Task One- Part One

This is my child, he  said. I wash a dead man's brains out of his hair. That is my job.
This suggests that the novel is a horror with gory imagery of corpses and death. The quote suggests the boy has either been present at a violent death or has found himself in close proximity with a badly wounded body, the word 'job' suggests it is something the man has to do, he has to look after him, suggesting the boy is young and that the man is protective of him. The quote puts forward the theme's of death, possibly murder and relationships, the relationship between the father and son appears close and one where the boy relies heavily on his father. The way the man says 'I wash a dead man's brains out of his hair' in such a matter of fact way suggests the story would be told in an abrupt and dark way, the story  would be told in a simple, "this is what is happening so just listen" style.
Yes I am, he said. I am the one
This points towards a possibly heroic novel or a story with a journey or task.The boy makes it sound as though he has a task to complete or feels he has more to deal with than his father, he is the 'one' that feels fear, that has a burden and his father does not (although he does because he lives with the fact that he will one day have to shoot his son). The quote suggests the boy is stubborn and believes he is right, this is typical of a young child. The themes suggested: burdens and journeys. The relationship between the father and son is portrayed as one in which the child feels he has the worst experiences and he is always right, the child is the 'one' that looks after his father not the other way round. We get the sense that the story will be told through the fathers actions as the child is speaking to him in a way that he wouldn't if it were a story following the childs actions primarily. The story appears to be told in a simple way due to the lack of speech marks this also indicates that the story itself will be simple and have little climactic points.
Tomatoes, peaches, beans, apricots. Canned hams. Corned beef.
This indicates a survival story as each item is non perishable. The story will be one in which the characters are on a journey in which they sleep perhaps in a tent this can be inferred as cans are the typical food for such a trip. The punctuation is significant, the canned hams and corned beef are the main part of a meal whereas the beans and canned fruits are the side or desert, it could also suggest that they have a lot of different variations of beans and fruit but the same hams and corned beef (that could be complete nonsense). The punctuation also suggests that the story will be told with indepth description of food that is consumed, this could be a tool to highlight their situations, having 'Tomatoes, peaches' etc.suggests they have plenty of choice and aren't going to run out of supplies within the near future.
Are we still the good guys, he said  
This suggests an adventure or crime novel. The reader implies that a child is speaking and that the 'good guys' have done something bad as the child is doubting their morality, the quote suggests that perhaps they will end up not being 'good guys' as the theme of doubt and the losing of control/humanity is raised.The relationship between the two characters has been tested and the child needs confirmation that his father is still his father despite what he has done, the child is worried that things have changed and that one action has changed their position and they are instantly bad people, he is scared that there could be consequences to come if they aren't 'the good guys'. The childs father has clearly told him that they are the good guys and all other people are bad guys in order to keep him safe. The story will be told in a way that makes the child look vulnerable and as though he needs constant assurance.