Episode One 50 - 53

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

I thought this episode was interesting in terms of how the father handled it, the description of the man was graphic and obviously seeing it first-hand would have been very disturbing for the boy. In his innocence all he wants to do is help, try and ease this poor, unknown man’s suffering. He doesn’t even seem that bothered by how he looks; all he wants to do is help. The man denies him this, at first he allows them to follow them, which is strange in itself. Usually the man steers clear of any kind of life, but here he is content to follow him until the boy wants to talk to him. why is it he wants to follow him if not to help him?

Plot progression (what will happen next?)

I think the boy will be upset after this for a while, as the image of the man will stay with him for a long time, as well as the guilt of not being able to help him. Apart from this, I think they will continue as usual.

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

The repetition and use of short sentences help to increase the tension when they are following the man, it is tense because you don’t know what’s wrong with him, and you are unsure as to whether or not he is a danger.

How does this develop character and their relationships?

This episode shows that the boy is still compassionate and caring, and he wants to help people that are in trouble. Whereas with the man it shows him as cold and distant, his only thought, and the only person he worries about is the boy. He is the man’s priority. The man wants to distance himself from the rest of world; he tries to shield the boy as much as he can. The way the boy “hung on to his father’s coat” makes him seem younger than he is.

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

The language is the same as it is throughout the rest of the blog; it establishes the monotony of their life and of the world. The repetition also shows this. The description of the burnt man gets drawn out and described in detail making it a strong visual image, and it expands the time as this is all seen from a glance. The rest of the time they are walking time is compacted as he says they “followed him a good ways”.

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

The fact that someone got struck by lightning shows how destructive this world is, and death surrounds it. You can see how even the world is dying; the weather has turned and is destroying and killing everything in its path. It gives us an insight into the dynamics between the man and the boy, and where their priorities are.