Episode Two 62 - 69

How the episode impacted on you. What was the writer doing to evoke this response?

This episode really shows us how far the man is willing to go to protect him and the child; it reveals how calm he is about death. It changes our perspective of him. Also in the episode we start to see what one of the main dangers are in this story.

Plot progression (what will happen next?)

This new suggestion in the man’s character, and also allusions to his past, show us that they might have more chance of survival than we originally thought because of his willingness to kill for his son. As well as this there is also the possibility of the two of them being hunted down by this “road rats”.

Your experience (change of mood? A lighter moment? Increase or release of tension?)

There has been a constant worry that if anything were to happen to them, in the end, the man would not be able to protect his son. After this episode we know this not to be true, and it reveals a small amount of tension. However, it does raise the issue – what else is he capable of? Is he really as good as he’s perceived to be up until this point?

How does this develop character and their relationships?

When the child is playing with his truck and making “truck noises” it shows his naivety and how sheltered he has been from life. Any other person growing up in a world like this, one filled with death, would have grown up quickly and not really had a chance to be a child as the boy had.

The man’s character develops but at the same time it raises even more questions. For instance the shot he fired that killed the road rat was very precise, it is not the shot of someone who has only just picked up a gun, he has obvious had previous experience. The use of medical language hints to fact he used to be a doctor but he doesn’t specify that he actually is, when the road rat asks this he says “I’m not anything.” Showing how his old life and characteristics have faded away.

Is the language in keeping with rest of novel? Are there particular symbols or images that are foregrounded?

Up until now the man’s language has always been simplistic – almost childlike – and it is easy to assume that he isn’t very clever, but in this episode he used a lot of medical vocabulary and complex language showing that he is in fact very clever.

Is this in fact a key episode? What makes it important? How does it stand out in a novel without chapters?

This is a key episode because it shows us that line between good and bad isn’t as clear as it first seems. The fact that the man kills this unknown human, whether he was email or not, without remorse shows us that maybe he isn’t as pure as we would have like to have believed. This is a very real representation of life, and good and evil, showing us that things aren't as they seem and good people don't always do good things (and vice versa)