These characteristics are utilized to contrast and highlight the characteristics of the young boy, McCarthy presents the boy as a figure of purity and innocence despite the cruel world he is forced to inhabit. Based on the horrific environment and situation, the reader is led to expect that the duo would succumb to the “new normality” of savagery that is displayed by other survivors in the story. However, this typical expectation is only half true, since the man is the only one of the two has submitted to society’s bestiality, the father, and the other remains adamant about conforming to his morals, the son. The son’s actions of aiding others despite his own struggle to survive and the scarcity of resources further portray his morality and humanity. This idea is cemented in a variety of events in which the father chooses to steal or ignore the helpless while on the other hand, the boy shows benevolence and concern for others. For instance, the two encounter an old man whom is characterized as a “broken vulture”, the father seems very hesitant on it and wants to
These characteristics are utilized to contrast and highlight the characteristics of the young boy, McCarthy presents the boy as a figure of purity and innocence despite the cruel world he is forced to inhabit. Based on the horrific environment and situation, the reader is led to expect that the duo would succumb to the “new normality” of savagery that is displayed by other survivors in the story. However, this typical expectation is only half true, since the man is the only one of the two has submitted to society’s bestiality, the father, and the other remains adamant about conforming to his morals, the son. The son’s actions of aiding others despite his own struggle to survive and the scarcity of resources further portray his morality and humanity. This idea is cemented in a variety of events in which the father chooses to steal or ignore the helpless while on the other hand, the boy shows benevolence and concern for others. For instance, the two encounter an old man whom is characterized as a “broken vulture”, the father seems very hesitant on it and wants to