First Key episodes from The Road 

Key Episodes

Coming across the man who has been struck by lightning (50-53)

In this section the man struck by lightning is described as ‘uncertain’. The use of this word could be a reference to the theme of fear throughout the novel, the vast amount of threats that the characters face means that uncertainty is high. On the other hand it could imply the uncertainty within the character himself, physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally – when you are thrown into such a world of catastrophe becoming uncertain is easy. The boy immediately says, ‘what should we do, Papa?’, this shows a clear sign of morals of the young boy and also the affection that he shows towards his father by the way he address’ him. Moreover the boy is showing a caring nature, by doing this McCarthy indicates to the reader the qualities a child can bring to a dark situation, the boy is almost a symbol of the compassionate nature that all humans possess. This is a harsh contrast to how his father reacts to the man, who says ‘we can’t help him.’ The boy almost pleads with his father to help him, it shows the lack of understanding the boy has upon the situation and his naivety. The reader could have a negative view on the Father now because of how he reacted and the fact that the boy starts crying will evoke an emotional response as no one likes to see a child cry. Also quite noticeably the relationship between father and son deteriorates; he goes from addressing his father as ‘Papa’ to not even acknowledging him. In response to this the Father assures the son that there was nothing that could have been done, by doing this it shows how highly the Father regards their relationship as he cannot bear the fact that they aren’t talking and the Father himself needs reassuring that the son is alright with him; showing the dependency. Plot progression is hard to decipher at this point as there is a range of options that could follow, however I do believe that the relationship between the two will grow as they come to realise just how important their bond shall become. The language used in this section is similar to language that runs throughout however when the boy speaks he asks a lot of questions, it shows his persistence and the short responses from the father could show his annoyance with his sons asking. This section is very important as it tests the relationship between the two characters and shows the reader the implications the father must go through to protect his son whilst trying at the same time not to sever the relationship that they have.

Shooting the ‘roadrat’ (62-69)

During this episode the reader is impacted a lot, much like a horror movie the tension is built throughout making the reader want to read on. Emotionally the reader is taken on a journey as there is uncertainty to whether the boy will make it out alive or not, also the fact that the boy is a child could make the reader feel more empathy. Within this section the father kills the ‘roadrat’ and he is seen in a new light entirely. The reader may feel respect towards the father at his victorious attempt at saving his son but also the question may arise as to where he got such confidence and precision from when using the gun. Moreover we see the paternal side to the character as he shows the great lengths he will go to, to protect his child from harm. He threatens the ‘roadrat’ by saying, ‘if you look at him again, I’ll kill you,’ this could show that the character is very strong however the failure to follow through with his actions straight away and since he carries on the conversation it could imply a slight fear that he may have. It is not until he son has been taken by the ‘roadrat’ that he pursues his earlier words. This section also

shows the strong relationship that the boy and father share. Although many parents would go to much trouble to protect their child, there is an edge to this character that makes this bond so much more intense. He will not let his son be put in harm’s way however this could be interpreted in different lights. The reader knows that the father loves his son and therefore is obviously going to do all he can to protect him; however there is an element of reliance upon the son, that he needs him there for his own survival – his son is a crutch for him. In this section I think the reader could assume that the plot progresses by the pair getting as far away as possible from the sight of the truck to avoid any danger. McCarthy uses vivid images to describe the death of the ‘roadrat’ saying, ‘blood bubbling from the hole in his forehead’ the lack of emotion at his death and the simplistic way the death is described doesn't allow the reader to feel any emotional sadness towards this character at all. This is another important section as it allows the reader to see what dangers the pair face and how they need a secure relationship because no one else left in the world can be trusted.


Finding the cellar of mutilated and naked people (112-121)
During this key episode the reader is introduced to McCarthy's written style as he tries to imitate a horror movie. His use of complex sentences then down to short sentences adds tension and fear to this episode and then the lengthening of the sentences again gives the reader a sort of anti climax. It says in this episode 'all the things he saw and did not see' this could be a metaphor for his entire journey on the road, how to him what he saw was very much the survival of him and his son however his son could see on a different emotional level to him which is why he was 'almost in tears' and shows compassion for the man hit by lightening. His father has lost that emotional insight because of the bleak world in which he lives and also as he possess' the knowledge that the son lacks because of age and acquired wisdom. The quote from this episode, 'He looked down at him. All he saw was terror. He took the gun from him. No you dont, he said.' the fact that the father looked down on the boy could show a moment of thought and also possibly a tiny hint of disappointment (as if getting looked down on and told off) but not at the fact that the boy doesn't know how to use the gun but because there's a sudden realisation that the father himself must kill the boy. It says, 'all he saw was terror' showing that the boy cannot handle this as he is too young which just adds to the ultimatum the father must face. Further on there is a quote saying, 'Could you crush that beloved skull with a rock.' the father is doubting his ability to kill his own son. The use of the word 'crush' could imply that it will crush a lot more than just the little boys skull and that it could crush the father completely. Also its indicated to the reader what turmoil they are in as the next humanist way to kill his son is to kill him with a rock, this shows just what the characters have to go through. This could impact readers with children a lot as they could put themselves in that position and deliberate on what they would do. The use of the word 'beloved' also shows the importance of this relationship and also the affection from the father that we haven't really seen yet towards the son, well not on this level anyway.


The baby on the spit ( 210-215)
The boys response to seeing the baby was 'oh Papa', even though the boy isn't very old this shows that he still has a strong sense of emotion and empathy towards events that happen. However afterwards McCarthy writes,' What the boy had seen was a charred human infant headless and gutted and blackening on the spit.' by writing it in such a bleak and so unsympathetically  it doesn't really allow the reader a chance to feel remorse for the baby, for we do not know anything about it. The killing of the baby is quite clear and concise and much alike what happens to a fish when its being cooked. Comparing it to an animal cooking is a strange thought because we will show shock at a baby being roasted on a spit but not a fish when they are both living creatures with the same basic anatomy. Also the Dad says to the little boy, 'I'm sorry, he whispered. I'm sorry ' this could imply many different sorry's. He could be apologising to the son because he feels guilty as he is the one that led them there, also he is meant to protect his son so he could be feeling guilty that he couldn't shield him from such a haunting sight. On the other hand because he is apologising generally for the death of the baby which could show him unlocking a more vulnerable side to him - as if the road has finally worn him down.