Symbolism

Water, cleaning and washing: Could be seen as a symbol of starting up on the road again. For example when they get to the bunker and they have a wash they get food and decent sleep when they start on the road it's like the start of the journey all over again. It could also be seen as keeping them humane like when the man washes the boys hair because of the brains in it he is washing away all the wrong doings that have previously happened.

The Mountain: Could be a symbol for the journey they are taking because a journey up a mountain is long and challenging like their journey will be/is. However could be seen a metaphor for God because it is always looking over them.

The Sea: Could be seen as a symbol of hope and sometimes as a destination for the end of the journey. The sea is their hope because they constantly planing on getting there and seeing the blue sea which they don't see when they get there as their destination for their journey.

The Colour Grey (gray American spelling)/ Ash: Is showing the limited palette that he uses throughout the novel. It also shows the lack of humanity along the road with the amount of darkness and dullness of the novel.

Fire: Could be seen as symbol of light, it's the only light in the world. It is also a sign them being the good guys because only them carry the light. However the point about the carrying the light is contradicted when the trees are all on fire and there is loads of ash shows that maybe the good guys caused the apocalypse.

Sight/ Sightless: Could be a symbol that the world has lost all forms of sight and seeing what is left and how it has changed.

Seeds: Can be seen as a sign of new life. But there are no vegetables for seeds growing anymore so it can be seen as last sign of life.

Music/ Musical instruments: There are very little music in the novel however the part where the boy is given a flute may be a symbol of future things are yet to come to do with music. The silence of the novel however could be seen as type of musical symbol of how lonely they are and how they never know what is coming because there is no sound.

Animal imagery: There are very little animals in the novel. The dog however could be a symbol of hope because it is the only animal we have seen in the whole novel. There are also the fish at the end of the novel however I don't understand the meaning of them.

Religious imagery: The man talks to God throughout the novel. And when the man dies the woman says about God as well and he talks to his dad who is also God. The other symbol of God is that it could be God telling the story of what is happening to the boy and the man.

The can of coca-cola: This could be a symbol of being very American because they believe sharing their first coke with their child is very important. It can also be a sign of the past where people all knew what coke was and no body needed to ask about. 

Voice and Point of View

The Road is written in the third person, in the voice of an omniscient narrator, with the characters referred to as ‘he’ or ‘the boy’. However, within this, McCarthy manipulates and plays with the narrative voice and the point of view from which the story is seen. Here are some of the things you might find interesting to explore in relation to the narrative voice of The Road: 

• –  3rd person voice, omniscient point of view
• –  3rd person voice, from the point of view of the man
• –  3rd person voice, from the point of view of the boy
• –  unattributed dialogue (i.e. without ‘he said’)
• –  decontextualised dialogue (without commentary from the narrator)
• –  unattributed thoughts (i.e. without ‘he thought’)
• –  not signalling where the narrative ends and dialogue or the thoughts of a character in the first person begin
• –  dream sequences related without a clear sense of whether it is in the third or first person
• –  3rd person free indirect style where the reader not only feels he/she is seeing events from a character’s perspective but that it is in the character’s own words, not those of the narrative voice. 

P.G 32

• Free indirect style
• McCarthy does this to make the reader question who is narrating and possibly confuse them because it seems as though there is a second narrator who speaks about there being 'no godspoken men.'
• He changes his point of view during this part he asks a rhetorical question and this could possibly mean that the man is talking to someone. He also may have lost his faith with god when his wife killed herself.  
• It leaves the reader asking more questions about the man and what actually happened to him
• It could also link to an omniscient narrator because of the god like voice maybe it could actually be god telling the story and that's why it is so important they keep the light as a sign of faith
• However could come across as the man having an inner thought. He doesn't usually let these emotions show because he thinks if he blocks them out everything will be for the better and he won't get upset thinking back about his wife. 

The Role of Women

Woman: 14

Mother: 2

Mom: 1

Wife: 1

Man: 184

Father: 23

First thoughts: 

• It's a mans world
• Women are seen as weaker so may not survive an apocalypse 
• The man blames the woman for his loneliness
• Woman symbolize life and reproduction (with no more women there is no life left.) 
• The woman is dead so she cant really be in the book
• The boy is more dependent on his dad which is the opposite to the normality where it is seen that the mother has a stronger relationship
• It isn't oedipal
• You must be a man to survive
• Women aren't put in a good light 
• Male characters are weak and ignorant. Where as women are strong and that's why she killed herself
• Men caused the apocalypse so maybe they should be the ones that have to carry on living 

