The sardonic blind man named Ely who the man and boy encounter on the road tells the father that, "There is no God and we are his prophets" [p. 170]. What does he mean by this? Why does the father say about his son, later in the same conversation, "What if I said that he's a god?" [p. 172]. Are we meant to see the son as a savior? Why is Ely the only character named in this novel? What does the mean and how does it affect your understanding of the meaning of the work as a whole? 
Cosmo
11/24/2015 11:11:11 am
I think that when Ely says this to the father and son, he means that he does not believe in a God but he believes that there is some reason for them all to be in this post-apocalyptic world. I think that when the father says that about his son he is trying to show how he believes there is hope for the son. While people like Ely and the father are older and have a shorter survival time, the son is a lot younger and can be able to make a change in the world. This is just like how teenagers now are given the pressure of studying hard in order to make a change in the future. Ely is the only character named in this novel in order to show how cautious the characters in this book are. Later on in the novel, Ely reveals to the father that his real name is not even Ely but he lied in order to protect himself. Ely had talked about how he did not want the father talking about his whereabouts or the things he has said to other people. This makes me see how scary it must be to live in this world where you can not trust anybody.
Sophie Germain
11/28/2015 11:13:00 am
I like what you said about the son being the change in the world. A lot of the adults such as the father and Ely have been around for a while and now have a mentality about nothing ever changing. They feel as though the world will never get any better so there may not be any point in trying. The boy on the other hand is still trying to make a difference in the world he lives in and has not given up yet. In a way, this can make him a savior for the evil world that they are forced to live in. He is the angel sent from God to help heal the pain others are feeling.
MGC
11/29/2015 07:42:04 pm
This response made me see how Ely being the only name character can be an example of cautiousness. Ely admits that his real name is not Ely. I agree that perhaps he gives the man and the boy a fake name so that if they talk about him no one else will know who they are talking about. I started to think that maybe each time “Ely” meets someone he tells them a different name. It is the only way the old man can protect himself. He’s not sure of who or what is out there and he doesn't want anyone to come looking for him.
CL
11/29/2015 08:15:41 pm
I feel as though you're right and the father says this about his son because it's the only thing he can do. He has lost it all, including his wife, who he allowed to die due to her desperation. The man lost everything he loved and he decided not to end his life or his kids, so now he needs something to hold onto. The boy isn't the most especial person, but he's young and he is in some way healthy or maintaining his health, so he gives others hopes. Only people like the boy, who have not assimilated into these cannibal creatures, could make a difference.
Sophie Germain
11/24/2015 11:14:33 am
When Ely says that there is no God and they are his prophets, I think that it means that they were all put in that world but have no one to guide them. The people are left to make their own decisions and are able to reward and punish each other. It does not seem like there is anyone looking out for them and that person would be God. When the man talks about his son, it seems as if he is giving him a God-like complex. Compared to most people, the boy could be considered an angel. He has good intentions and tries his best to do right by others. The boy could be called Ely’s savior because that man looked like he was on the brink of death but the boy convinced his father to help him. “You should thank him you know, the man said. I wouldn’t have given you anything.” (McCarthy 173)When the man and his son saw Ely, it was the boy who told his father that they should share their food with him because he was in poor health. Ely might be the only character with a name because he wasn’t that important. The boy and the man are very important characters in the novel and we are the most familiar with them except for the fact that we don’t know their names. The author might want to keep their names a secret so that we focus more on their character.
Cosmo
11/24/2015 12:23:25 pm
I like what you wrote about the boy being considered Ely’s savior. I had not even thought about this because I was thinking about how the boy can be considered hope for the rest of the world instead. I agree that he in a way saved Ely’s life since the man was starving and his father would not stop to give the man food without the boy’s pleading. However, I do not agree with you about Ely having a name because he is not important compared to the father and son. Although Ely’s appearance may be short, I think that he has a purpose and a bigger reason to be put here. His character in a way helps to highlight the good will and innocent qualities in the son. Also, it shows us a more friendlier side of the father despite it only being because of the boy.
apple
11/29/2015 10:10:50 pm
I like how you said that the people were all put in the world but have no one to guide them. It adds to what I said about there not being a God. The boy is definitely given a god-lie complex, especially because of his father's over-protection and the way Ely saw him as an angel. I agree that the boy could be looked at as Ely's savior. Ely was dying before the boy came. When the boy came, he fed him despite his father's wishes. After feeding Ely, he looked much healthier. I agree that the boy and the man are important characters, so maybe the author was trying to make Ely's character surface by naming him.
