How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Section.Paragraph)
Quote #1
The boy kept looking back. Papa? he whispered. What is wrong with the man?
[The Man:] He's been struck by lightning.
[The Boy:] Cant we help him? Papa?
[The Man:] No. We cant help him.
[The Boy:] The boy kept pulling at his coat. Papa? he said.
[The Man:] Stop it.
[The Boy:] Cant we help him Papa?
[The Man:] No. We cant help him. There's nothing to be done for him. (82.1-82.8)
This is typical dialogue between The Boy and The Man. Against all good sense, The Boy wants to help everyone they meet on the road. The Man knows they need to keep moving and conserve supplies if they want to survive. We think, though, that The Boy's compassionate gestures contribute something just as important to the survival of their little band: he keeps them human.
Quote #2
[The Boy:] What if that little boy doesnt have anybody to take care of him? he said. What if he doesnt have a papa?
[The Man:] There are people out there. They were just hiding.
[. . .]
[The Boy:] I'm afraid for that little boy.
[The Man:] I know. But he'll be all right.
[The Boy:] We should go get him, Papa. We could get him and take him with us. We could take him and we could take the dog. The dog could catch something to eat.
[The Man:] We cant.
[The Boy:] And I'd give that little boy half of my food.
[The Man:] Stop it. We cant.
He [The Boy] was crying again. What about the little boy? he sobbed. What about the little boy? (132.2-132.12)
In this instance, The Boy's compassion strikes us as a little more complicated than purely unselfish generosity. He perhaps sees himself in this other little boy. When he sobs over him, he's also sobbing over his own misery. Or, seen another way, The Boy has come to depend on his father so much that he can't imagine life without him, so what about this little boy who seems to have no one at all?
Quote #3
The boy lay with his head in the man's lap. After a while he said: They're going to kill those people, aren't they?
[The Man:] Yes.
[The Boy:] Why do they have to do that?
[The Man:] I dont know.
[The Boy:] Are they going to eat them?
[The Man:] I dont know.
[The Boy:] They're going to eat them, arent they?
[The Man:] Yes.
[The Boy:] And we couldnt help them because then they'd eat us too.
[The Man:] Yes.
[The Boy:] And that's why we couldnt help them.
[The Man:] Yes.
[The Boy:] Okay. (194.11-194.23)
The Man teaches The Boy quite a bit in this little exchange. He breaks the news to The Boy that the "bad guys" are going to eat the people they just saw shut in the basement. He also outlines the basic limits of compassion in the novel: you can't help too many people because the "bad guys" will catch up with you. The Boy and The Man have to limit their generosity because of the scarcity of food and the constant dangers on the road. However, The Boy's questioning of these principles keeps The Man honest. We also think it stirs up a great deal of admiration for his son.
Quote #4
He pulled one of the boxes down and clawed it open and held up a can of peaches. [The Man:] It's here because someone thought it might be needed.
[The Boy:] But they didnt get to use it.
[The Man:] No. They didnt.
[The Boy:] They died.
[The Man:] Yes.
[The Boy:] Is it okay for us to take it?
[The Man:] Yes. It is. They would want us to. Just like we would want them to. (210.3-210.9)
This passage outlines another principle in their code of ethics: Don't take things from people unless they can't use them. It really is quite amazing that The Boy, even though he's near starvation, makes sure he does right by other people. Come to think of it, if there's a weak point in his character, it's that he's too conscientious. He seems almost unbelievably saintly at times.
Quote #5
[The Boy:] Do you think we should thank the people?
[The Man:] The people?
[The Boy:] The people who gave us all this.
[The Man:] Well. Yes, I guess we could do that.
[The Boy:] Will you do it?
[The Man:] Why dont you?
[The Boy:] I dont know how.
[The Man:] Yes you do. You know how to say thank you.
The boy stared at his plate. He seemed lost. The man was about to speak when he said: Dear people, thank you for all this food and stuff. We know that you saved it for yourself and if you were here we wouldnt eat it no matter how hungry we were and we're sorry that you didnt get to eat it and we hope that you're safe in heaven with God.
He looked up. Is that okay? he said.
[The Man:] Yes. I think that's okay. (218.13-218.23)
This is yet another example of The Boy's pretty simple code of behavior: Don't steal from other people. But we also want to point out how The Boy begins his prayer with the words "Dear people" instead of "Dear Lord." How linked are compassion and faith for The Boy? Does a belief in God push him to compassion, or does compassion push him to faith?
Quote #6
The old man [Ely] fitted the tins into his knapsack and fastened the straps. You should thank him you know, the man said. I wouldnt have given you anything.
[Ely:] Maybe I should and maybe I shouldnt.