P.G 17

• He still doesn't hate her although he yearns for her and not in just a sexual way
• They obviously had a decent amount of money because they can go to big theaters
• He is now realizing how much he's lost 
• It let's you know about the mans past and how there used to be a women in the life
• He doesn't want to remember her constantly because he knows it will upset him

P.G 54

• They are both showing a more mature relationship because they are having a baby
• She shows her dependency on the man by asking 'What is happening?'
• Life and death in one section because the apocalypse is`about to happen yet she is pregnant which shows a sign of new life
• The birth is never mentioned of the boy, maybe see as sad because it means someone else was dependent on them 

P.G 56

• The boy wanting his 'mom' back
• The man regrets not keeping the woman in their lives because things might be better for them if they had
• The boy wishes he was dead like his mom because he longs for a different type of attention maybe a bit more affection

P.G 57

• The man and the woman are arguing over whether she should kill herself
• She knows what will happen in the future and she would rather die now than in the future when things will get worse for them
• The woman makes herself seem like a horrible person who's cheating on him and is running off with death, this could be to make it easier for the man. 

Screen Play

Episode 1: Opens on the man dreaming of the women before the apocalypse when they are at the theater. He then wakes and we are introduced to the boy and man and the circumstances that they live in now. There is flashbacks of the women and of when she killed herself. It will end with the man leaving his wallet in the road with the picture of his wife.

Episode 2: They will meet the road rat and the man will  kill him because he threatens the boy.  They also meet the man who has been struck by lightening. Finally they see the cannibalistic men and women that are locked in a cellar of a house. As they go to leave the house the people who are keeping them captive come back and they have to run. It will end on them running away from them into a field.

Episode 3: Opens on them sleeping in the field. They walk to the beach and see a boat. In the boat there is food that they get. When they go back to the cart it's been taken. They follow the trial of sand to a town. Where the man gets shot in the leg with an arrow. The man dies and the boy walks off with another family.

We chose these parts because we think they are the most interesting things that happen throughout the book. We also think that it shows different sides to the boy and the man.

The Gruffalo written like McCarthy

When he woke in the woods in the first grey light. He rose and walked out to the road. In front was a limping old fox. He walked behind and studied him and finally walked past him.
Where are you going to, little brown mouse? Come and have lunch in my underground house.
It's terribly kind of you, Fox, but no I'm going to have lunch with a gruffalo.
A gruffalo? What's a gruffalo?
A gruffalo why didn't you know? He has terrible tusks and terrible claws and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws.
Where are you meeting him?
Here by this rock and his favorite food is roasted fox.
Roasted fox I'm off! Goodbye little mouse!
Silly old fox doesn't he know there's no such thing as a gruffalo. Soon the mouse could no longer see the fox but along came a flying owl. Swooping silently down. Moving the dust on the road as he flapped for the final few times.
Where are you going to, little brown mouse? Come and have tea in my treetop house.
It's frightfully nice of you, Owl, but no I'm going to have tea with a gruffalo.
A gruffalo? What's a gruffalo?
A gruffalo why didn't you know? He has knobbly knees and turned-out toes and a poisonous wart at the end of his nose.
Where are you meeting him?
Here by this stream and his favorite food is owl ice cream.
Owl ice cream! Goodbye little mouse!
Sill old owl doesn't he know there's no such thing as a gruffalo. The owl was out of sight before the mouse could think any more of it. He carried on walking soon came a track in the dust of the road. He could not tell what creature it was but knew it was dangerous. He carried on walking, sat in the middle of the road was a snake. He stood and looked at him. The mouse knew he had to carry on. He hid his face and walked past the snake.
Where are you going to, little brown mouse? Come and have a feast in my logpile house.
It's wonderfully good of you, Snake, but no I'm going to have a feast with a gruffalo.
A gruffalo? What's a gruffalo?
A gruffalo why didn't you know? His eyes are orange and his tongue is black and he has purple prickles all over his back. Where are you meeting him?
Here by this lake and his favorite food is scrabbled snake.
Scrabbled snake! It's time I hid. Goodbye little mouse!
Sill old snake doesn't he know there's no such thing as a gruffalo.
Across a field the mouse saw a house. He stood outside the house and stared. He stood listening. He tried the door it swung slowly on it's great brass hinges. He looked inside but before he could move. A floorboard creaked.The mouse froze. All he could hear was footsteps coming towards him, but who is this creature with terrible claws and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws? He has knobbly knees and turned-out toes and a poisonous wart at the end of his nose. His eyes are orange and his tongue is black. He has purple prickles all over his back.
Oh help! Oh no! It's a gruffalo!
My favorite food you'll taste good on a slice of bread!
Good? Don't call me good! I'm the scariest creature on this road. Just walk behind me and soon you'll see, everyone is afraid of me.
All right, you go ahead and I'll follow after.
They walked and walked in complete silence. Looking around to see. Listening for what could be behind or hidden in the trees.
I hear a hiss in the leaves ahead.
It's snake, why snake, hello!
Oh crumbs! Goodbye little mouse.
Before the gruffalo could say a word the snake had gone to his house and the mouse had started to walk away. The gruffalo ran after him.
You see? I told you so.
Amazing
They walked some more in silence again. Checking their surrounding. The mouse kept checking the gruffalo was behind.
I hear a hoot in the trees ahead.
It's Owl, why, owl hello!
Oh dear! Goodbye little mouse!
Off went the owl into the clouds in the sky to never be seen again. As the gruffalo stared into the sky looking after the owl the mouse moved on and started to walk at a slow pace until the gruffalo had caught up.
You see. I told you so.
Astounding!
The gruffalo then stopped and looked at the tracks in the dust.
It's Fox, why, Fox hello!
Oh help! Goodbye little mouse.
And off ran the fox into the forest to never be seen again.
Well Gruffalo you see? Everyone is afraid of me! But now my tummy's beginning to ruble and my favorite food is gruffalo crumple!
Gruffalo crumble
And quick as the wind he turned and fled. The mouse was never messed with ever again by anyone because the story of the gruffalo was passed on down the generations. All was quiet in the deep dark road. The mouse found a nut and the nut was good.

