McCarthy didn't reveal the names of the protagonist or the boy throughout the entire novel. There were no chapters, which gave it a monotonous feel. It was like one big story with no different parts, just a continuous drag of dreary life.
The characters finally reached the shore, their destination for no reason other than that it was warmer there, and nothing great happened. They still lived in fear of cannibalistic cults finding them. When they saw a Spanish ship and looked in it, there wasn't anything great enough to end the story with. It was still cold, so they continued walking south and finally the foreshadowing of the man's cough came to action. When they were walking a man aimed a bow and arrow at the characters. The protagonist leaped to cover his son and was shot in the leg. This led to excessive bleeding which weakened him a great deal. He knew his days were numbered long before that but now his death date sped up. He told his son that he must go on without him. He gave him advice and love and told him to not give up hope in such a hopeless world. That night the boy wrapped him in blankets and hugged him while he slept but in the morning the man was cold. Thus, the author confronts the finality of death. The boy sobbed but a man appeared and offered to take the boy with him and his 'clan' which included another little boy. The boy wanted to take his father with him but the new man said he couldn't. The boy gave in, because he knew his father would want him to go.
McCarthy showed the strength of love between a father and son, and the power of not losing hope or sensitivity in a place that insists on bruising you to the bone.
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