Sunday 23 October 2011

Getting to the shore

(pp. 227 - 230)
This episode involves the father and son reaching the destination they have been longing to reach, the shore. Although it is not a beautiful beach with golden sands and clear blue water, the father and son are both exhausted and feel proud they have reached the shore. This episode impacted on me through the way the landscape is described which sets the mood of disappointment. I feel upset for the man and boy because they have travelled so far and have seen so much but receive no reward. This could be a reflection of life as sometimes things never turn out to be what you think they are going to be and also sometimes there is false hope given.
McCarthy uses pathetic fallacy to emphasise the disappointment from the characters especially the boy. He describes the beach as 'Cold. Desolate. Birdless' which is everything the beach is not meant to be. This place is no longer a holiday destination but a place that is filled with nothingness. McCarthy uses one word sentences to leave a pause between each thought for the reader so they can see and imagine this place as the characters view it.  McCarthy evokes the response of disappointment through the father apologising for the landscape 'I'm sorry it's not blue' referring to the sea. The father feels guilt for bringing the boy all the way to the shore and having nothing to admire or give him as a reward. Although it is built up in the mind of the reader that the shore was never going to be a place of paradise as we know the devastation the world is in. 
The shore is a place of nature and through that the man and boy may feel protected against evil and inhumanity as they are influenced and kept calm by the reminder that not all nature has disappeared. This is a frequent theme in the novel and is a form of protection from straying to the bad guys and keeps their humanity and sanity. 
McCarthy also uses a simile 'desolation of some alien sea breaking on the shores of a world unheard of' to show that the sea is alien to him, not what he pictured in his mind and not belonging to the country and seascape he once knew. The world is now unheard of as if it has been forgotten and abandoned by other galaxies and planets when it was once valued.
There is a constant reminder of death and devastation throughout the novel, 'salt bleached ribcages of what may have been cattle' to show where ever they travel there is a constant presence of death. 
The beach could be a symbol of safety now they have arrived and are surrounded by nature and the sea could be used as a symbol of their troubles and horrors they have seen alone the road, being washed away. 
From this episode, we know the man and boy have reached their final destination and have completed and fulfilled their ambition. This now leaves and uncertainty with the reader to what we happen next, as we know that the father is ill and this evokes the question will he survive? or will the boy be left to fend for himself?
Now they have arrived at the beach, will they still encounter the 'bad guys' or are they now protected from society? The relationship between the father and son is different to how you imagine it was going to be through the novel. As the have faced different life and death situations in the novel, they have grown stronger. The boy has grown up as the real horrors have been revealed to him and his innocence at the beginning has faded and he is now more understanding of the world and society around him.  The father on he other hand has tried to keep his humanity and stay one of the 'good guys'. 
The language in this episode is mainly descriptive of the landscape around them. This episode has less tension as they are not effected by the 'bad guys' but can settle and relax.
This episode is a key episode because we learn that the journey of escaping the 'bad guys' has lead them to a place of sanctuary however it is still not how the seaside used to be. Even though it is a disappointment, there is still some hope for them as they have reached a place of nature which calms and assures them. However the dullness of this place allows a lingering presence of death that is to follow. 













1 comment:

  1. Why do you think McCarthy chooses to have the father die shortly after this episode?

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