Despite being the end to this story, this last section leaves many thoughts to be analyzed and developed.\u00a0 In the final pages of the book, the kid begins to be referred to as \u201cthe man\u201d.\u00a0 During the violence and trials that were experienced in the novel, did the kid change? Could this be seen as a deeper indication of his maturity throughout the story?\u00a0 At this point, he seems to no longer engage heavily in the senseless violence that plagued earlier chapters. An important detail to note is that he wears Brown\u2019s necklace. \u00a0I see this as a representation of his violent past and how he no longer lets it control his actions. Is it safe to say that the kid has grown into a man maturity-wise and physically, or do you think McCormick had another purpose in changing his title\/status?<\/p>\n
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Was the kid\u2019s \u201cmaturity\u201d in vain? In the scene at the bar, the Judge talked to the kid about his fate.\u00a0 The judge talks about the future as if it is inherited, predetermined, and inevitable. \u00a0The judge says, “A man seeks his own destiny and no other” (McCarthy 344). \u00a0To come to a conclusion about a change in maturity and nature of the kid, one must consider the previous statement that at birth he possessed \u201calready a taste for mindless violence\u201d (McCarthy 3).\u00a0 This conversation hints that no matter what actions the kid made, he would again be taken into darkness and violence. Could McCarthy be trying to tell us that our nature is who we are and that there is no sense in trying to change or am I simply reading too much into this?\u00a0 If McCarthy is saying that we can\u2019t change our predetermined fate, what is the point of showing us his maturity or trying to overcome violence?<\/p>\n
An important scene that really must be discussed that wraps up the whole idea of darkness and not being able to escape it is the scene with the judge in the latrine.\u00a0 It seems that this is the kid\u2019s death, although the whole scene is shrouded in mystery and ambiguity.\u00a0 Despite the incessant violence in the rest of the book, this important moment contains no brutality and happens quite swiftly.\u00a0 McCarthy tells us that the judge enveloped the kid and after, proceeded to do a “victory dance” and claims that “he never sleeps” and “that he will never die” (McCarthy 349). \u00a0What significance does the lack of violence have? Upon further analysis of this scene, could it have been more than the kid\u2019s death? Maybe it\u2019s the judge\u2019s way of welcoming him back to the darkness and then celebrating it?<\/p>\n
As a separate thought, the short and enigmatic epilogue cannot be ignored and should also be looked at as tying up many themes from the last chapters as well as the entire book. Is the man symbolizing the judge? Is it trying to explain us marking our paths with fire? Do we inevitably invite violence into our lives by living? Like the kid, are we influenced by violence from the time of our birth and can we escape the cycle of it?\u00a0 This extremely brief epilogue can be taken to mean many things.\u00a0 What do you think is the message and purpose of it?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Despite being the end to this story, this last section leaves many thoughts to be analyzed and developed.\u00a0 In the final pages of the book, the kid begins to be referred to as \u201cthe man\u201d.\u00a0 During the violence and trials … Continue reading