For example, on page 182, the boy speculates with his father about what the ocean would look like once they arrived. However, the hope that the two put into the coast without any information about what to expect once they arrive is almost astounding. Of course, they are moving south for the winter because it is harder to survive in the cold. Why? There is not much evidence to dictate that life on the coast would be much better for them. This one goal is what keeps the both of them on their feet nearly every waking hour. Although there is little to no evidence of anyone left who isn’t a cannibal, or even at least someone who would accept other people, the boy keeps this hope in his mind, and eventually it pays off.įinally, the main objective of the man and the boy throughout the entire novel is to reach the coast. In fact, throughout the novel, the boy holds onto the thought that there are other good guys waiting for them somewhere. However, regardless of this fact, the boy shows a hope that the people coming could be good. Logic would dictate that anyone coming down the road would be bad news for the couple. Up until this point, everyone that the two have met on the road (with the exception of the dying man struck by lightning) has tried to hurt them. On the topic of blind hope, the boy throughout the novel frequently talks about the “good guys.” In the beginning of the novel, the pair coin this term to describe themselves, though on page 103 the boy begins to ask about other so called, “good guys.” Throughout all the adversity, there lies a very real example of hope. This is a rather significant showcase of hope due to the fact that the man and boy are surrounded by darkness, the father’s impending death, and the fact that the boy will soon have to face the world alone. The man has hope in goodness and the little boy despite being on his deathbed with no evidence to show him how the little boy may be doing.

McCarthy effectively showcases blind hope in this passage. In all honesty, the man has no reason to believe that the little boy was not lost, that he was okay, or even that goodness would find him. When they answer yes, the reader can feel the same hope that the boy is feeling after he had gone so long running from bad guys to finally end up with a group who is harboring the same hope and goodness as himself.Īlso at the end of the novel, the boy has one of his last conversations with his father where you can see, even in the end, his father’s hope.ĭo you think that he’s all right that little boy?īut who will find him if he’s lost? Who will find the little boy? On page 283, when the boy runs into other people, he asks them if they are carrying the fire. Again, the fire is mentioned at the very end of the book. It is an ironic conversation considering that copious amounts of bad things have already happened to them, but the hope that the fire brings gives them both a feeling of security in the fact that good things must happen to good people. The fact that the man and boy are carrying this fire, this light of hope, ultimately makes them feel safer. “We’re going to be okay, aren’t we, Papa?Īnd nothing bad is going to happen to us.īoth the man and the boy use the phrase as a kind of protection against the evils of the world.

Uplifting optimism quote