episode (pages 1-6)

This episode reveals that this is a post apocalyptic world/setting ‘barren, silent, godless’ shows that it is an empty reality where even God has ceased to prevail. By choosing to describe‘glaucoma’ it implies the world is aging, decaying, slowly going blind. With the earth dying around them, the man and boy, show how precious life is; as if at any moment death could take it away- ‘each precious breath’. Another indication of a lifeless planet is the fact that the sun’s rays and warmth are missing from the grey world ‘grey light’ this doesn’t conform to a typical morning scene showing that this is post modern. This could also reflect the emotional effects of the end of the world as emotions die.

There is an indication that the characters (man and boy) will just continue with their endless routine ‘he hadn’t kept a calendar for years’ show that every day is the same as the last . They will return to ‘the road’ and venture south to survive as they ‘won’t survive another winter’ in their present location this suggests that they are northwards and it is later in the year perhaps late autumn. Moving south for them is a matter of life or death.

There is an increase in tension as the creature in the man’s dream is described as it brings an aspect of horror to this episode. This creature could be a reflection of humankind’s destruction and distress. The father lets his mind wander while the child is asleep and gets himself into a state of paranoia and panic ‘this was not a safe place’ however when the child wakes, there is immediate reassurance and the comfort provided by another human being.

This shows that the man relies on the boy for emotional reassurance just as much as the boy relies on the man for guidance and protection. The episode also suggests that they only have each other as no other characters are mentioned; an obvious father son relationship can be established as the man is very protective and concerned for his young son who seems to be 7-10 years old.

The language used at the beginning of this episode is quite unique as there is a relatively wide vocabulary in comparison to the rest of the novel.  This could be as the man has had very little companionship beside his son for a very long time and therefore has no reason to explore and widen his dialect. There is also the constant grey landscape around them with ash and dim light which could represent the end and hopelessness.

This is not a key episode aside from the fact that it is the most mundane out of the novel as there are no defining events that shape the rest of the novel. It is however important as it shows the characters in a state of normality before things take a turn for the worst, giving readers a chance to analyse the characters and their relationship. It does therefore stand out for this reason and as there are no immediate threats, it is a lot calmer than other sections.