TheRoadRat Questions

The Road Rat (pages 63-75). The boy plays with an old toy truck in the road, "the boy took his truck from the pack and shaped roads in the ash", foreshadowing the truck which wakes the man. The simile of "lumbering and creaking like a ship" shows how everyone is on a journey, as boats are used for long trips, or could show how there is a lack of faith, when reading the book with biblical connotations, as the main boat in the bible would be the Ark, which saves animals and Noah’s family from the end of the rest of the world, except this 'ship' isn't like the ark, as if the man and the boy entered it wouldn't save them. The Road Rat’s description makes him sound stereotypically like a redneck, which is another contextual reference. When the man converses with the Road Rat, he discusses in great the anatomy of brains, using medical terminology. This results in questions about what the man did in the old world; "Are you a doctor?" "I'm not anything".  The description of the man shooting the Road Rat also causes question, as he quickly does a drop-roll sequence and shoots him, showing he knows a lot about guns or has at least had training. "A single round left in the revolver. You will not face the truth", is the man thinking/speaking these words, remembering what his wife said. They could be uttered in a way that shows he is starting to believe what his wife said, or as though he is angry that she left the boy. Later on when the man and the boy walk past where the men from the truck camped, it’s clear why they didn't chase the man, "he found the bones and the skin piled together", so they didn't feel too upset or in need of justice, as he provided them with a meal. The man cares for the boy, but doesn’t clean the brains out of his hair, showing how cleaning no longer matters in the new world. It doesn't help you survive, so it isn't of any importance.