The Road

Re-write in first person narration: I pushed the cart and the boy and I both carried knapsacks. In the knapsacks were essential things incase we had to abandon the cart and make a run for it….I shifted the pack higher on my shoulders and looked out over the wasted country.

Re-write in second person narration: You pushed the cart and both you and the boy carried knapsacks. In the knapsacks were essential things in case you both had to abandon the cart and make a run for it….You shifted the pack higher on your shoulder and looked out over the wasted country.

If McCarthy used a third person narration in the boy’s perspective or the man’s we would get descriptions that were less omniscient and more personal and bias to the environment, as well as typically with third person narrations you get a lot of anecdotal stories told along the way.

The fact that McCarthy didn’t give the characters names it makes the reader less attracted to the characters as well as it makes the characters seem more anonymous and mysteries, whilst if we knew their names we could make a more personal connection to them or relate them more to people in our lives with similar names, so by not giving them names it can make the reader more curious.

McCarthy writes that the man and the boy are both carrying knapsacks “incase they need to abandon their carts and make a run for it.” This indicates that they are in some form of danger, by stating that they would need to “make a run for it.” The reader can guess that the danger might be human or man made destruction, by stating that they are walking in the “gunmetal light” indicating guns which are man made, as well as that they are walking through ash so some for of mostly likely man-made destruction has occurred i.e. war.

It seems that the story might’ve been set in post-apocalyptic times. McCarthy writes that the man “looked out over the wasted country” meaning that the country that once was full of civilisation and humans is now destroyed and gone most likely, as well as it states that they are walking through ash meaning that there has been some form of fire or explosion that has occurred.

Although the roads seem empty for the moment it seems that there are people hiding in the wind waiting for the right moment to attack.

It seems that the destruction was most likely man made, and from the description most likely a nuclear war or some sort of bomb attack or explosion.

It is not clear where they are going or where they have come from, however it seems that they most likely are survivors from the wasted country, and are on their way to find a place of salvation.

The road can symbolise many things, however it seems that this specific road is very important because perhaps this is their road to salvation and their only way to be safe and if they read the end of this road they may find other survivors who could help them.

The passage uses a lot of imagery through to create this creepy eerie atmosphere.

He might’ve not added punctuation to the speech to set the reader on edge and catch them off-guard just like this survivors were.

McCarthy uses a lot of imagery and tries to attack all our senses, by comparing the river to a serpent, he is making the river seem more alive an dangerous because typically serpent creates are long and dangerous, by comparing the light to gunmetal it sets the reader on end because it is a reference to guns which are dangerous.

McCarthy uses a mix of long and short sentences and a mix of complex and simple sentences. The short sentences are to add suspense to the reader, whilst the longer more complex ones are used to add imagery and describe the scenery more.

It makes me curious to read more into the book and know more about the boy and the man and if they survive and reach the end of this road.