While heading south, the father and son come across a tractor trailer that is jackknifed in the center of the bridge, blocking the road. The trailer "was jammed against the railing of the bridge and the trailer had sheared forward off the top plate and jammed up against the back of the cab" (McCartney 44).
This tractor trailer seems to have been in its current position for several years. It is clear that at one point there was a driver in this vehicle who lived in it for a period of time, yet now he/she is nowhere to be seen. Where did the driver go? Is it possible that he was killed? Did he jump off the bridge to his death because he had nothing left to live for? It is impossible to tell. Other questions that come to mind are: how did the trailer get into this position, and why are there dead bodies in the back? It seems that something very shocking or threatening caused the driver to jackknife his vehicle. It could have been an earthquake, a group of bandits, or even just bad weather that could have caused the wheels to spin out of control. However, the driver could be sending a message. Blocking the road might be the driver's way of warning people not to carry on in that direction. Lastly, I believe that the bodies in the back were people being transported. In this broken world violence is commonplace. It seems that the driver was trying to protect the people inside. When the driver was removed, the people, unable to get out, suffocated and died. This seems logical because it is unlikely that the driver would be able to capture all of these people and hold them hostage to eat them.
I agree with the points you made. I also think that it is a possibility that the dead people in the back had died from either disease, or were being kept there as some sort of meat locker for the cannibals. We see from The Man as well as other indicators in the story that some sort of epidemic could have swept the nation. I imagine the people as a family, huddling close for warmth as their last minutes draw near. On a more morbid note, the people could have been placed there after the crash by cannibals wanting to protect their food supply from the elements. This would make sense as a body would stay fresher longer if not exposed to rain and sun.
ReplyDeleteThese are many interesting points well made. However, I feel the idea of cannibalism should be explored farther. At multiple points in the novel there are indicators of cannibalism. When the boy and father walk into the barn and see bodies hanging they leave with a sense of urgency. Obviously, the father sees a threat in the bodies hanging making it evident it was most likely not a suicide. If people are willing to leave bodies in a barn to hold for a future feasting, they will probably be open to holding them in an abandoned vehicle as well. At the very least it would not be surprising. Maybe the epidemic that potentially caused the end of the world is some sort of zombie-like virus that causes the cannibalism present in the novel. Although the idea is sadistic, it is not one to overlook.
DeleteThe points made here are well explained. I never thought of the idea that maybe it could be a warning the driver made, but looking back it makes sense. Maybe he did not want other people to go into that direction to save them. Although, i agree with this point, it is still unclear what happened to the bodies inside the trailer. Could it be cannibalism? Or could it be disease?
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