Quotations

Quotations - expectations

It is essential you recognise Cormac McCarthy's crafting of sentences in "The Road". Read the following extract out loud, pay attention to the sounds of the words and the rhythm of the writing.


This is my child, he said. I wash a dead man's brains out of his hair. That is my job- this quotation suggests that the novel falls into the horror genre because of the grim subject matter. Yet it also hints that relationships between parent and child feature heavily in the novel; it's obvious that this one is strong because of what the father is willing to do for the son. The quote is also slightly ironic since in a normal society, a man who put his son in the situation of having brains in his hair would be considered a bad parent. Yet in this post apocalyptic world, the quote shows that morals and reasoning have changed. The quote also suggests that more tests of their relationship will soon follow, which leaves the reader wondering how worse the situation could get. It's also clear that death and suffering are key themes in the novel and it leaves the reader wondering what kind of society the novel is set in if things such as this occur.


Yes I am, he said. I am the one- this suggests a uniqueness about the speaker although just from this quote the reader can't put it into context and work out it's meaning. However, the quote definitely implies that the speaker- whether it's the man or son- is special for whatever reason. If this was read as part of the novel, it implies that the man is the only one in his position and everyone else has fell to inhumanity yet this one man is determined to get himself and his son away from the danger; the man is the only one who has not given up.

Tomatoes, peaches, beans, apricots. Canned hams. Corned beef- The quick pace of this list of foods shows the excitement of the man describing them; clearly he hasn't eaten for a while or not eaten a proper amount, and the fact that there are no non food related words in the sentence shows that food- the key to survival- has become the centre of their worlds. The foods described are quite basic which shows that they have sunk to the lowest level of life and are barely surviving. Yet the fact that the man can seem to muster excitement over these basic foods shows that he still has his determination and his desire to live and this is the thing which keeps him alive- not the small food supplies.  


Are we still the good guys, he said- This quote shows doubt about the man and son's position and whether they have compromised their morals in order to survive. It implies that so far they have been 'the good guys' but factors not under their control seem to be trying to change this. The fact that whatever has happened is not mentioned in detail and that this sentence is minimal represents the lack of detail in their lives- all focus is on survival and there is no time for anything else.

The snow fell nor did it cease to fall.- This quote shows how exposed the characters are to the elements and how they have little control over their own fate. Furthermore, snow is cold and harsh and this is exactly what the characters' lives are like. So in a way the snow continuing to fall represents the constant metaphorical cold that is always falling on the man and boy.


Okay? Okay.- the lack of emotion in the quote makes the reader feel detached from the characters; because the characters themselves don't show emotion, the reader struggles to empathise with them.


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.- the monotonous way in which this is described reflects the monotonous lives of the man and boy. Only the most basic description is included in this sentence which shows the lack of events to describe. Furthermore, the lack of punctuation means the sentence can be read quickly and this suggests that because their lives are so event less, when even menial things happen it's quite significant.  


Tolling in the silence the minutes of the earth.- this quote shows that time has become meaningless in the world which the characters live in. It's 'tolling in silence' because there is hardly anyone to hear it and there is no reason for it to be known; people's existence is based on survival and time is no longer measured as it was before. This quote really sets out the tone of the novel and shows that it is set in a post apocalyptic world.


She was gone and the coldness of it was her final gift. - for the last time, the man felt emotion and he felt so strongly about his wife's suicide that it's made him numb; this is actually a gift in disguise because his situation is so bleak that perhaps it's better not to feel. The suggests that emotion does not play a key role in the novel and it literally just about the man and son's survival.


What does these extracts tells us about;


- the type of novel it might be (the genre/s it seems to draw on or fit with)
- the story (what might happen)
- themes (the ideas it might raise)
- characters and relationships
- the way the story might be told.