"We carry the fire" and a Pistol

My map is the journey of the symbolic meaning of the pistol and “the good guys”. My map leads you through the different scenes in the book that shows when these concepts were introduced to us as readers and later expanded on their meaning. The quotes are used as labels to help guide the scene in the book that corresponds with the symbolic meaning being shown. The symbolic element used in “The Road” was an aspect of the book that McCarthy would plant and make grow as the story moved along. In the beginning of the book when we are introduced to the pistol, the first meaning we get from this is that it is used for survival. Then later down the line, we begin to see that it represents death, its importance and prevalence being a foundation for the father and son. The pistol was used for protection, to teach the boy what to do if he is caught by “bad guys” (to shoot himself), and to symbolize power. The idea of “good guys” is shown to us when McCarthy reveals to us that the father and son use the phrase “we carry the fire” various times to represent that they are the good guys in this mischievous world. I focused on the symbolism of the pistol and good guys because they both contradict each other. The father tells the boy that they are the good guys, but the boy holds more empathy compared to the father who has matched himself to the cold world. An example of this would be when the boys and father got their cart stolen. They found the thief and the gun was used as a threat, and symbolized death and fear. The father didn’t shoot the man as he got the cart back but ordered him to get undressed and take his clothes. How does this make them the good guys if people in the same predicament as them are doing what they would do? Stealing is morally wrong, but as the world is home, morals dissolve as well. The notion of good guys and the symbolic meaning it has played within the story can be questioned with the symbolic meaning of the pistol and the value it holds throughout the novel.