Describe what they find when they arrive at the beach.

They finally reach the sea, but the ocean is not blue, which disappoints the boy. As they sit together on the beach, the boy wonders what lies beyond the ocean. The boy goes swimming despite the frigid weather. After swimming, the boy cries but does not tell the man why. They make camp near the ocean.

At the end of the section, they reach a house with supplies that they make a haven for a short time. They seem more hopeful than before, not so paranoid about others finding them. They do, finally, reach the sea. Perhaps as expected, it is not so exciting, but the boy gives it a shot and goes swimming in the cold waters. When he cries, it is probably for several reasons. The ocean has probably not met his hopes. The swimming was ok, but now that they have arrived, is it really any better than where they were during their journey? It’s not even blue. The sea is actually a huge barrier to further progress across the whole east, so it is a major limitation on the boy and his father, contrasting with its traditional boundlessness.