The Beginning in the End

I really enjoyed the final pages of The Road, especially the last paragraph. It truly speaks of hope, of continuity and of the beginning that can come only when the end has passed. There is so much wisdom in the realization that nothing will ever be 'put back' to the way it was, it can only move forward. I relate this to hope because that is what the boy represents to me. Earlier in the book there is a comment about the the earth continuing on even after all of the people are dead. Though it is a valid point, the earth will 'heal' itself after all of the people are gone, it will do that even if people continue to live. The conclusion of the book represents the alternative to death, which is to keep the 'fire' alive, to keep hope alive.
I feel like this paragraph is the little boy speaking. There are references made to maps and it seems that would be a natural relation he makes to his father and to the journey that they made together. It is a map and yet a maze because the future is probably uncertain and unknown. To think of the boy in the future being able to have this perspective on life is what keeps the 'fire' going for me because it means that hope never died.