Against the Current

The boy and the father continue to travel down the road, their shoes are muddy and their bodies are weak. The little boy cant walk anymore. The father knows he has to stop, the child needs to rest but if they stop in the wrong place they might end dead. The words of comfort the boy receives are, "We'll stop. Okay? We just have to find a place."(93). As they continue to walk, they find an old barn, the wall full of decapitated heads. The father comforts the son and encourages him to go on. As they proceed to enter, the father places the plastic on the floor. The child and the father are ready to sleep. They cover themselves with the blankets and jackets they have. Soon the father is awake again and as he sees people walking near their hiding place he touches the child and tells him to be quite. Once the child is warned, the father crawls out the barn and lays on the ground observing how the bad guys walk through the road. Several good people have been made slaves ant they are forced to pull a cart full of ammunition. On their march, there are also several women, some of them are pregnant. Very still, the father and the son wait till the procession has passed. Very quickly the father pick everything up and puts it in the cart. He has to be careful, the bad guys are on the move and they can be easily found. At this point of the book, i think the father has a disadvantage over the other males in the book. With a weak son, he has to take special care of the little boy, also he has to be very careful because they could ens up pulling the cart for the bad guys. The little kid needs rest. The father knows it but everywhere they try to rest something happens. After they hide from the other humans, they continue to walk and the child isn't making it easy for the father. With excuses and apologies the boy tries to continue walking but after the child falls, the father tries to find a hiding place. They will stay during the night in the woods under a big trees. As a procedure, the father puts on the floor the plastic where they will sleep. He goes out to find some wood to make a fire. They get some sleep but once again the fathers sleep is interrupted by some noise. After several series of the big sound, the father realizes the trees are falling. He wakes the kid up and they try to move fast, avoiding an accident. They finally find a safe spot, they wait for some time until the trees stop falling. Once they think this has happened the father makes a hole under a fallen tree, moving away the snow where they sleep.

role model  noun a person whose behavior, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people. Everything seems to be against the father and the son. They try to rest but their sleep is always interrupted by something. They are fighting to survive in a world they don't even know. They have no idea of they will have to face in the future. But still the father keeps on going. It amazes me how the father is still so strong. Hiding the weakness from the son. I think at this moment, the father is keeping the boy alive. Before the boy gave the father strength and help him cope with reality. Now the father seems strong, giving the boy a great example. A role model, is the word i would use to describe the father. With the situation the two of them have to face, they are surviving, the father stays true to himself and to his little son. Always following the right path and trying to do things in a correct way. By this time, i think the father is stronger than the bad guys. In the book the father and the son are vulnerable. Instead of being the good guys, they could turn into the opposite. Getting food and clothes by killing people or making others carry their blankets so they can walk easier. This would be easier on both of the characters but instead, the father stays strong and does things correctly. Giving the boy a good example.