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The Telephone
When the man and boy come across the old gas station, the man picks up the phone and dials his fathers number for some odd reason. This is important because it not only shows how long it has been since the last time civilization occured, but it tells the reader that the man and boy are looking for something good in the chaotic world. -
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Start of the Road
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The Dam
The boy and his father come across a dam when they are moving south. This dam is important because it will remain there for thousands of years, even if they man and boy fail to keep civilization alive. Also the man points out that there probably isn't any fish in the river. This refers to there being no animals therefor no food for them to eat. -
The Coke
The man and boy stumble apon a supermarket in which they find a coke machine. When they finally get a coke out of it, the father has the son drink most of it, and he drinks a little bit. This is importnant because the coke gives the boy and father a feeling of the better past. It brings up the question of how much we take advantage of the little things like a coke. -
The Father's House
The man and his son travel to the man's house where he grew up.This house is importnant because it, like the coke, brings up better memories of the past, and how we take advantage of the little things like christmas stockings and a fireplace. -
The Waterfall
When the man and boy are looking for shelter, they come across a waterfall and decide to stay there. The waterfall is important because the man teaches the boy how to float on his back, and they have fun in the water swimming. These are important because they need to be able to be happy and the father got to teach his son lessons he learned a while ago. The bad thing is they have to leave the waterfall because it might attract other people. -
Struck by lightning
After the man and boy leave the waterfall and truck cabin, they are heading down the road when they come upon a man walking down the road ahead of them. The man was said to have been struck by lightning, and just looked down in shame when the father and son walked by. This is important because the boy wants to help the man, while the father goes against it to save food. This adds to the boys dilemma on whether they are good or bad guys. -
The Truck Rat
The father is put in a difficult situation when the people with the truck arrive with no warning. The father is put to the test on whether or not he has to shoot the man from the truck, and waste his second bullet. It is a near death experience for the kid, and a huge factor for the dad. After he uses his second bullet, he knows if it comes down to it he will give the kid the last bullet. -
The Dog
The dog is an important aspect in the story, because it adds to the fathers hard decisions as well as the boys good verse bad debate. The father has to make the decision not to eat the dog because the boy likes it. The boy is mad at his father because the dad will not let the boy keep the dog as a pet. -
The Basement
The man and boy enter a house to scavenge for food, and come upon a basement. When they enter the basement they find livestock. Not just any livestock, human livestock. This is important because it shows how cruel people have become when the world goes into a chaotic state. -
The Apples
The boy and the father are dieing of starvation until the father stepped on a old apple on the ground. He realized he was standing by a lot of apple trees, and those apple trees saved his and the boy's life. -
The Bunker
The father stumbles upon a bunker filled with food, water, and resources when he is going to a little shed. This bunker saved both of them from dying of starvation, but they cannot stay long because someone else will find it. -
Ely
Ely is important to the plot because it deals with the father and son's hope, and the sons good vs bad dilemma. Ely is telling the man and boy that god does not exist, and that death will eventually disappear with humans. The boy keeps asking his father for food to give the man, even though the father does not want to give him anything. It makes the boy think about his father and him as being bad since they do not help people. -
The Sea
The sea is important not only because it gives a different setting, but it gives the story an ending. The father and son's goal was to head south to the coast. Now that they have made it, the story has to come to an end some how. It also gives the father and son a feeling of accomplishement because they made it that far. -
The Ship
The ship is important because it gives the man and boy supplies, and it gives the man something to hope for. The ship gives the man the flaregun which can be used as a deadly weapon. The ship gives the man hope for something to be in there that he needs to survive. -
The Thief
The thief is important because he is a major factor in the boys decision on whether they are good or bad. The boy tells his father that the man was just scared and wanted food. The father shows no mercy to the man, and leaves him in the road bare naked. -
The Trusted Ones
The trusted ones is referring to the man and woman the boy goes with after his father dies. This is a major event because these people give the boy some hope to keep carrying the fire, or save humanity. Once he pairs up with this couple, it might just save the human race.
