The Road Sections 321-330 Summary

How It All Goes Down

Section 321

  • The Man wades ashore. The Boy asks him about his shoulder (from breaking down the cabin door) and The Man says he's fine.

Section 322

  • As they're walking back to the campsite, The Man asks if The Boy has the pistol. He doesn't. The Man is momentarily angry and The Boy starts to sob. The Man comforts him and they go back for the gun.

Section 323

  • They find the pistol in the sand. Everything is OK.

Section 324

  • Now they're caught in the dark, though, and can't see the campsite.

Section 325

  • They walk on in the dark. It's raining. The Man sees their tracks in a flash of lighting and thinks they're going the right way.

Section 326

  • More lighting. The Man sees The Boy crouched over the sand looking for their tracks. He thinks that if they get caught in this rainstorm they're going to be in trouble.

Section 327

  • The Man hears a "faint patter" above the wind. He says: "It's the rain falling on the tarp" (327.7). They're safe.

Section 328

  • They find their way back to camp and get under the tarp.

Section 329

  • In the morning, The Man walks along the beach and sees a corpse "rising and falling among the driftwood" (329.1). The Man momentarily wishes he could hide it from The Boy but then asks himself, "What was there to hide?" (329.1). He goes back to camp.

Section 330

  • They spend most of the morning unloading the ship. It's been a good find. That night The Man wanders away from the camp and coughs up blood. He knows he doesn't have long to live.