Episode Three 112-121

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

This episode was really focused on the horror aspects of the book, for me, it was one of the scariest parts. The part where they go down to the cellar is lifted almost exactly to from ‘Dawn of the Dead’. It’s this low culture reference that shows the post modernism of the book. As this is based on a horror movie the use of tension is very important. McCarthy is very good at this. As the punctuation is very sparse and simplistic, you can tell that each use is very particular and serves a purpose. The pace speeds up through the use of short, simplistic sentences and builds so you think something is about to happen. When it slows down again, using long sentences, and then nothing happens; he lulls you into a false sense of security, as all good horror films do. It speeds up again which is when the real shock occurs. In this case it is the discovery of the mutilated bodies.

Plot progression (what will happen next?)

Next I think we will see the man and the boy trying to get as far away as they can from these people. Also I think the dynamic of the two will change, as the man is starting to realise he can’t shield the boy from everything out there in the world.

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

(see first paragraph)

How does this develop character and their relationships?

This episode adds and strengthens the notion that the man’s sole purpose and drive is to protect the child. It also shows that the boy is now more willing than ever to obey his father, now has more of an idea about what evil is out there.

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

The language is very similar to the rest of the book in terms vocabulary and style, but when he is describing the cellar is creates a very real visual image that bring the disturbing scene to life.

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

I think this episode is important because it shows us a lot about the book in general. When the man and the boy go down into the cellar, which is devoid of all light and discover the people being held there I think it can also be viewed as a microcosm of their world. They are left on this dark, cold world that has no pure light not even the sun. The only light described is the “fire” the man says the boy “carries”. Much like the lighter they bring into the cellar. They are both separated from the rest of humanity (or what humanity has become) they cling onto what makes them humans, whereas most of the world has reverted into this animalistic state. The people they discover in this cellar are behaving just like wild animals, cowering in the bright light and noises. As they hide their faces, they have no identity, it’s one of the main things they’ve lost and it is a main part of what makes them human.