Analysis Of The Boy By Mccarthy

McCarthy’s choice of style emulates the grave and dry atmosphere of the novel by diminishing grammar, having either extremely long or short sentences and the fragmented sentences with rare diction. McCarthy’s syntax directly correlates with the content of the book to display and accentuate the hardships the characters are experiencing. Because of the day-to-day survival of the father and the son, the author emphasizes time and its impacts, the length of the sentences depend on the length of time an event take. The long sentences often correlate with the actions that take up a longer span of time like travel, camping, and times of reminiscence are depicted in long sentences. For example, “They left two days later, the man limping along behind
Their strong hope, while indirect, is clearly visible through the burdening amount of symbolism in the novel. It’s displayed through their motivation of survival, the flare gun, and the two of them “carrying the fire.” In the beginning of the novel, it’s clear that the only reason The Man is still alive is because he won’t “send [The Boy] into the darkness alone”constantly repeats this to his son to assure The Boy that he will not be alone (McCarthy 248). The Boy’s motivation for survival is his dad and being with his dad, he continuously insists that, “[The Man] won’t go away,” and this helps him not feel alone, or abandoned like his mother had abandoned him soon after the birth of The Boy. The compassion and love between the them yields hope, which in a futile world is only necessary. The repeated phrase by the father, “carrying the fire,” is hope. The fire symbolizes the hope the two characters must carry as they go through their journey. This explains why the times when fire is in a scene are the most peaceful and optimistic. For example, “[The Man] turned down the lamp until the flame puttered out and kissed the boy and crawled into the other bunk...and gazed one more time at this tiny paradise trembling in the orange light from the heater...” (McCarthy 150). The “tiny paradise” symbolizes The Boy, his hope. Even with the surroundings of bleakness, The Boy remains good and kind. The reason becomes clear as to why when he becomes interested in shooting the flare gun. After doing so, he asks his father that “They [anybody] couldn’t see it very far..?” and later admits that he was hoping God would see the flare (McCarthy 246). This proves that his good acts, while true and selfless, were meant to be flares for God to see, in return for hope and good deeds. The theme of carrying hope through the barren of the world during the journey is