Opening - Key Features Table

KEY FEATURES	EXAMPLE
Genre of horror	“Alabaster bones cast up in the shadow on the rock behind it” - the imagery here suggests elements of horror and supernaturalism that would not be found in the natural world. Although could suggest the man’s feelings towards the post-apocalyptic world he now lives in.
Colour imagery	“grey” - dull, darkness   post-apocalyptic world “red” – danger   “gold” – when his wife was still alive, suggesting happy memories, going to the theatre, gold – exquisite, important, in contrast to the world he now lives in.
Key theme of decay	“Glaucoma” A “barren” landscape “Dead trees” “stale” – the smell of gas The descriptions of the surroundings suggest a decaying world and atmosphere from which the man and boy cannot escape. There are no positive descriptions, they are mainly negatives, to reinforce the idea of uncertainty and dullness.
Minimal punctuation	Shows a decaying society, the lack of commas and repetition of ‘and’ shows a never ending journey and short sentences show a world where the remaining inhabitants are trapped – “covered with tarp and…running ledge and rock and…rock overhang and…”
Seasonal imagery	The time frames switch between seasons. The present, with the man and boy travelling through a destroyed world, is mainly winter. The flash backs the man has of his child hood are mainly autumn, to show a contrast in moods – “blowsy plumage in the still autumn air”. Where as in the present where it seems to be constantly winter the world is described negatively as ‘cold and grey’’.
Religious imagery	“Robes” – what a religious person would wear, but they are far from religion in a barren landscape, in old, dirty clothes which the man wishes were ‘robes’. The journey the man and boy are embarking on could be seen as a pilgrimage, trying to decide between right and wrong and finding God, who will guide them. But it seems that the world is so dead that God cannot help or guide them.
Memories	“You forget what you want to remember and remember what you want to forget” – this could be the man suggesting his wife, he remembers her but it is a bad memory and he doesn’t want to contaminate his memory with badness; although he finds that extremely difficult as he did love her at one time. It could also be a reflection of all of the bad things the young boy sees whilst travelling across the country and how it may affect his future.
Death	The man doesn’t want either of them to die but know it might happen soon. There are only two bullets left in the gun, one for each of them, it may be better to die than survive. The son is constantly asking if they are going to die – ‘are you going to die papa?’, ‘I’m really scared’