Essay Questions

Why does McCarthy have Ballard die so arbitrarily?

Ballard's death—despite the enormity of his crimes—shows that Ballard is still human and dies as such. There is nothing supernatural about him. Ballard's brutality is never punished as he is determined to be insane. His random death in the asylum, being used as a cadaver for medical students, then unremarked burial show Ballard is ultimately not that important. As any human does he too dies. This shows anyone can or has the ability to be like Ballard. His death (unlike his life) is not totally unusual. He never receives the punishment he should receive.

What does the title Child of God suggest about Ballard as a symbol for humanity?

Ballard as a “Child of God” represents the depraved possibility of any humanity. Any random individual could be like Ballard if they were in his place. As the book states, Ballard is too a “product of Adam” like all people. All of God's creations have the capability for such extreme cruelty. This raises the moral question of why God allows such individuals to exist. Questions of faith and religion in human nature McCarthy has often confronted throughout his writing career. In many ways Ballard is not special. He, like everyone else in the world, is a “Child of God”.

What is the meaning of the flood the town experiences near the end of the book?

The flood parallels the Biblical flood of disaster that cleaned the Earth of sin. It represents the town/police driving Ballard out which leads to his eventual, random death. As the other characters talk about the town history, it becomes clear floods have happened during similar events in the past. One happened during the hanging of the White Caps and Ballard's ancestors. Like his ancestors, the flood drives out Ballard to purify the lands. After the flood “destroys” him, it will be free of evil again.

Why do the police discuss Ballard's ancestry/family?

Many of McCarthy's stories have themes of “Predestination” or that one's fate is predetermined. The crimes and deaths of Ballard's ancestors seem to have dammed him to his fate. The “sins of the father” have turned Ballard into the depraved murderer he is today. It suggests that Ballard may, from his birth, have been fated to commit such crimes. It also raises the question of what makes a criminal a criminal. McCarthy does not offer an outright conclusion, but Ballard's actions suggest a rather cynical belief in human nature.