The boy asks his father if he remembers the little boy that he saw in one of the towns. The man says he does remember the other boy, and that he thinks the boy is all right, that goodness will find him because it always has. The boy sleeps close […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Section 21 – Man tells boy to leave him behind” to “Boy sets out with another familySummary and Analysis Section 20 – Two days later, leave town” to “Man knows he will die””
The road is so strewn with wreckage that the man and the boy abandon their cart. They trudge on for two days before setting up camp. The man knows that this is the place where he will die. They have a single can of peaches left and the man refuses […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Section 20 – Two days later, leave town” to “Man knows he will die””Summary and Analysis Section 19 – Another town, man gets shot with arrow” to “Boy asks Papa if he killed the arrow man
The man goes through their cans of food once more to toss whatever seems like it might be rotten. They make their way into a town and as they’re pushing the cart through some back streets, the man is shot in his leg by an arrow. He covers the boy […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Section 19 – Another town, man gets shot with arrow” to “Boy asks Papa if he killed the arrow manSummary and Analysis Section 18 – Boot-prints in the sand” to “Boy sad for the thief””
The man is beside himself, calling himself a stupid ass. He and the boy race up to the road and try to find traces of sand so that they can see in which direction the thief, or thieves, headed. The boy sees some sand and they follow it. By the […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Section 18 – Boot-prints in the sand” to “Boy sad for the thief””Summary and Analysis Section 17 – Boy gets sick” to “Boy gets better””
Then, one morning, the boy wakes and he asks for water. He’s ready to eat again. The man asks if he remembers being sick. The boy says he remembers and that he had some weird dreams, but doesn’t want to say what they were about. The man stares at his […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Section 17 – Boy gets sick” to “Boy gets better””Summary and Analysis Section 16 – Boy forgets the pistol” to “Shooting the flare gun””
A storm moves in and they hurry to get to their camp before nightfall. The night does catch them, though, and so they move with the help of the lightning. Then the man hears the rainfall hitting their tarp. They take refuge for the long, cold, wet night. The next […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Section 16 – Boy forgets the pistol” to “Shooting the flare gun””Summary and Analysis Section 15 – High hopes for the coast” to “Loot from a boat””
The man remembers another night he was at the beach, before the world slipped into this dark state. He recalls the warm sand, the stars, and his wife there beside him; a comforting, nearly perfect night. The man and the boy comb the shore for tools and supplies they can […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Section 15 – High hopes for the coast” to “Loot from a boat””Summary and Analysis Section 14 – Boy asks about the baby” to “A house, food, and a wheelbarrow””
They sleep deeper than before, waking up in the middle of the road, and the man knows that they are in desperate need of food. They haven’t eaten in two days. The boy spots a house across the field and they make their way to it. Crossing the field, they […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Section 14 – Boy asks about the baby” to “A house, food, and a wheelbarrow””Summary and Analysis Section 13 – Man has a fever” to “Charred infant””
The boy has a bad dream and refuses to tell the man what it’s about. The man assures the boy that his bad dreams mean he hasn’t given up. When they set out on the road again, the man is very weak. They come upon a stretch of road where […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Section 13 – Man has a fever” to “Charred infant””Summary and Analysis Section 12 – Boy worries about Ely” to “Three men with lengths of pipe””
The man’s cough continues to get worse. He wakes in the cold night and thinks about Ely out on his own. The man knows he is dying and wonders how he can do that with the boy still alive. The boy forgets to turn off both valves on their stove, […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Section 12 – Boy worries about Ely” to “Three men with lengths of pipe””