I think the lasting impression the absence of the mother that was left on the character of the man and the boy was to keep moving forward, to survive in the hell they are in right now. For example, when the boy says “I wish I was with my mom” In which the man replies, “You mean you wish that you were dead? Yes. You mustn’t say that…Don’t say it. It’s a bad thing to say” (McCarthy 55). The boy in particular had already given up, which could have been influenced by his mother’s actions, by committing suicide by running into the cold of night. The man however kept encouraging the boy to keep moving forward. Repeatedly in this book the boy asked the man if they were going to die, and all he replied was a simple, “no”. At the end of the book, unfortunately the man died but he told his boy, “Now it’s here. Keep going south. Do everything the way we did it….You need to find the good guys but you can’t take any chances. No chances. Do you hear?” (91) The man’s lasting impression to the boy was not to give up which he took from the mother’s cowardly action in suicide. This in turn positively helped the boy as he immediately did find the good guys afterwards. In conclusion, the mothers absence help lifted the boy through the man’s grit.
I think that the absence of the mother gave the men and the son hope, that their “after life” would be better than their reality. Cormac McCarthy used dialogue to have that type of discussion between the characters, like the last post mentioned “I wish I was with my mom. You mean you wish that you were dead? Yes. You mustn’t say that…Don’t say it. It’s a bad thing to say” (McCarthy 55). This quote shows that what they man and the son are living a life of pure torture; the boy would rather die than keep pursuing the life he is living right now. This quote really develops the characters as well, showing that they boy is tired of living his life in constant struggle for the bare necessities of everyday life. This quote also develops the man’s character; It depicts the man to be an encouragement to the boy, telling him not to give up on life, that the boys should keep pushing one despite the struggles that they continuously face. It also shows that the man is caring, he cares deeply for his son and he does not want him to give up on life at such a young age. The man and son develop a close bond in which they believe they need each other to keep living, they can get through the tough obstacles together, as a team.
I agree with both of you. I think that because of the mother's absence in their lives the boy and his father have a very close relationship because they're all the other has. Some of the mother's last words are "...You won’t survive for yourself...A person who had no one would be well advised to cobble together some passable ghost...Offer it each phantom crumb and shield it from harm with your body" (McCarthy 49). She recognizes the fact that the man won’t survive if he does not have someone to survive for. Now that she is gone, the boy is the last person he has to live for which is why his determination to his son alive is even stronger. Eventually, this protective instinct evolves into a love so strong that he can’t kill him even when he’s about to die. “I can’t hold my son dead in my arms. I thought I could but I can’t” (McCarthy 235). The mom being gone enforced their relationship and gave them the will to continue.
Also, another possible result of the mom’s suicide was the man’s bravery in continuing to survive. He passes this determination on to his son: “…you wish that you were dead…Don’t say it. It’s a bad thing to say” (McCarthy 47). The man believes it is wrong to die and leave his son behind because that’s what his wife did and she left them to suffer on their own. Seeing her as someone who turned into a bad example made the man even more determined to live because he does not want to succumb in a cowardly way like his wife did.
I think the lasting impression the absence of the mother that was left on the character of the man and the boy was to keep moving forward, to survive in the hell they are in right now. For example, when the boy says “I wish I was with my mom” In which the man replies, “You mean you wish that you were dead? Yes. You mustn’t say that…Don’t say it. It’s a bad thing to say” (McCarthy 55). The boy in particular had already given up, which could have been influenced by his mother’s actions, by committing suicide by running into the cold of night. The man however kept encouraging the boy to keep moving forward. Repeatedly in this book the boy asked the man if they were going to die, and all he replied was a simple, “no”. At the end of the book, unfortunately the man died but he told his boy, “Now it’s here. Keep going south. Do everything the way we did it….You need to find the good guys but you can’t take any chances. No chances. Do you hear?” (91) The man’s lasting impression to the boy was not to give up which he took from the mother’s cowardly action in suicide. This in turn positively helped the boy as he immediately did find the good guys afterwards. In conclusion, the mothers absence help lifted the boy through the man’s grit.
ReplyDeleteI think that the absence of the mother gave the men and the son hope, that their “after life” would be better than their reality. Cormac McCarthy used dialogue to have that type of discussion between the characters, like the last post mentioned “I wish I was with my mom. You mean you wish that you were dead? Yes. You mustn’t say that…Don’t say it. It’s a bad thing to say” (McCarthy 55). This quote shows that what they man and the son are living a life of pure torture; the boy would rather die than keep pursuing the life he is living right now. This quote really develops the characters as well, showing that they boy is tired of living his life in constant struggle for the bare necessities of everyday life. This quote also develops the man’s character; It depicts the man to be an encouragement to the boy, telling him not to give up on life, that the boys should keep pushing one despite the struggles that they continuously face. It also shows that the man is caring, he cares deeply for his son and he does not want him to give up on life at such a young age. The man and son develop a close bond in which they believe they need each other to keep living, they can get through the tough obstacles together, as a team.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you. I think that because of the mother's absence in their lives the boy and his father have a very close relationship because they're all the other has. Some of the mother's last words are "...You won’t survive for yourself...A person who had no one would be well advised to cobble together some passable ghost...Offer it each phantom crumb and shield it from harm with your body" (McCarthy 49). She recognizes the fact that the man won’t survive if he does not have someone to survive for. Now that she is gone, the boy is the last person he has to live for which is why his determination to his son alive is even stronger. Eventually, this protective instinct evolves into a love so strong that he can’t kill him even when he’s about to die. “I can’t hold my son dead in my arms. I thought I could but I can’t” (McCarthy 235). The mom being gone enforced their relationship and gave them the will to continue.
ReplyDeleteAlso, another possible result of the mom’s suicide was the man’s bravery in continuing to survive. He passes this determination on to his son: “…you wish that you were dead…Don’t say it. It’s a bad thing to say” (McCarthy 47). The man believes it is wrong to die and leave his son behind because that’s what his wife did and she left them to suffer on their own. Seeing her as someone who turned into a bad example made the man even more determined to live because he does not want to succumb in a cowardly way like his wife did.