Key episodes in The Road

The man struck by lighting

On pages 50-53 the man and the boy come across another man who has been struck by lightening. They follow him for a while before passing him when he collapse's. This scene shows tow things first that the boy has retained his innocence as he wants to help the man struck by lightening. It also gives us a glimpse into the world they inhabit. The fact that the man wont stop to help a man clearly in pain show that compassion no longer exists in the world; that its about personal survival not the survival of the human race.

Shooting the road rat

The shooting of the road rat helps show how McCarthy doesn't use speech marks in dialogue; he also doesn't identify who's speaking. This often creates confusion when reading.However I think McCarthy uses it to show a devolved civilization, in which the customs of polite conversations no longer exist and like the world they live in has no rules. It also shows the man willingness to protect the boy killing the road rat when he threatens the boy with a knife. This shows how despite his detached attitude towards the boy; he cares greatly for him. It also hints at his past life as he shows knowledge of the human brain; reference to the world before is a common feature in The Road.

The Cellar

In this part of the novel they come across a house that contains people mutilated by cannibals that had cut of their limbs and eaten them alive. This episode shows us how badly the world has gone wrong that acts of cannibalism are common. It also shows how far the man is prepared to go to protect the boy. As his plan for escaping originally was to sacrifice himself so the boy could survive. It also continues a theme shown at the start of the novel. The dream in which the boy leads him to his death; the man takes the boy into every situation often against the boys will. Showing the man is determined to die; but has some delusion that he did it to protect the boy for it to be an honorable death so to speak. Hence his willingness to abandon the boy and let the cannibals catch him to allow the boy to live.

Baby on the spit

The baby on the spit comes at a moment in the novel when the man and the boy haven't eaten in two days. The significance of this is it shows how far humanity has gone to survive. It shows the struggle the two have gone to survive and maintain their humanity and the other way they could more easily survive. The later discussion when the boy asks if they found another baby that they'd help him. This is a common theme in The Road McCarthy showing that the boy is still innocent in all of this. It also shows context two the story, McCarthy watched B movie horror films in the 70's. A famous one being The Hills Have Eyes (Grate film by the way), which had a similar scene of infant cannibalism. Many of these low culture reference's are found in The Road.

Getting to the shore

Their arrival at the shore is the completion of their journey. It however is anticlimactic as far from being their salvation it's just another shell of the old world. The smog that hangs over the grey sea is far from what the man had told the boy, "sorry its not blue, that's okay". We also get further hints at the mans old life. After leaving the house he's described as wearing "workshoes", these are again mentioned when the come across the grocery store; "kicked through the trash in his workshoes". This I think is a hint by McCarthy at his former career, this backed up by his knowledge of the human brain when he kills the road rat. By specifically mentioning his "workshoes" McCarthy is hinting he once had formal job, probably in the medical profession.

Theft of their belonging's 

Towards the end of the book the belongings of the man and the boy are stolen. Upon finding the man who has stolen their belongings the man shows a ruthlessness and malice unlike the rest if the novel. Though he has killed before e.g. the road rat. But this was done out of desperation and to protect the boy. However the man forces the thief to strip naked as well as return their things, before leaving him to die. This shows how the post apocalyptic world the novel is set him and made him ruthless. The boy however pesters him to return the mans belongings that they leave on the road for him. At the very end of the scene the boy says something very poignant when the man says he didn't kill him, the boy replies "but we did kill him".