Any capable man can be a dictionary definition of a father, but it takes more to be a father that truly cares for their son.However, man who puts his own desires and ideologies over the safety and mindset of their child has failed to be suitable to be a caring father figure.In the chilling novel After the First Death by Robert Cormier, a school bus full of young children heading to a summer camp, has been hijacked and taken over by a group of terrorist, but unknown to these terrorists, the normal bus driver has been replaced by a teenage girl. It’s now up to Mark Marchand,a brigadier general, and his son Ben Marchand along with the government to rescue the hostages from the hijackers with minimal casualties.The author gives us the perspective of multiple characters on the bus, such as the the teenage driver Kate and the 16 year old terrorist known as Miro and the important role they play. This book delves into the relationship of father Mark Marchand and Ben Marchand and the ever increasing divide between them due to the incident of the terrorist hijacking. Mr.Marchand has betrayed his son Ben time and time again in multiple …show more content…
He failed to provide a safe,loving, caring environment and instead subjected Ben to a horrible experience that would utterly destroy his psyche.This constant subjection to inadequate.However, the final conversation with Mr.Marchand and “Ben” raises the question as to if Ben actually survived getting shot on the bridge and whether it was all in Mr.Marchand's
Looking towards the second protagonist, Andy can also be a good role model for young boys. Even though the events that lead Andy into the war are not admirable he does show great attributes during the war. Andy is a young man of courage, maturity, mate ship and just like Henry, integrity and honesty. When faced with danger Andy is quick to quite literally step up to the mark. In combat, the soldiers were hastily called to ‘man the fire step’. Andy showing bravery and courage was the first to volunteer himself, manning the fire step all through the night. It is through these sole actions the reader gets a taste of Henry and Andy’s personalities, highlighting the minor messages in this book such as honor, mate ship and responsibility. If we were to look at the boy’s love lives, we would see the more prevailing message of relationships. Henry and Andy both face hardships in their romantic lives. With Henry in a struggling, unhappy relationship with his girlfriend (Marcelle), Henry finds himself more attracted to his friend’s girlfriend (Janine). When his friend (Trot) is killed off the most un-fascinating and foreseeable way possible, it leaves Henry in a sticky situation. Through all this, Henry can stay true to his moral code just like a real Aussie. On the other side, Andy also gets himself into a sticky situation when he regrettably impregnates a girl (Frances-Jane) while in another relationship (Cecelia). However, Andy does not abandon Frances but instead turns to her and his unborn baby for comfort in his time of darkness and despair. He shows integrity and honesty by choosing to tell Cecelia the truth. In the time of Andy’s story this was an orthodox thing to do. The author accentuates the belief through that even if society tells you it’s the wrong thing to do it is sometimes best to stick to your morals. The actions of these young men are a good influence to the social,
When the man and boy meet people on the road, the boy has sympathy for them, but his father is more concerned with keeping them both alive. The boy is able to get his father to show kindness to the strangers (McCarthy), however reluctantly the kindness is given. The boy’s main concern is to be a good guy. Being the good guy is one of the major reasons the boy has for continuing down the road with his father. He does not see there is much of a point to life if he is not helping other people. The boy wants to be sure he and his father help people and continue to carry the fire. The boy is the man’s strength and therefore courage, but the man does not know how the boy worries about him how the boy’s will to live depends so much on his
The dynamic character in the novel is a father. He endures many hardships just being a father, but in addition, the father and his son live in a dystopian United States. Because of this, the father struggles with surviving not only for his son, but for himself. The father constantly changes from being the “survivor” and the father. The survivor in
In James Patterson’s thriller novel, I, Alex Cross, Alex Cross and his family living in the nation’s capital must solve a beloved niece’s murder, and uncover the truth about the power players of the country -- all while nurturing the growing wound of the loss of a family member. The idea and importance of the connection between loss and familial support and love runs through the entire story, and one key lesson suggests that no matter how the loss of a family member affects the family, the results will often be similar, if not the same: the remaining members strive to support one another and often work together to find the true reason for the loss, always leading to a better and brighter future for everyone.
...acters, an unidentified apocalypse, and specks of detail, allowing readers to imagine a desolated setting on a blank canvas. Its two main characters, who symbolize the last strength for the human race, are forced onto a road that stretches to the coastal shores. The absent presence of everyday humans, plants, and wildlife generally fits the science fiction genre. Conversations between both father and son are limited to plain words that the child may only comprehend to. As a result, all responses produce disheartening lines of gloom and obscurity, though the child remains innocent during the days of darkness. He is also an icon of hope that the father holds onto, endlessly tending to the child’s living. Overall, this novel presents the terrible apocalypse in the modern times of before, to the aftermath between two characters who will soon meet their fate.
A father and a son survives a cataclysmic event; the destruction of the world. They become homeless scavengers, hunting for food, looking for shelter, and following the one and only road to the coast where there might be a sign of hope. Cormac McCarthy tells us a post-apocalyptic epic. This breathtaking novel is a love story of a father and a son, which also depicts the human nature and how people can react in desperate times.