Sophia Moss
12/2/2015 10:43:33 am
I understand what you’re saying with that the man sees the boy as God like with the way he talks, but I don’t think it’s really a complex. The bo is definitely an angel or something close to it with his giving nature and wanting to help and save the people he sees in need. It’s interesting that you’re saying that the named character isn’t important because it’s usually the opposite. But as you’re talking about how the names of the man and boy are secret and how we look more into them, I really understand it. It doesn’t have us rushing around to look into the names or try to predict how they’ll be due to their name. We focus on the characters and their actions and not anything abstract.
Ummm
12/13/2015 10:26:59 pm
I agree with your interpretation of what Ely says. It does seems like the world they live in has no God and they are the only ones who can guide themselves down the right path. I honestly did not think about what he said this way. I thought Ely was just saying what he felt. Since they are one of the few ones left in this world, it is up to them to make the decisions that will help them to stay alive. Ely is brought into this novel as a sign of hope to show them that they must continue on and make the right decisions.
Sophia Moss
11/27/2015 10:51:33 pm
In the bible there is a man named Elymas who was struck blind by Paul with inspiration from the Holy Spirit. Elymas falsely claimed that he was a prophet of the Lord. This seems to tie in everything within the scene with Ely. If this a direct connection to the Bible, then Ely could be the false prophet who believes that God is no more, but that he has the answers. This would put the man in the place of Paul as a true follower, and the boy as God like the man said. If this were to be true, then the boy is a savior or hope that is now confirmed when it was hinted throughout the book. Personally this puts the book now into an entire religious outlook because this apocalypse could be the equivalent of Noah’s Arc. Having Ely being the only named character in the books could be a signpost for the man to understand the possibility still out there for them to fail and not make it. Elymas translates to “wise” and this could be a wise word that the man is getting when he needs it most.
Sophie Germain
11/28/2015 11:20:36 am
I really like the allusion you made to the Bible. I did not think of any outside connections that the book may have had with other events or literature. The characters in McCarthy's book are very similar to those in the Bible. Although Ely does seem to be confusing at times, he has knowledge that could be useful to the other characters and he has a large influence on them. The boy is definitely a savior for the other people in the book. The amount of compassion he has for others and his willingness to sacrifice some of his belongings makes the boy very God-like.
Cosmo
11/29/2015 05:16:04 pm
This response opened up a whole new understanding for me. The reference to the bible was something I would not have gotten on my own. After reading what you wrote, I now get why Ely is the only character that was named. The character Elymas from the bible now seems like he would parallel with the old man, Ely, in the novel. What the old man had said to the father about there being no God, now also makes sense if you think about the bible character. You had written how Elymas translates to “wise” and now this makes me think that Ely is supposed to be somewhat of a wise character who throws the father and son on the right path to survival.
MGC
11/29/2015 07:49:12 pm
apple
11/29/2015 10:16:27 pm
Your allusion to bible is strong and applicable. I like how you describe the allusion, and connected various aspects of the Bible to the novel. Although I don't know much about the Bible, I am still inclined to agree with what you have said. Maybe the author was trying to include biblical allusions in his story that is devoid of any religious practices and ideology. In this new world, there is almost nothing of the past life, such as music, religion, politics, entertainment, school, work, etc. I definitely agree that the novel can be looked at through a religious lens, especially because of the many allusions to God and his prophets, as well as the "end of the world".
Drew
12/8/2015 07:06:52 pm
The connection that you made from the novel to the bible is very strong and eye opening. I did not consider any connections from the bible but after reading this it is very clear that there are some similarities not only in this part but in the whole book from those in the Bible. I also see that the boy can be considered a savior because his actions and mindset like the fact he is so compassionate and doesn't let any surrounding events to influence his life shows that the boy has many god-like values.
