The Road Group

Question:

laila9
laila9
Student
College - Sophomore

I need three references to “the fire” in the book (give PAGE NUMBERS) and make an assertion about what you think “the fire” symbolizes.

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Posted by laila9 on Sunday November 1, 2009 at 11:12 AM and tagged with fire, page numbers, the road.

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  1. mstultz72 Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Best answer as selected by question asker.

    "Fire" is mentioned 76 times in the novel.  Most of the time it is used literally to mean fire.  A few times is it used as a metaphor by the father and/or son.

    Pg. 83: "Nothing bad is going to happen to us...because we're carrying the fire."

    Pg. 129: "We're the good guys...and we're carrying the fire."

    Pg. 172: "I havent seen a fire in a long time, thats all.  I live like an animal."

    Pg. 186: "Nowhere to build a fire.  Nowhere safe."

    Pg. 216: "Are they carrying the fire too?  They could be yes.  But we dont know.  So we have to be vigilant."

    Possible uses as a symbol:

    As metaphor, it is fire: that which is used for survival, warmth, cooking, protection.  Will the gun "fire"?

    Ironically, the earth seems to have been destroyed by fire, so it could symbolize the apocalypse.

    It could symbolize death.  If the truck people or cannibals see their fire, they could be killed.  "Firing" the gun kills the one trucker.  It could also end the father's and son's life--as it did the mother's--in suicide.

    Metaphorically, it is hope, faith, God, the past, the future, humanity, survival, goodness, family.

     

    Sources:
    http://books.google.com/books?id=hoTU7NliHCwC&pg=PP1&dq=t...

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    Posted by mstultz72 on Sunday November 1, 2009 at 11:38 AM