ENG 266 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Cormac Mccarthy
Document Summary
Definition: stories about ways the world could end. Characterization of the boy: young, hopeful, good, hope for future, childlike (to an extent), seen as a religious figure. Characterization of the man: older, sickly, doctor, protective of boy, less hopeful, less sympathetic for others. It"s episodic - do not know what happens first. There is no cause and effect, if you move events around, it would not matter the order. *read carefully about the boy and his god-like tendencies. The original apocalypse was that with jesus coming and ridding the world of the bad people and taking the good people to heaven. In the novel, the son is on a special mission (passes things on*) helps people for the good, not to be thanked. *read carefully about the fire symbolism, ties with religious symbolism/theme. The fire symbolizes passing on, keeping things alive. When the man dies at the end, the boy keeps on carrying the fire; hope for the new world.