ST
12/17/2015 12:01:55 am
I thought it was awesome that you included a detailed analysis of some biblical allusions in the book I didn't think of - it is definitely insightful. Now considering it, Ely could be seen as the false prophet. He is someone who believes there is no God, but is a wise man. When Ely says that there are all prophets to no God, it shows that Ely has no hope. But because he is blind, yet senses that the boy could be the saviour, maybe he is restoring a sense of faith? Or he is looking for something or someone to believe?
MGC
11/29/2015 07:37:04 pm
In the post-apocalyptic world that the man and the boy live in there is no one to guide them. They live on their own making decisions that will help them survive. There is no God that tells them whether these decisions are right or wrong. There is also no one looking out for them. Most people turn to God in times of need, when they have lost all hope. This world is harsh and cruel to them. The man often wonders how much longer the two of them will make it. The boy is God-like because he is so innocent. His intentions are always good, he always tries to encourage his father to do the right things. Like helping people they see or sharing food. We learn Ely’s name because he is opposite to what the man may want to hear. He claims that there is no God and death will eventually come and wipe everyone out. The man knows this, but for the sake of his son does not want to think like that. He wants to believe there is something greater out there. By believing there is something greater out there it may help him and his son survive.
CL
11/29/2015 08:21:42 pm
I definitely agree of how you say that there is no God expression is interpreted. People believe in God in times of good and bad, however, when a situation is bringing people to the end, and making them suffer in such way; people lose their hope. Ely probably wonders if there's a God, then why is all of this happening to him and to everyone else. What occurred to them isn't just about hurting one loved person or a few; it is destroying their entire world and existence by the second. So, we can easily understand how they could possibly reach those conclusions.
Drew
12/8/2015 07:15:40 pm
I strongly agree with your interoperation of Ely's comments on behave of there not being a God in this post-apocalyptic world that he lives in. It is very reasonable for him to have these accusations. Many people don't value their God in there normal day lives, for most God isn't prevalent to them until things are going really well or really bad. In this Ely has lost all hope, his world is quickly being taken from him and human kind is at risk of becoming extinct around him. So why would he believe in a God, when most people look at a God as a savior, there is no savior in this world. So it is very understandable to see why he thinks this way
Jane Gloriana Villanueva
12/8/2015 08:52:00 pm
I hadn’t thought of Ely in the light that you presented him and I think that your idea is very valid and makes a lot of sense. Ely does act as a threshold of reality for the man. While the man’s main focus is survival it may have slipped his mind that there isn’t anything on the earth to offer to he and the boy and he is dying so he probably didn’t think his plan out thoroughly enough. While neither the man or boy want to think negatively the reality is just that; The boy’s naïveté will be his demise and the man will die, leaving the boy alone.
CL
11/29/2015 08:09:50 pm
Ely means that God is non-existent, but he still holds to the belief that there is a reason as to why they’re still alive and are the survivors of what happened. When the father expresses himself of the son, he’s basically saying how even though of all of the bad that is happening around them, he still believes that there is a purpose for his son. The whole reason as to why they are even alive in the first place is because the father thinks that his son has a purpose and a future, and that this cannot be it for him. In some way, we should see the boy as a savior, because the way the book is showing us this character, we should in some way put all of our hope into him because everyone else who is surrounding him has changed and made themselves into different people in order to survive. Yet, the boy continues to be as human as before and attempt to not change, and don’t let the people make him into someone he isn’t. Ely is the only character that is named in this novel, to show how they try to stay away from everyone, as well as people don’t want to be known. In a world like the one they live, everything is very risky, so people don’t want to be identified as anything other than men or women. It makes me realize how severe their situation is, that they would not even say their names to each other between the man and the boy.
Sophia Moss
12/2/2015 10:31:01 am
I really agree with you that they’re both alive because of the father’s hope and belief that the boy has a purpose in this life. I think that the boy doesn’t change because he hasn’t yet more than he doesn’t let people change him. It’s not like a constant struggle that we seem to see in the boy of ‘people want me to be this, but I won’t become that’, it’s just how he is and it takes whittling away at a person’s self for them to fight the change. It’s every understandable that Ely represents the separation between people, that this person is actually named, but that he might be lying about his own name to keep that separation between the only the people he’s seen in how long.
