Finding the cellar. P.112-121.

Finding the cellar is such a disturbing event in the book that it becomes one of the most memorable. When the man and the boy first find the house we expect them to find food in the cellar. We are lead to believe that the cellar is locked so as to keep people who are struggling to maintain themselves from breaking in and steel the food of whoever the house belongs to, however it is a shocking revelation when the man breaks into the cellar and finds all these naked, mutilated people. We, as readers, are forced to feel the panic and shock that the man and the boy must feel about coming across such a horrible discovery. The man loses his lighter in his desperation to escape before it is too late, this shows just how much danger they are in as the lighter is a vital peice of equipment and he knows that they need it to survive. We doubt the safety of the man and the boy as he hands him the pistol and explains to him how to end his life with it, this shows that the man has lost hope in survival, and leads the reader to do the same. 'I was going to run. To try and lead them away. But I can't leave you.' is an example of how the man would sacrifice himself for the boy. If the man tried to distract them, he would be captured and subjected to torture like the people in the cellar, whereas the boy would end his life and after a split second, his pain would be over. He says he can't leave the boy, this helps the reader to understand just how helpless and innocent the boy is. He needs protecting, and the man will protect him til the very end.

Shooting the 'roadrat'. P.62-69.

The shooting of the roadrat is shocking and unexpected. The man and the boy were sleeping, until they heard a truck which is a sign of danger for them, this compels the reader to realise just how at risk they are, as to us a truck is merely an object and a sign of human life. We see and hear trucks everyday and find it unusual to feel fearful toward such an everyday thing. The man grabs the boy and they run through trees to escape the sight of the people, who will most likely kill them. The conversation between the man and the roadrat goes from calm and casual, to a violent subject of how a bullet would go through his head, this is an example of how quickly they can go from being in one situation to another, like sleeping peacefully to threatening someone. The roadrat asks if the man is a doctor, and the man replies 'I'm not anything' not only does this give the impression that the man is degrading himself, but it also shows how messed up society, or what's left of it, has become. The man is so untrusting of the roadrat, he knows that it is each to their own and survival is key, and therefore comes to the decision that he and the boy must continue alone, this is an example of how the man and the boy are isolated. They can't trust anyone as it is a fight for survival, and there is too much risk. When the roadrat takes the boy and holds a knife to his throat, the man shoots him within an instant, showing that he doesn't care for anyones life but his own and the boy's. This shows that, despite his emotionless exterior, the man will do anything for the boy and all they have is eachother. The boy appears expressionless when the man shoots the roadrat, this is a sign that he is finally becoming emotionless, like the man, and realising that they can't value anybody's lives but their own.

Coming across the man who was struck by lightening. P.50-53.

This event talks about how the man and the boy come across a  man who has been struck by lightening as they walk down the road. The man who has been struck by lightening is severely injured, and it is clear that he is unlikely to survive, even if they do attempt to save him. The young boy adimant that they have to help him, yet the man is not influenced by what he knows is ethically right, but stays focused on the reality of the fact that the injured man was not going to survive, and they needed the food for themselves.

The man is simply acting this way because he knows that he can't help anybody, just as nobody can help him. In this situation, it is each to their own in the fight for survival. He knows that he has to be emotionless and distance himself and his son from others, so as to encourage them to fight for themselves.

He removes all traces of his identity, such as his credit cards, his drivers license and a photo of his wife, this shows how he is trying to forget who he once was, and the life that he had, because he knows that he can't go back to how it was. Instead, he must continue as he is and leave his old life behind. This act represents letting go and moving on.

This is the first event in the book where the boy and the man come across another person, and because of this the reader becomes more involved with the characters emotions and how they react as the novel usually just involves the man and the boy alone.

This event in the novel makes the reader feel sad and sympathetic towards the man who was struck by lightening, even though the characters don't show the same emotions. There is a sense of helplessness, as we know that the situation in which the characters are in, there is no way they can possibly help the man, but as readers we still wish there was a way they could help him, and we think that if they were under different circumstances, the boy and the man would save him.

