2022 IB Diploma Extended Essays

some other way to live or some other place in the world to do it in” 13 . This leads Ballard to question the need to mend his relationship with the world around him, which leads to his descent into madness. Ballard’s needs and desires aren’t compatible with society’s standards; therefore, he rejects the community and “returns to the cave” 14 . Caves are usually symbolic of the intertwining of life and death, as well as the opening that connects one extraterrestrial region to another (Encyclopedia, n.d.). This becomes Ballard’s safe space, but also sparks his transition from sanity to insanity (movement from one cosmic region to another). Furthermore, Ballard’s rifle also plays a significant role in the novel, from the beginning when he had “a rifle in one hand” 15 at the auction, to “wearing the rifle on his neck like a yoke” 16 and constantly having “the rifle hanging in his hand as if it were a thing he could not get shut off” 17 – it is evident that his rifle acts as his form of security and reassurance. This characterizes him as extremely co-dependent, which positions the reader to recognize his loss of trust of inanimate beings – which results in his reliance on the rare something that doesn’t let him down and is there for him when he needs. In the middle of the novel when he chases down the boy who escapes from Ballard’s murder attempt, “[Ballard is] halfway down the mountain before he realize[s] he did not have the rifle. He stopped. Then he went on anyway.” 18 The rifle holds signifies security and normality to Ballard, yet he “went on anyway”, to finish what he had started with the boy. The moment of hesitation displayed when “he stopped. Then he went on anyway…” indicates his final detachment from stability and trust, as his violent tendencies finally overpower his moral compass.

13 (McCarthy, 2008) Child of God pg. 36 14 (McCarthy, 2008) Child of God pg. 33 15 (McCarthy, 2008) Child of God pg. 1 16 (McCarthy, 2008) Child of God pg. 7 17 (McCarthy, 2008) Child of God pg. 11 18 (McCarthy, 2008) Child of God pg. 44

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