In the Ruins

This story takes place in an old rundown city that has fallen into ruins. This is known throughout
the repeated phrase “in the ruins” and the use of a bent curtain rod in the story. The narrator
also talks about bricks, stones and pieces or wood which indicates a place broken down and
older. The three main characters are the man (doctor), the narrator and the little girl. The
doctor is a good man who is trying to survive when he comes across other people. His desire is
to help everyone he encounters. He tries to help the others he encounters by providing them
with food to eat, and anything they need to survive. The only thing the doctor asks in return is
food in the future so that he can survive. The doctor isn’t an actual doctor because this is solely
the perspective of the narrator. In the beginning of the story the doctor is the only person to be
referred to as a man and the narrator uses male pronouns to describe him. It was only after the
injection that the narrator begins to address the man as a doctor.