Hidden Epiphanies

Hidden between lines describing a purely survival-based lifestyle, lie some quotes that could be thought of as epiphanies. They could easily be looked over as normal thoughts, but they are actually very deep and life-changing.  When there is nothing more to do than to walk and think, and when everything you know can change with the blink of an eye, it is common to come up with such revealing thoughts.

When they come out of their heavenly shelter filled with food, the man and the boy find themselves immersed in an ethical battle when they encounter an old man along the road, about whether to give him food or not. They start talking with the old man, and when asked if he wishes to die, he says: "No. But I wish I had died. When you're alive you've always got that ahead of you." (169) When there is nothing to look forward to, the only certainty is death. I had never though about it that way, but I find it very intriguing to say that life is just a road towards death. The man and the boy have been walking along the road for a while, but the only thing that they are sure that awaits them at the end is death itself. Only when you have died you can stop worrying about it, but until then, "you've always got that ahead of you."

Something else that always captures my attention is the discussions about believing between father and son. The man always asks the boy if he understands, but when he affirms, he always questions his believability. They say: "You dont believe me. I believe you. Okay. I always believe you. I dont think so. Yes I do. I have to." (185) Having only each other, it is very important for them to believe what the other says. The boy understands that, and knows that he has to believe his father because there is nothing else for him to believe. The man doesn't think he has his son's trust, but he accepts when he says he believes him. It is a very yielding relationship, necessary to maintain the peace between them.

Another quote that I liked a lot was said by the man, in order to make sure that his son understood that he could not give up, and that it was important to be at peace with their situation if they wanted to survive. Through the man's words, McCarthy expressed "When your dreams are of some world that never was or of some world that never will be and you are happy again then you will have given up. Do you understand? And you cant give up. I wont let you." (189) It was beautiful how he said that giving up meant thinking of a brighter world and becoming happy. While they accepted the place they were in, they would keep on struggling, but the moment they started wanting something unattainable, they would be defeated.