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

The beginning of this quote shows a relationship, but it doesn't appear to be loving or close. The way he refers to him as 'my child' gives a sense of posession and responsibilty, but no emotional bond. The referance to death sounds dismissive and flat, there is no shock or emotion behind it, which leads the reader to believe that death is a common event in the novel. The last sentence is short and monosyllabic. He refers to it as his 'job', which shows that he doesn't enjoy it, nor does he want to, but he feels it is hereditary.

'Yes I am, he said. I am the one.'

This whole quote is monosyllabic, it sounds blunt and free of expression. The term 'the one' gives a sense of independence and lonliness, as it clearly indicates that he is 'the one' and leads the reader to believe his the only 'one'. As readers we struggle to grasp much emotion from the novel, as it is a book of survival and not much more.

'Tomatoes, peaches, beans, apricots. Canned hams. Corned beef.'

This quote shows how sacred food has become to them, as it is a rarety for them to find something that is both edible and enjoyable. They aren't eating luxurious food, they are simply eating whatever they can find which will keep them alive. They don't have a choice in what they eat and it doesn't appear to bother them much in the novel, they eat for survival and nothing more.

This quote indicates a clear devider between being good and bad. The use of the word 'still' shows how the boy previously believed them to be 'the good guys', yet now they've done something which leads him to believe maybe they aren't anymore. In the book there is a lack of punctuation, there are no speech marks and no question mark, this shows how the characters are so desperate to survive, they dismiss things which they would normally take care to do, and so the writer has reflected this in the text.

'Are we still the good guys, he said'

'We should go Papa, he said. Yes, the man said. But he didn't.'

This extract shows how the man is trying to cling to his old life, he doesn't want to leave this place where he once grew up. Even though he is aware that he can't get his old life back, he still tries to keep a hold on it somehow. The boy is scared and is desperate to leave, yet his father still lingers there, as though he is stuck in some sort of trance. They aren't safe in the house, and even though the man is trying to escape the truth of that, the boy is urgently wanting to leave... All though wherever they are, they are always in danger.

'The snow fell nor did it cease to fall.'

The lack of punctuation in this sentance really connects with what the text is saying. The snow continued, allowing nothing to stop it from falling, as the sentance continues, allowing no punctuation to stop it from flowing. The snow is a very dangerous thing for them, under the conditions that they are in, making it more difficult for them to survive.

'Okay? Okay.'

The conversations between the boy and the man lack emotion or attachment throughout the novel, and the word 'okay' is used excessively between them. This extraction shows the end of a conversation, as though that was final and any disagreements or counterpoints were irrelevant. The shortness of the words/sentances could also show the lack of energy, due to travelling such a large distance by foot and also due to having little to no food to eat.

'They sat on the edge of the tub and pulled their shoes on and them he handed the boy the pan and soap and he took the stove and the little bottle of gas and the pistol and wrapped in their blankets and they went back across the yard to the bunker.'

This text is really just one long sentance, there is no punctuation in there and the word 'and' is used repetedly, this really has a monotone effect and makes the reader feel as though this is all so normal for them. Even the pistol sounds so routine for the man and the boy, it gives a sense of shock to the reader, causing them to realise just how much danger they are in, at all times. The way in which this is written just sounds so drab and plain, there is no emphasis or emotion. 

 'Tolling in the silence the minutes of the earth.'

It is very uncommon for the Earth to be described as 'silent', we know the world to be full of people and noise, because even when it's night time in America and everyone is sleeping, it is day time somewhere else in the world. Therefore, this quote seems so strange and puts a clear image in the readers mind. We picture the world as an empty and derelict place, with just the man and his son walking down a long road, this gives us a sense of the lonliness which the characters must feel and forces us to sympathise with them.

'She was gone and the coldness of it was her final gift.'

This bit of the text is talking about something sad, yet it somehow still manages to sounds emotionless somehow. Describing the absence of the boys mother to be a 'gift' seems cruel, because it is the loss of somebody they love. Yet at the same time, this shows the realism and honesty, as she is no longer a burden to them and they can now continue without worrying about her or having to make sure she is okay.