CKG+-+Seth

for HW

Connections

One thing that is interesting to try to relate to about the book is the father's interaction with his son. It is interesting to see how the father/son relationship works in such a different setting. You can see how their treatment of each other is the the same in parts and also how it is different.

I can also relate to the notion of remembering what you want to forget. I can understand the idea of feeling like your worst memories are the ones that you'll remember longer and more vividly.

Questions:

What do you think it will really be like in the South?

Why did the father not try to get help in their desperation?

Is the father making the right decision by avoiding interaction with/killing the others.

Quotes for discussion:

"He thought each memory recalled must do some violence to it's origins." (111 in my book)

^ Another theme relating to memories, this one suggesting that bringing back memories always alters them in ways you can't control.

"But when he bent to see into the boy's face under the hood of the blanket he very much feared that something was gone that could not be put right again." (114, my book)

^ Possible foreshadowing?

“Even now some part of him wished they’d never found this refuge. Some part of him always wished it to be over.” (130, my book)

This is interesting, since it shows the father’s conflict with his own will to live, which has appeared so strong before. There is a part of him that thinks that things can never be right for him and the boy, and it would be better if it just ended.

Vocab - Gelid - Extremely cold, frigid

bivouacked - A temporary encampment often in an unsheltered area.

Connections:

When the boy loses the pistol, he feels very guilty and blames himself, even though the father does his best to convince him that it wasn't his fault. I can relate to this sense of feeling like someone else is just telling you it's not your fault to comfort you, but the guilt will stick with you regardless.

I could also relate to the father's need to keep downplaying the importance of his illness. Often people do similar things to avoid causing worry.

Discussion Director:

1. What (do you think) is the meaning/reason that McCarthy finished the book with a comment about trout?

2. Do you consider the ending to be hopeful?

3. The father and the boy occasionally mention their good luck in the novel. Do you think it was lucky for the boy that he was found, or would it have been better for him to die with his father?

4. Overall, was the man a good father to the boy? Why or why not?

5. The boy, as of now, is not like his father. He is naive and hopeful and generally kinder and more trusting. Do you think that he will eventually end up like his father? Or will he remain as he is?