The Road

by

Cormac McCarthy

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Road makes teaching easy.

The “Good Guy” Man Character Analysis

A scarred, shotgun-carrying “veteran” in a ski parka, the man who finds the boy soon after his father’s death. The man says he is one of the “good guys,” and he offers to let the boy join his group/family, which consists of him, a woman, a boy, and a girl. It is not definitive that the man is in fact good, though the boy chooses to trust him.
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The “Good Guy” Man Character Timeline in The Road

The timeline below shows where the character The “Good Guy” Man appears in The Road. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Pages 246-287
Survival and Perseverance Theme Icon
Faith, Trust, and Doubt Theme Icon
...the road. Immediately he sees someone following him and he waits with the pistol. A man carrying a shotgun appears, a scarred “veteran of old skirmishes.” The scarred man smiles and tells the boy... (full context)
Death and Violence Theme Icon
Familial Love Theme Icon
Survival and Perseverance Theme Icon
Faith, Trust, and Doubt Theme Icon
The scarred man asks about what the boy has, and the boy says he only has some blankets,... (full context)
Death and Violence Theme Icon
Familial Love Theme Icon
Survival and Perseverance Theme Icon
Faith, Trust, and Doubt Theme Icon
The scarred man tells the boy to go out in the road and wait for him to fetch... (full context)