Man struck by lightening....

This particular episode introduces fear of strangers and the unknown. As they stumble across the man, it is apparent that he is critically wounded and powerless, yet the father is still skeptic about him.
'Who is it? said the boy
I don't know. Who is anybody?'
By the father asking the boy 'who is anybody' gives us an insight to how mankind is quick to judge the unknown. Because he is asking the boy, it's as though he is trying to teach him a lesson of life; if we do not understand it, fear it. This representation gives us the impression that the morals of life have changed from a charitable environment, to a game of survival of the fittest. This is highlighted as the father tries to convince the boy that 'Nothing can be done for him'. He repeats this multiple times, perhaps trying to convince himself also the reality of the situation; in order to survive, he must think of himself first. He as a father is tryig to fulfill his duty to protect his son, if he were to help the man, it may lead them into unessacary danger. However, the naive boy does not understand the concept of this cruel world and still believes they should help the man. This conflict not only increases the mental and physical gap between the two but also presents the reader with the ultimate question; what would you do in this situation? On the contrary, the man may also be relating to the idea that he is not only physically damaged, but psychologically corrupt. The man may not want to survive after his horrific endeavor, his final wish to die in peace, as honourably as he can. The father therefore allowing the hurt man to die as he wishes, without disturbance. This arguement contradicts my original thoughts entirely; i now see a father who not only pities others, but may also be jealous of the man. The man has nothing to worry about anymore as he gets to leave their god-foresaken world while our characters have to carry on, regardless of their exhaustion, starvation and other endless worries.
McCarthy uses this event to highlight the realism of this new world and to create a tense ambiance as this is only their first encounter with other beings of the world. We as the audience only partly understand the two main characters as it is, let alone other humans that wander the harsh new world.
As a reader, i was thouroughly overwhelmed by this event as it carved out the true, selfsih nature of mankind. It tormented me how they followed the man yet did nothing to help him, keeping me unattached to the characters. This, however, is McCarthy's intentions. McCarthy doesn't want us to get emotionally attached to anyone to intensify the emptiness this world has created. With no emotions, no empathy for anybody, we forget who we are, so we ourselves become empty. In philosophical terms, these characters in themselves are the living; if it weren't for the fact that the characters have survived this long through the novel, there would be no'one else. Their story would stop, therefore so would the novel.
In addition, the lack of humanity increases our unwillingness to attach to these characters, their lack of empathy for the obviously powerless man looming over the feeling of insanity. Yet, despite our apparent compassion for the man, the characters must be selfsih in order to survive. They hardly have enough to feed themselves, so it would be crueler to give false hope to the man. Instead, they let him die with his own thoughts in as much dignity as their heartless world will give him.