Mary+Grace

Connection Maker (pg. 1-30)
 * ** Connection 1 ** : One connection I immediately made while reading was that the dad reminded me of MacGyver. Just like the TV character, the dad was extremely resourceful and seemed to be able to take what he had and turn it into what he needed. Both character also focused on helping people, since the father was devoted to his son and MacGyver helped anyone who needed him at the time.
 * ** Connection 2 ** : In a way, the relationship between the father and son reminded me of the move “Taken.” The dad in the movie had a “certain skill set” that he used to rescue his daughter., It didn't matter where she was or who had her, the dad did whatever it took to save her. In __ The Road __, the father’s entire world is his son, and he does everything he can to help his son survive.
 * **Connection 3 **: There are quite a few apocalyptic movies out there that you could relate to the road. Most of the one’s I've seen involve zombies. Since we don’t actually know what happened to turn almost everything to ashes yet, I betting on the cults that the father mentioned. If that is the case, then you can relate the cult to zombies and how the survivors of either situation must scavenge for resources and live in fear of the enemy finding them. The father and son were paranoid about smoke, which probably means they are hiding from the cults or other people

Discussion Director (pg. 31-82)
 * Would you have sided with the wife or the father when they were arguing over death? Do you think the father made a good decision?
 * When the pair pass a man hit by lightening, they react very differently from each other. What were their reactions? What do those reactions say about each character?
 * Go to page 51. Read the middle passage? What was the father doing? Do you think he did the right thing, for himself and for his son?
 * The son frequently asks his dad questions. What does this show about him? His education? Based on our knowledge so far, do you think the son could survive on his own?

Literary Luminary (pg. 83-135)
 * "Take it [the pistol]... If they find you you are going to have to do it. Do you understand? Shh. No crying... Do you understand?. I think so. No. Do you understand Yes. Say yes I do Papa. Yes I do Papa. He looked down at him. All he saw was terror. He took the gun from him. No you don't, he said" (113).
 * I think this passage shows how, when it comes down to it, the boy just doesn't have a hard enough personality to do the tougher things that need to be done in the world he is living in. He will need to face the reality of the situation soon enough and grew up faster than he should have to, but in order to survive he needs to be able to make the hard decisions and do what must be done. The dad is trying to teach him this but at the same time doesn't want to inflict that responsibility on his son and see his son lose that special quality that comes with being a child.
 * "It was desperation that had led him to such carelessness and he knew that he could not do that again. No matter what" (117).
 * As the book is progressing, the dad is getting sixker, more exhausted, and weaker. He isn't as alert and sharp as he use to be, and since the pair is low on food, he is taking risks that he would normally avoid. The dad realizes, though, that the risks aren't worth the possible reward, and he can't let his guard down for his own sake and the sake of his son.
 * "There were times when he sat watching the boy sleep that he would begin to sob uncontrollably but it wasnt about death. He wasnt sure what it was about but he thought it was about beauty or about goodness. Things that he'd no longer any way to think about at all" (129).
 * I think that he is crying because of all the things he has lost. Not physical things or people, necessarily, but of the way he use to view the world. There was once hope, and goodness, and beauty, but now there isn't. The world is now so bleak and terrible that he can't even see those things now. His brain just can't think that way anymore.

Vocabulary Miser (pg. 136-185)
 * **grommet-** any of various rings or eyelets of metal or the like; a washer or packing for sealing joints between sections of pipe
 * "When the cart was loaded with all that it could hold he tied a plastic tarp down over it and fastened the grommets to the wire with short bungee cords..." (155).
 * bivouacked- to rest or assemble in such an area; encamp.
 * "They bivouacked in the woods much nearer to the road than he would have liked"(168).
 * **cairns**- a heap of stones set up as a landmark, monument, tombstone, etc.
 * "They began to come upon from time to time small cairns of rock by the roadside" (180).

= Discussion Director (pg. 185-235) =

1. The father and son finally reached the beach. Is it what you expected? Do you think its what they expected? 2. Do you think the boy is still optimistic, or do you think he is slowly losing some of the hope? (think about events like the burned baby, arriving at the beach, etc.) 3. Review the scene on page 228 when the father finds the sextant. What do you think this says about the father? Does he still have hope? 4. Lately, the man has been asking the boy what he thinks they should do. Why do you think he is doing that? Is it some sort of foreshadowing?

= = = Connection Master (Last Lit. Circle) =


 * __The Cay__- when the son lost the father, it reminded me of when Philip lost Timothy. They were each the other's only companion and they deeply depended on each other, just like the son and the father did. And when the son and Philip lost their companion, they were naturally very sad but also lost hope for a while.
 * __Through a Window __- This is a book written by Jane Goodall about her observations of chimpanzees in Africa. One mother chimp dies and leaves behind and infant chimp named Flame. Just like the son in __The Road__, he remained by her dead body for days until he wandered off and most likely died soon after. The son was discovered by another family and presumably lived after that which was a happier ending than the one for Flame, but both weren't sure of what to do after their leader died and remained by their body for some semblance of direction and comfort.