ME
12/14/2015 08:28:19 am
I agree that the man is the one that has the drive to keep going- as the boy has mentioned before that he wouldn't care if he died. The man is unable to let go of life and makes it his mission to keep his son alive at any cost. I also agree that we are supposed to see the son as a savior. He has proven that despite living in a post apocalyptic world, he has those morals and compassion that people once had before (and even his father who was alive before the catastrophe has lost some of that humanity).
apple
11/29/2015 10:04:14 pm
I think Ely means that, given the brutal circumstances of the world at the time, there cannot possibly be a God. How can there be a God when the world is burning down and almost all of humanity is gone? I think he meant that they are the ones who must spread the word of God despite his nonexistence. Maybe he means that there is no God anymore because there is no humanity. The father views his son as a god because he is young and innocent, and worthy of living a good life. He views all people as good until his father comes clean and says the opposite. His initial instincts were to help those in need. His behavior was very god-like. I think we are meant to see the son as a savior because the father devotes his entire journey on the idea that his son must survive, and hopefully restore humanity. Ely is the only character named in the novel, yet his name wasn’t authentic. The purpose of this is to show how everything in the past life, including your identity, name, and background, was lost. His inauthentic name only adds to his ambiguous persona and provides suspense to the novel because readers still don’t fully know who “Ely” is.
Drew
12/8/2015 07:01:53 pm
Ely's character proves that many people in this post-apocalyptic world have no hope. Ely says that he believes there is no God, why would he? The world around him is very pursuable to idea that there is no God, man eating man, a population wiped to almost none, and the world he once knew burning down to nothing around him. So it is very reasonable for Ely to have these beliefs because he thinks that if there was a God present then the world wouldn't be like the way it is, he thinks that a God will help them and resurrect the world as he once knew it or at least close to what he once knew. After hearing Ely the father suggests that his son may be a God. I do not think that the father meant he was a real god but used it as an analogy to point out that there is hope and maybe in the foreseeable future there can be a change to this world, made by people like his son. People that have not assimilated to these new ways and actions that many of the people around him have. The young can always grow up and become something new something great. We as teenagers are even taught this in real life we are put through school and other life experiences in order to try and make us valuable assets to this world and maybe that's how the father sees his son. A strange thing in this Novel is that Ely is the only character to be named. I believe that the reasoning behind this so that for one many characters don't have a name fro protection and security, that is why Ely even said that his own name isn't Ely. But I believe there is more behind it I think that the author wants us to remember Ely and I think that he will be an important character throughout this novel.
Jane Gloriana Villanueva
12/8/2015 08:39:42 pm
I agree with you in saying that Ely represents the survivors’ thoughts on a belief system as a whole. But I also think that because of Ely’s older age and possible veteran status, his doubt in a G-d is further driven. Because he has lived through war and decades after, just to be faced with the obstacle of survival in a post-apocalyptic world he has to think that there is a reason he is still alive. Without a G-d it isn’t for the greater good and G-d has failed to present him a reason as to why he is living in a Hell.
Ummm
12/13/2015 10:43:05 pm
I agree with you that in a world where man eats man and all life has been brought to almost nothing, God seems nonexistent. I also agree with you when you say that it is reasonable for Ely to think this while all of these tragic events are occurring. His son could definitely be a sign of hope. When his father calls his son a God, I agree that he doesn't mean he's an actual God. His son is simply a sign hope for a better future. Ely, being the only character named, plays a significant role by showing readers how harsh the current world is that they live in.
