seem to have a very weird relationship. They have very short context when they even find time to use dialogue in the book.
The coca cola scene was the first scene that really caught my attention. I agree with Claire how it represented some kind of hope as the walk through a dark journey. It also showed how such a simple thing could mean so much to someone.
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