3/4 Through

So far through the novel, it has become very clear that a main theme is love can survive all. Like everything else that happens within the novel, The Man and his son walk "The Road" to the coast, however unlike before, it is more apparent The Man depends on his son more and more for his survival. After discovering a building with large quantities of food, water, and shelter, The Man connects with his son more than he had before hand. He bathes him, feeds him, talks to him. Even as he gets sicker and sicker, he still takes care of him, his son being the only thing to keep him going. "he held the boy against him, cold to the bone. Dont lose heart, he said. We'll be alright." (McCarthy, 177). This is one example of many where it's implied that while The Man is trying to keep his son going through the tough road ahead, he is in fact also keeping himself going just through the love for his son. Another example is when they discover an old abandoned diesel train. After searching the train for anything they may need, The Man brings his son to the engineer's seat. Since The Boy had been deprived of a proper childhood, and had never seen nor heard a train in his life, The Man again shows his love for his son by letting him play with the controls. "The controls were very simple. Little to do but push the throttle lever forward. He made train noises and diesel horn noises but he wasnt sure what these might mean to the boy." (180). This example shows that small moments like this bring peace to the both of them. The Man can take his mind off of everything around them, and focus on little things to help the over-all morale. Whether his son enjoyed the experience or not, clearly this is an example that no matter what, love has survived everything and is still present through every tough experience.