Prepared for the inevitable

When the boy says, "I am the one" I believe the author wants us to read in between the lines. This conversation between the boy and the man happens about 30 pages before the end of the book. In the beginning, indirect talk about wanting to die, or feeling like he couldn't do it anymore was common from the boy. This is exactly opposite from the man who became more and more discouraged as time went by. As the book goes on the boy grows through experience and through the many little lessons from the man. He grows in understanding of the true nature of his situation even though he doesn't understand the past. This moment in which he tells the man, "I am the one" is evidence of his growth and preparedness for the future. I think he understood that in the end, despite what his father would tell him, he would inevitably end up alone. In the end, he would have to fend for himself. This is why he was the one that had to worry about everything. Everything that was happening at that time would affect his eventual future alone. I am confident that the boy in the beginning of the book would not have been able to do that. But by the end, it was evident in the dialogue between the boy and the man that he was getting ready.