Jane Gloriana Villanueva
12/8/2015 08:23:15 pm
At this point of the novel, we are to assume that many of the survivors left do not have much faith in a G-d, so as Ely says to the son and the man that, “there is no G-d and [they] are his prophets”, he is implying that without their G-d’s guidance or mercy they are blind to the purpose of why they were left on such a horrible world (McCarthy,70). When the father refers to the boy as a G-d I think that we are meant to understand the promise in the generations to come (regeneration of a real world) and the selfless acts of innocence that the boy feigns. They boy is a symbol of hope and a thing to believe in for the father to prosper further with the struggle of living. Essentially, in think that the boy should be seen as a savior. Ely was the only character named in the book because of his blind wisdom. His continuous confusion in his rambling is added to make the reader question the purpose of any survivor dragging on the live. This makes me understand the strength of the man and boy for continuing on this hopeless world. In a world with not even salvageable resources available and cannibalism threatening I couldn’t imagine how much heart and willpower one would have to wake up every day.
ME
12/10/2015 11:26:07 pm
In The Road, the man and boy come across an old man who goes by the name of Ely. The boy pleads with his father to help the old man and give him food, and the man gives in to the boy's request. The old man tells the father that "there is no God and we are his prophets" (171) as a way of saying that there is no God but the "word of God" (such as morals and the basis of humanity) exists within people. As prophets were used to spread God's messages to people, those left on earth after the catastrophe are now responsible for spreading that message. No longer can people rely on books or institutions to drive their faith and religion as the world no longer exists- they must search inside themselves to find that humanity or reason to avoid becoming savages. When the man says "what if I said that he is a god?" (172), it is because he views the boy as a Christ-like figure. Throughout the novel, the man has made it clear that his sole purpose is to keep his son alive and out of harms way as much as possible. He also said earlier in the novel "if he (his son) is not the word of God then God never spoke". To the man, the boy represents hope and the possible return of humanity. As Jesus had devoted himself to helping others, the boy does as well (despite being raised in a post apocalyptic world). This innocence and compassion is not easily found in the ruined world so the father will do whatever it takes to preserve this light (his son) in the dark.
ST
12/17/2015 12:10:28 am
I agree that the boy represents a christ-figure and just as Jesus did, is devoted to helping others.However, just an idea: what if the man is the God figure? The father had died, but had protected his son and prepared him for the life he had ahead of him. Without the man, the son might not have made it. If the son truly represents hope, the father is the one that allowed hope to even exist.
Ummm
12/11/2015 08:36:09 am
As the father and son are carrying along on their journey, they encounter a man named Ely. Ely tends to say some interest things, but the most interesting of all is when he says “There is no God and we are his prophets” (McCarthy 170). I think what he is trying to infer is that God is non-existent in the world they live in now, but he still holds to the belief that there is a reason why they are all still alive. The idea that they have managed to overcome all of their struggles and survive many things others have not seems to show otherwise. In some way, I see the boy as a savior because the novel portrays his character as someone who changes those around him for the better. Another reason as to why Ely might have said this is because since there is no more humanity there is no more God either. However, we could look at the son as a “God” because he is young and innocent and worthy of living a good life. Ely’s appearance in the novel makes me realize how much strength the father and son hold in order to get to where they are now.
ME
12/14/2015 08:37:53 am
I definitely agree that the son is supposed to be seen as a savior as his actions/feelings towards others are not common in their world. I also agree that we could also see the son as a "god" as his view on the world and on people could possibly bring positive change to their world (or at least that's what the father hopes). By showing compassion to the stranger Ely, the boy proves that not all hope and humanity is lost. However, what about Ely's role in the novel exemplifies the strength of the man and boy? Is it to bring out the best in them or to make them question their will to go on?
ST
12/16/2015 11:51:47 pm
When Ely says that, "There is no God and we are his prophets" [p. 170] I believe that he means that he doesn’t think there is a God, but that they all have a reason to be a part of their world with a higher purpose that they are not fully appear of. Ely might be the only character named in this novel because his name means, “belonging to God or God’s own”. It is as if he is a messenger of God. Paying attention to the fact that he is blind, that might be part of the reason why he has a name and the man and boy do not. In the world they live in, it is not a world at all. It has no identity anymore, so that could be why the man and his son do not. Ely, however, is blind, so maybe because he cannot see the desolate world around him, he still has his identity. I think that the son could be seen as a savior. Not many people are left that are still merciful, compassionate, and sympathetic like the boy. The boy provides hope for future generations. Comments are closed.
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