(pp. 210-215)
This episode involves the father and son seeing one of the most horrific images in the novel, a baby being roasted on a spit. The boy spots the baby first and it deeply unsettles him whilst the father tries to comfort him. This episode impacted on me through the violence and the horrible image this leaves in your mind. Just like the people who are keeping the cellar, these people have also turned to cannibalism to keep themselves alive. The fact they are roasting an infant, which is generally a sign of innocence brings even more horror to the episode. As a reader, I felt upset and disappointed in the people who had done this as they have forgot their morals and ethics and put themselves first, which I see as selfish.
McCarthy evokes this response to this episode through the way he describes the baby 'charred human infant and gutted and blackened on a spit'
This displays vivid imagery and McCarthy has gone into such detail, to not upset his audience but to demonstrate what extreme lengths people would go to for their own survival. The fact the infant has been 'gutted' is like it has been treated like a dead animal like you would gut a rabbit fro instance. There is no sense of humanity here and the people who had done this must have lost their sanity.
McCarthy uses the boy as the person to spot it first to show what effect it has on a child and also to show how his innocence is being broken as the travel through the horrors they witness. The boy turns in to father for a sign of security and comfort but doesn't make a huge deal of witnessing this but simply says 'Oh Papa'. There is so much horrors the boy has witnessed he is almost used to these sort of things, however I think that the boy is surprised that anyone would roast their own baby just to survive. The father tries to apologise to the boy for having to witness such horrors 'I'm sorry'. The father has been striving to protect the boy's innocence however he feels he can no longer protect him. I think the father feels helpless in this episode and feels sorry for his son as he has not been able to enjoy a safe and happy childhood.
The mutilated baby could be a symbol of innocence being destroyed as the baby had never seen life and is a innocent creature and the boy gradually losing his innocence through their journey. McCarthy could also use the reference to fire, as a symbol of hell, as the baby is blackened and the people in the cellar burned also. Fire destroys life and this is strongly reflected in this novel.
From this episode, we see the true potential of the lives of the father and boy and that they could be killed and eaten. This prospect becomes more and more possible however there is hope that they will survive until the end.
After the event of seeing the baby, they rest by running water. 'sat by the fire listening to the water'. The fact they are sat by the fire could mean they are always surrounded by these hellish events and sites however they listen to the water, meaning they listen to nature and keep their humanity and don not go against it. This sign of nature comforts them both from the horrific sites they witness along the road. There is a decrease of tension here as they are almost protected by nature around them.
The language in this episode is not so commanding and fast paced but is more emotive and gentle 'The leaves were soft from the recent rains and quiet underfoot'. This also allows them to shows their true feelings about their life now and discuss the horrors they witness as the boy does by asking questions about the baby.
This episode is a key episode because we see how the boy begins to realise the dangers and horrors of the world and how he no longer has much innocence. The father on the other hand has tried so hard to protect his son's innocence but can no longer do it. We see their relationship grow stronger through the novel and how they operate as a team.
This episode involves the father and son seeing one of the most horrific images in the novel, a baby being roasted on a spit. The boy spots the baby first and it deeply unsettles him whilst the father tries to comfort him. This episode impacted on me through the violence and the horrible image this leaves in your mind. Just like the people who are keeping the cellar, these people have also turned to cannibalism to keep themselves alive. The fact they are roasting an infant, which is generally a sign of innocence brings even more horror to the episode. As a reader, I felt upset and disappointed in the people who had done this as they have forgot their morals and ethics and put themselves first, which I see as selfish.
McCarthy evokes this response to this episode through the way he describes the baby 'charred human infant and gutted and blackened on a spit'
This displays vivid imagery and McCarthy has gone into such detail, to not upset his audience but to demonstrate what extreme lengths people would go to for their own survival. The fact the infant has been 'gutted' is like it has been treated like a dead animal like you would gut a rabbit fro instance. There is no sense of humanity here and the people who had done this must have lost their sanity.
McCarthy uses the boy as the person to spot it first to show what effect it has on a child and also to show how his innocence is being broken as the travel through the horrors they witness. The boy turns in to father for a sign of security and comfort but doesn't make a huge deal of witnessing this but simply says 'Oh Papa'. There is so much horrors the boy has witnessed he is almost used to these sort of things, however I think that the boy is surprised that anyone would roast their own baby just to survive. The father tries to apologise to the boy for having to witness such horrors 'I'm sorry'. The father has been striving to protect the boy's innocence however he feels he can no longer protect him. I think the father feels helpless in this episode and feels sorry for his son as he has not been able to enjoy a safe and happy childhood.
The mutilated baby could be a symbol of innocence being destroyed as the baby had never seen life and is a innocent creature and the boy gradually losing his innocence through their journey. McCarthy could also use the reference to fire, as a symbol of hell, as the baby is blackened and the people in the cellar burned also. Fire destroys life and this is strongly reflected in this novel.
From this episode, we see the true potential of the lives of the father and boy and that they could be killed and eaten. This prospect becomes more and more possible however there is hope that they will survive until the end.
After the event of seeing the baby, they rest by running water. 'sat by the fire listening to the water'. The fact they are sat by the fire could mean they are always surrounded by these hellish events and sites however they listen to the water, meaning they listen to nature and keep their humanity and don not go against it. This sign of nature comforts them both from the horrific sites they witness along the road. There is a decrease of tension here as they are almost protected by nature around them.
The language in this episode is not so commanding and fast paced but is more emotive and gentle 'The leaves were soft from the recent rains and quiet underfoot'. This also allows them to shows their true feelings about their life now and discuss the horrors they witness as the boy does by asking questions about the baby. This episode is a key episode because we see how the boy begins to realise the dangers and horrors of the world and how he no longer has much innocence. The father on the other hand has tried so hard to protect his son's innocence but can no longer do it. We see their relationship grow stronger through the novel and how they operate as a team.
Another good post. Well done Emma.
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