Quotations from The Road

Quotations from The Road

This is my child, he said. I wash a dead man's brains out of his hair. That is my job.

Yes I am, he said. I am the one.

Tomatoes, peaches, beans, apricots. Canned hams. Corned beef.

Are we still the good guys, he said.

We should go, Papa, he said. Yes, the man said. But he didn't.

The snow fell nor did it cease to fall.

Okay? Okay.

They sat on the edge of the tub and pulled their shoes on and them he handed the boy the pan and soap and he took the stove and the little bottle of gas and the pistol and wrapped in their blankets and they went back across the yard to the bunker.

Tolling in the silence the minutes of the earth.

She was gone and the coldness of it was her final gift. 

What do these tell us about The Road?

The type of novel it might be

These quotes suggest a novel with a decidedly negative and dull tone. Suggesting themes off death, hardships and moral struggles. This points to a post apocalyptic style of novel commonly found in lower culture. 

The Story 

The quotes create very little in the idea of a story apart from a survival theme, through reference to food like "canned beans". Canned foods being a common cliché in a survivalist story. This lets us know that the story will hinge around survival.

Themes

In many of the quotes there is mention to death. "she was gone", "I washed the dead mans brains out of his hair". This theme of death helps cement it as a post apocalyptic novel as death is a common theme in the genre.

Characters and relationships

The quote "Okay? Okay". tells there are two characters in the story. It also reveals a dethatched relationship. As one refuses to get close to the other fearing their loss, and that by distancing himself from the other; their inevitable death would be easier to bear. "She was gone and the coldness was her final gift". This points to a female character who despite dead still has a lasting effect one the man and his relationship with his son.

The way the story is told

The story is told through a mixture of first and third person narration with minimal dialogue. "they sat on the edge of the tub". This third person narrator is looking in on this tale of survival creating a sense of detachment. This is increased by only referring to the characters as "man" and "boy" preventing a human connection developing with the characters and making them simple objects in the tale. This could link to them having lost their humanity after doing what they've had to do to survive. The first person narration of the man brings us into their world helping us to understand a world destroyed by whatever unnamed catastrophe has destroyed it. This helps us to understand the harsh reality of their existence and compromise the choices they have to make.