I perceive the value of human life as invaluable. Your text enables me to envision how life would be without the comfort and security of civilization. The man’s views on life are judged by his experiences and his sole objective is to keep him and the boy alive. The father repeatedly promises himself and the boy that he would do anything for him. “My job is to take care of you. I was appointed to do that by God. I will kill anyone who touches you.” (pg 80).The boy returns the act of concern that the man has for him. The boy puts a large emphasis on that the man also must eat and drink ‘you to’. His compassion and willingness to help others in need brings conflict between him and his father. “Cant we help him? Papa? No. We cant help him.” (pg 51) The difference of the father’s practicability and the boy’s compassion is predominant. The text reinforces the idea that all life is sacred and important.
With intent to evoke interest, the plot introduces the main character, Lowell, listening to a National Public Radio voice describe the horrific events of a terrorist attack. Turner Hospital establishes an emotional connection by adding details of Lowell’s father being a victim of the hijacking. She wrote, “What Lowell can hear is his own father in shadow duet, word for word and line for line…Forty thousand feet, he hears, severed fuselage…the fatal plunge…death.” The structure of introducing a main character and his father’s immediate death in the first paragraph of the novel portrays a rather thrilling sense of emotion. Because the plot lacked development at this point, little to no emotional connection between these characters exist. However, by the end of the narrative, Turner Hospital maintains her reader’s responsiveness to the effects and outcomes of each
“Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand.” -(Neil Armstrong) Colin Watson is a teenage boy who has a tendency to get into mishap regularly, however as time goes on change occurs. The novel entitled “Marked” written by Norah Mcclintock, portrays a breathtaking situation many young adults are unaware of. This Canadian author surely knows how to grab the youth's attention. The protagonist of this story had some harsh history in his past, he has changed over time to become a better person. Due to this gradual change, he was recommended a job that required commitment. The issues Collin has to face due to this job brings advantages and disadvantages with multiple risk factors and difficult decisions. Mcclintock
This book teaches the importance of self-expression and independence. If we did not have these necessities, then life would be like those in this novel. Empty, redundant, and fearful of what is going on. The quotes above show how different life can be without our basic freedoms. This novel was very interesting and it shows, no matter how dismal a situation is, there is always a way out if you never give up, even if you have to do it alone.
...the novel Mrs. Ross and Robert are both left blind representing a physical embodiment of their discontent with the world. The tragic misfortunes they have witnessed throughout the novel culminated into an overwhelming darkness they have welcomed. Timothy Findley teaches the reader through Mrs. Ross, that the repercussions of the death of just one person, like Monty Miles, can traumatize a person forever. Mrs. Ross further emphasizes the holistic effect of war, especially on the families watching the doors for their sons return. Hence, Mrs. Ross’s relationship with her son throughout the course of the book, teaches us what it means to truly appreciate life. We sometimes look at war with a scope that does not allow us to comprehend what the loss of life truly means. However, in this novel we learn that life is truly sacred, especially in the eyes of a loving mother.
...olent incidences contrast in specific details and their fathers personas, both children lose their innocence and gain the experience and knowledge to question life and make logical decisions.
His face turned like a tomato, but with anger once he saw the two Nazi soldiers. The tree had given Ben a boost to jump off. It all happened quickly while I was trying to recover, one of the Nazi soldier was holding Ben while the other was punching Ben in the stomach. I couldn’t do nothing while they were beating Ben with pain, so I looked around for a knife and stabbed the soldier that was holding Ben on his back. Once I turned around, I felt a grasp around my neck and was pushed against a tree struggling for air. I was looking for Ben, but my visions were blurry and my voice was cracking while I tried to gasp for air. Once I almost got close to fainting, I heard a gunshot and I was released. I caught my breathe and suddenly I saw red everywhere on the ground and some nearby trees. That's when I realized it was the Nazi soldiers blood. I smelled the blood aroma around me and it was causing me to feel queasy. Ben crouched down beside me and helped me up to my feet. He thanked me for saving his life and I thanked him back for saving my life.
...l Ben. The briefness of these meetings also serves to convince Willy of his own inferiority by concealing any difficulties that might have existed in Ben's life. Ben has exactly the wrong degree of interaction with Willy. If he were entirely absent, he would not haunt his younger brother so. If he were more fully present, he would either have been of more comfort to Willy, or have been revealed as a more fully human, less mythic character. As it is, Ben serves only to remind him of his past loss, emphasize his current failure, and provide the means of his final destruction.
At first the relationship between a father and his son can be perceived as a simple companionship. However, this bond can potentially evolve into more of a dynamic fitting relationship. In The Road The Man and his son have to depend on one another because they each hold a piece of each other. The Man holds his sons sense of adulthood while the son posses his father’s innocence. This reliance between the father and son create a relationship where they need each other in order to stay alive. “The boy was all that stood between him and death.” (McCarthy 29) It is evident that without a reason to live, in this case his son, The Man has no motivation to continue living his life. It essentially proves how the boy needs his father to love and protect him, while the father needs the boy to fuel ...