the ending

Deus ex Machina = God is in the machine (disappointment to the end of the novel)

I think the end is when the welcoming of the boy by the woman.
Page: 306
'Oh, she said, I am so glad to see you.' I think this is the end of the novel because there has been no women throughout however this little section contradicts this. If the man had been on his own he may have eaten the boy or at least not have let him come with them and have to share their supplies with him. The women could be a sign of femininity in the world or hope for the future because you need women to reproduce and make a future world. We also don't know what she is so pleased to see him although could they be sent by the mother from above in heaven to help the boy because she feels guilty for leaving him in the situation. However also seems a bit covenant that they came walking along the road and are willing to look after him. Themes that come through are of religion which links to the fact that his mother could have sent them by God, this could also be shown by the women talking about God a lot. 'She said that the breath of God was his breath yet though it pass from men to men through all  of time.'

Others think it's when they get to the beach.
'He looked at the boy. I'm sorry it's not blue.' Could show constant sadness and that this is a really disappointment because they have been looking forward to it so badly. It also continues the limited palette and the fact that they want to see more colours in the world. 'do you reckon there's any ships out there. No I don't think so.' They sort of seem to give up and have no hope now if nothing is out there. They have in a way got to the end of the road but it wasn't what they expected it to be. Could the dead fish be a symbol for what could happen to them very soon.

Another point of view is when the man dies.
p.298-300
As the story has been from the man's point of view for the whole novel how will the story continue now? When the boy continues the story it has a different narrative tone, it is a bit more hopeful.The cave is mentioned again just before death like the start of the novel. It's a sign of the light fading, could it also be a symbol that the whole world is dying not just the man. 'In that cold corridor they had reached the point of no return which was measured from the first solely by the light they carried with them.'

structure and the handling of time

What does it mean to be alive in a dead world?

Existentialism 

P.g 212
The repetition of the letter S symbolises the noise that the river makes as that is all they hear because it'masked' any other noise. It uses sibalences to do this. The short sentences with the odd long one makes you read quickly. The words are all very simple and child like. It's written like a child's story because of the way most of the sentences start with 'He' or 'They'. It is a very slow dull part of the story. However could be seen as important to the novel because it is when the man is worrying about the boy never speaking and the seeing how far they still have to go without actually knowing where exactly they are.

p.g1
'Nights dark beyond darkness and the days more grey each one then what had gone before.' This is an extract where narrative time is used as well as a reference to the passage of day. It could also indicate the the past has been a long time and nothing has ever changed.

p.g78
'He woke in the night with the cold and rose and broke up more wood for the fire.' This is a reference to the passage of the day. Could also refer to time of year for example Autumn or Winter because of the fact he was woken by the 'cold'.

p.g110
'They kicked snow over the fire and went on through the trees and circled and came back.' Could be a reference to winter from the snow. 

p.g 111
'They'd has no food and little sleep in five days.' This reference shows narrative time is telescoped, so it skips a few days.

p.g226
'They stayed at the house for four days eating and sleeping.' This is a passage which narrative time is telescoped. 

p.g263
'In the morning he built a fire and walked out on the beach while the boy slept.' This is a reference to the passage of day. 

p.g294
'Winter was already upon them.' This passage tells us that it is winter.