‘The pared down language of the narrative reflects the pared down life the characters have to live’
Using this statement as a focus point, I collected evidence from the book to back up the broad statement. The three quotes I found were:
1. ‘No sign of life.’ Page 20
2. ‘They lay in a field until dark watching the road but no none came. It was very cold.’ Page 198
3. ‘Tomorrow they would find something to eat.’ Page 92
The first quote is short but packs a big impact of just how bleak their life is. This makes me think of an oxymoron, because the quote would stick out on a page due to it only being four words long, and the father and son who need to keep a low profile and not gain attention.
The second quote uses language that is very simple and child-like, as if its the child who is thinking its very cold. McCarthy uses the word ‘cold’ 106 times and ‘dark’ 98 times throughout the whole novel to stress just how basic their lives are. McCarthy could have chosen more intricate words for describing the setting but its for a reason he chose unelaborate language.
The third quote implies how the structure of their day controls how they live. The quote sounds like it has a pattern to it ‘tomorrow they would find…’ Implying their lives follow a set structure over and over again.
React!