'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.