2022 IB Diploma Extended Essays

In contrast, Child of God is crafted in a comparatively more retrospective manner, creating a more observable view as an outsider into the story. This allows readers to take a step back, out of the plotline, to reflect and interpret. The myriad techniques used to guide readers toward the primary thematic concern, is layered over with foreshadowing and irony. When Ballard dreamt at night, he was described as “lying there on his back with his mouth open like a dead man,” 9 Ballard’s death is foreshadowed at the beginning of the novel. This is an intentional move made to alert readers about the ending, which assists in navigating their thought process in picking up smaller, more sophisticated details throughout the novel. Correspondingly, when Sheriff Tate is questioning Ballard after the rape accusation made against him, the sheriff lists: “failure to comply with a court order, public disturbance, assault and battery, public drunk, rape. I guess murder is next on the list ain't it?” 10 Again, this statement foreshadows the disturbing acts of murder Ballard commits, which eventually follow the previously listed accusations. This builds a sense of suspense and curiosity leading to the climax of the novel, which then creates a feeling of unease in the reader. This encourages them to expand their curiosity about the different possibilities that can lead to the final outcome, which produces a more engaging setting. As for irony, when the narrator mentions one thing about Lester and that “you can trace him back to Adam if you want and goddamn if he didn’t outstrip them all,” 11 a contrast is displayed between the religious reference of Adam and Eve, and Lester Ballard, a raging necrophile. This use of irony instigates a sense of incongruity between what something should be and what it actually is. More so, when mentioning the cave in which Ballard capitalized, “where dead people lay like saints,” 12 the irony and divergence between corpse and saints, demonstrate Ballard’s decline in sanity and reason. This form of irony displays a

9 (McCarthy, 1973) Child of God pg. 5 10 (McCarthy, 1973) Child of God pg. 16 11 (McCarthy, 2008) Child of God pg. 24 12 (McCarthy, 1973) Child of God pg. 40

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