[The Man:] Why wouldnt you?
[Ely:] I wouldnt have given him mine.
[The Man:] You dont care if it hurts his feelings?
[Ely:] Will it hurt his feelings?
[The Man:] No. That's not why he did it.
[Ely:] Why did he do it?
He looked over at the boy and he looked at the old man. You wouldnt understand, he said. I'm not sure I do.
[Ely:] Maybe he believes in God.
[The Man:] I dont know what he believes in.
[Ely:] He'll get over it.
[The Man:] No he wont.
The old man didnt answer. He looked around at the day. (238.1-238.14)
For starters, we love Ely's crotchetiness ("Maybe I should and maybe I shouldnt"). There's also a telling exchange here about The Boy, which helps explain – though only a little – his singular compassion in the face of such a dismal world. When The Man says he's not sure he understands The Boy's compassionate nature, Ely responds that maybe he believes in God. The Man doesn't commit one way or the other, but he does remain firm on one point: The Boy won't "get over" this kindness. As readers we can hold onto this tidbit from The Man. Whatever happens to The Boy, his kindness defines him. (Side question: Is kindness also what defines The Boy and The Man as a group? Is it the thing that differentiates them from other people on the road?)
Quote #7
Odd things scattered by the side of the road. Electrical appliances, furniture. Tools. Things abandoned long ago by pilgrims enroute to their several and collective deaths. Even a year ago the boy might sometimes pick up something and carry it with him for a while but he didnt do that any more. They sat and rested and drank the last of their good water and left the plastic jerry jug standing in the road. The boy said: If we had that little baby it could go with us. (279.1)
Here, again, The Boy says something that shows his generosity. Instead of greedily scavenging only for himself, The Boy thinks that if they had saved the baby they could feed it. But isn't this generosity on The Boy's part also a reflection of his father? Can't we say that The Man teaches The Boy – despite the daily horrors surrounding them – by showering love on him, which in turn makes The Boy decent and kind?
Quote #8
He's gone, he said. Come on.
He's not gone, the boy said. He looked up. His face streaked with soot. He's not.
[The Man:] What do you want to do?
[The Boy:] Just help him, Papa. Just help him.
The man looked back up the road.
[The Boy:] He was just hungry, Papa. He's going to die.
[The Man:] He's going to die anyway.
[The Boy:] He's so scared, Papa.
The man squatted and looked at him. I'm scared, he said. Do you understand? I'm scared.
The boy didn't answer. He just sat there with his head bowed, sobbing.
[The Man:] You're not the one who has to worry about everything.
The boy said something but he couldnt understand him. What? he said.
[The Boy] looked up, his wet and grimy face. Yes I am, he said. I am the one. (356.3-356.15)
Some critics blasted this exchange between The Boy and The Man as hokey. We can see why: "I am the one" is a cliché straight out of The Matrix. That said, we do think The Boy has a point. He is the one who keeps tabs on how they treat people on the road. Sure, The Man scavenges food and warm clothes and builds fires to keep them warm. And, in that sense, The Man does have "to worry about everything." But food isn't everything, as this novel reminds us. Kindness and compassion count, too.
Quote #9
[The Man:] Do you want me to tell you a story?
[The Boy:] No.
[The Man:] Why not?
The boy looked at him and looked away.
[The Man:] Why not?
[The Boy:] Those stories are not true.
[The Man:] They dont have to be true. They're stories.
[The Boy:] Yes. But in the stories we're always helping people and we dont help people. (367.5-367.12)
Ouch, the Boy really calls his dad out here. It seems like The Man has been telling stories about how they help people on the road. (Do the terms "carrying the fire" and "good guys" originate in these stories?) But in actuality, as The Boy points out, they rarely do anything to help people. We wonder, though, if The Boy isn't being too hard on The Man and himself. Isn't it enough that they don't harm other people? Isn't that an accomplishment in itself? Do you think The Boy sometimes seems more naive than compassionate? Are these two terms synonymous in The Road?
Quote #10
[The Boy:] What about my papa?
[The Veteran:] What about him.
[The Boy:] We cant just leave him here.
[The Veteran:] Yes we can.
[The Boy:] I dont want people to see him.
[The Veteran:] Can I cover him with some leaves?
[The Boy:] The wind will blow them away.
[The Veteran:] Could we cover him with one of the blankets?
[The Boy:] I'll do it. Go on now.
[The Veteran:] Okay. (387.6-387.16)
We find this passage really moving. Earlier in the novel, The Man rips a blanket off a corpse in an abandoned house. It's not a cruel or indecent act; it's just an example of how desperate things have become. Now, at the very end of the novel, The Boy makes sure his father's body is covered, even though it means leaving behind a valuable warm blanket.