An overlying theme in the book, and especially this section, is one of hope and despair. This can be illustrated by the sort of situations that the man and the boy encounter. Many of these situations are those of despair, however there are several situations that provide just enough hope to keep them trekking forward. The scene in the large home outside the small town, that was a trap and almost got the two protagonists killed, was definitely a traumatic situation. It seemed to crush the hope that had already been severely crippled. However, they were fortunate enough to run into an apple orchard, and find that bunker that contained plentiful amounts of food and other supplies. Those two situations seemed to help the man and the boy greatly, considering that they seemed to already be at their breaking points.
Also, the internal flame that is mentioned throughout the book is symbolized by the candle that the man found while searching through the charred remains of a house. Even though the man felt that the whole world had already been pillaged, there still remained a candle, to keep their flames of hope burning. That hope, that had been kindled by the orchard and bunker, was made illustrated by the boy's inquiry about crows. Something that seems so trivial to their situation was on the mind of the boy, showing that he no longer believed that his end was near, and rather, that there was hope for a future.
I think its interesting how you focused on the idea of the flame. I noticed that the boy says "carrying the fire" at times, and I find it interesting how you described the importance of this symbol.
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