Having known the house is clear they can stay for a couple days eating, sleeping and collecting useful stuff such as blankets, clothes, and food. When they are ready, they
continue their travel to south.
3. Fighting against his Fears of Death
During his travel to south, the father experiences many horrible things. He lacks food, finds sprawled bodies everywhere, confronts terrifying cannibals, and faces the
deadly weather. It seems that there is no hope for him and his son to stay alive. His fears of death always appear every time he thinks about his son. Actually, he is not afraid of his
own death but he realizes that death is the most dangerous thing that can separate them. He really knows that they rely on each other to survive. He needs his son to make his life
worth living and his son needs his father for guidance and reassurance. In addition, the man does not know exactly where to go. He just follows his
feelings to go south to reach the coast. He even does not know what he should do and what they will meet when reaching the coast, “He knew that he was placing hopes where he’d
no reason to. He hoped it would be brighter where for all he knew the world grew darker daily.” 228. It means that by creating hopes, he may keep surviving and hopefully can
reach his dreams as what he says to his son about finding good people, getting warmth, and getting enough food.
Further, the father feels frustrated with all his hopes because he really cannot make sure what will happen to them. He realizes that he is going to die because his body cannot
stand any longer. He always coughs up blood and every day he is getting weak. He always worries about his son if he really dies, “What if that little boy doesnt have anybody to take
care of him? He said. What if he doesnt have a papa? There are people there. They were just hiding 89.” His fears have haunted his mind and it is hard to get rid of them. He
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always grapples with his mind of killing his son with his pistol when the cannibals capture them.
They lay listening. Can you do it? When the time comes? When the time comes there will be no time. Curse God and die. What if it doesnt fire? It has to fire. What
if it doesnt fire? Could you crush that beloved skull with a rock? Is there such a being within you of which you know nothing? Can there be? Hold him in your
arms. Just so. The soul is quick. Pull him toward you. Kiss him. Quickly 120. The man cannot imagine either his son will die like the infant who is roasted by the
cannibals in a campfire. He ever tells his son to kill himself if he cannot run away from them.
Then he heard them in the dry leaves He took the boy’s hand and pushed the revolver into it. Take it. The boy was terrified. He put his arm around him and held
him. His body so thin. Dont be afraid, he said. If they find you you are going to do it. Do you understand? Shh. No crying. Do you hear me? You know how to do it.
You put it in your mouth and point it up. Do it quickly and hard 119. In short, it reflects that he overwhelms with his despairs and his fears of death so that he
cannot think right. However, he realizes that God never leaves them. When he loses all hopes of
knowing that they do not have food at all, fortunately he finds a bunker that contains food, clothes, and tools. He knows that he should keep being aware of the danger from outside
where the cannibals can see the bunker. He lowered the door and secured it again and climbed back down and sat on the
bunk. He looked around at the supplies. He’d been ready to die and now he wasnt going to and he had to think about that. Anyone could see the hatch lying in the
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yard and they would know at once what it was. He had to think about what to do. This was not hiding in the woods. This was the last thing from that 152.
Each day he builds his self-esteem to keep being optimistic because by doing it he can make his hopes real. At this point, he uses emotion-focused form of coping in reducing
his fears. According to Huffman et al 453 emotion-focused form of coping involves people acceptance of situation and controlling the symptoms of stress. He realizes that he
will not be able to change their bad situation if he just gives in. Therefore, he keeps moving to ransack some places to find food and shelter although he knows that he cannot
live any longer because of his serious blood coughing. He also invests all his emotional and cognitive thinking about the ways to survive to his son so that he can learn to stand on
his feet after his father dies. He even tells his son that everything that is put in his head is there forever, he cannot deny the truth. While in order to encourage his son to not give up,
he often gives him good spirit, “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 202.” Besides, the father can fight against his fear of death because he sees his son’s
determination to keep alive. It is described in the novel that the boy sits by the fire at night with the pieces of map across his knees. He learns by heart the names of towns and rivers
and measures the progress daily 229. The father knows his son is motivated by reaching the place in south where many good people live. He is influenced by his son’s
determination to keep going without thinking his fears. Further, the father also sees his son is the goodness that is sent by God to make him
strong. When he is dying and his son cares for him, he describes the boy as being surrounded by light. Watching him, the father seems to address to some higher power
directly with his mind.
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He said that he didnt anything covering him. He lay watching the boy at the fire. He wanted to be able to see. Look around you, he said. There is no prophet in the
earth’s long chronicle who’s not honored here today. Whatever form you spoke of you were right 297.
The goodness inside his son makes him realize that he is blessed to have a chance living with his son in the broken world. He submits his own and his son’s fate to God so that he
does not need to worry about what will transpire to them. It is obvious that he loves so much his son. His love is the most dominant factor
that makes him fight against his intention of killing his son to save him from the horrors of the broken world. He cannot hold his son die in his arms. When he is dying he tells his son
to keep going because his son does not know what might be down the road. The father thinks that they are always lucky and he will be lucky again. He also reveals his belief that
goodness will save his son through a conversation about the little boy that is seen his son passing on the road.
Do you remember that little boy, Papa? Yes, I remember him.
Do you think that he’s all right that little boy? Oh yes. I think he is all right.
Do you think he was lost? No. I dont think he was lost.
I’m scared that he was lost. I think he’s all right.
But who will find him if he’s lost? Who will find that little boy? Goodness will find the little boy. It always has. It will again. 300
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In conclusion, the man has proved that he is a strong and brave person that can fight against his fears of death until he dies. He still keeps in his determination to keep
surviving and invests his strong belief to his son.
4. Protecting his Son from Cannibals
