Characters
The cautious, protective main character of the book. He leads the trip on the road.
Who is The Man?
This place is found below a trapdoor, providing the Boy and the Man with a bath and food.
What is the Hidden Bunker?
The word most common to describe darkness--and the opposite of white.
What is black?
The Man teaches the Boy how to use this object. The Man uses it to make the Thief strip, and is ready to use it on both himself and his son in the case of unescapable trouble.
What is the pistol? (or, gun; accept synonyms)
The Boy asks this question after every encounter with another person on the road.
What is "Are we still the good guys"?
This character grows up on the road and often questions if him and his travel companion are still "good guys."
Who is The Boy?
This location holds people being kept for food for cannibals, horrifying the Boy and the Man.
What is the Abandoned House? (accept the basement)
This metaphor compares the dark to a burned-out world, and is usually used for a pale gray color.
What is ashen?
The Man refuses to help this character, fearing helping him will be dangerous. This character has been struck by lightning.
Who is the burned man?
The Boy begs his father to give these back to the Thief after the Man makes him (Thief) strip at gunpoint.
What is the Thief's clothes?
This character carries the mark of a prophet, yet does not believe in any god.
Who is Ely?
This location was once a place of joy for the Boy and he insists they stay. It is a small oasis of natural beauty.
What is the waterfall?
This phrase conveys a sense of darkness or thick mist that makes it difficult to see, usually used for opaque water.
What is murk(y)?
The Man forces this character to strip down after he steals from him and the Boy.
Who is the Thief?
After the Man dies, the Boy joins these characters, showing the continuation of humanity.
Who are the Family? (accept the Mother, Father/Man and Wife, all answers that reference the family at the end)
This character killed themselves to avoid the breakdown of human society, now haunting the Man in his dreams.
Who is the Pale Bride?
This place brings back memories and temporary moment of relief for the Man.
What is the Man's Old House? (or, the Man's Childhood Home)
This description references both temperature and a medical condition. A disease that damages the optic nerve, making the eyes look cloudy, that is not hot.
What is a cold glaucoma?
The Man refuses to believe this character even exists, despite the Boy insisting upon helping him.
Who is the Little Boy?
When meeting Ely, the Boy insists on giving this to him, even though the Man refuses.
What are supplies? (accept listed supplies, e.g. food)
This character is made to strip down at gunpoint by the Man on the road.
Who is the Thief?
This is the final destination for the Man and the Boy, and is the end of the road.
What is the Shore?
This comparison uses a neurodevelopmental condition, typically related to difficulties with social interaction and communication, to describe a darkness that does not interact with the light.
What is autistic?
This is the Man's motto about interacting with any and all people on the road.
What is trust no one? (accept similar answers)
When the Boy meets a new family after his father's death, he asks the family this, searching for goodness and morality in the family.
What is "are you carrying the fire"?