Themes
1. Death
2. Chance
3. Principle
Meaning of the
Work as a Whole
The overall meaning of “No Country for Old Men” is that the
world changes, that society is used to seeing good trump evil. In this movie
however there is a different archetype where everything is for not, as the “good”
guy is murdered, the “bad” guy walks away, and the pursuing Sherriff retires.
3 Important Quotations
***Type out each quote and in 3-5 sentences
explain how/why that quote is significant to the overall meaning.
1) Well,
I got here the same way the coin did. – Chigurh
This is an important quote in the movie
because it shows that Chigurh is a man of principle and even though the coin
relies on chance, doesn’t mean the consequences are of chance as well. This
constitutes that someone’s fate is not a matter of chance, but a matter of what
one does before their judgment point to have a say in their destiny. Chigurh depicts
this by way of his standing principle in which he presents himself, that life
is not a matter of chance, but rather a threshold of finer or evil outcomes.
2) If
the rule you followed brought you to this, of what use was the rule? – Chigurh
This is another important and life related
quote from Chigurh, in which he questions why one followed a rule that in turn
led to a bad outcome and simply requests the importance of the rule in which
led to their demise. One can easily use this quote and relate it to life, because
many people have certain principles in which do not lead to great outcomes, but
still continue to exhibit the same tenet…why? This is a question in which only
the person can answer for themselves – which is why Chigurh does so – and must
question why they continue to follow the principle that always fails.
3) What’s
the most you’ve ever lost on a coin toss – Chigurh
This is another way that Chigurh shows his
principles of chance and fate by asking this of an innocent clerk, who immediately
queries. This sets a tone for the movie and depicts the type of character
Chigurh really is. He doesn’t want to kill; he just believes he has to too get
his way or against the ones who have crossed him.
Character Analysis
•Sheriff Bell – Bell
is an honest man who desires more in life than to protect and serve as a law enforcer.
When the bodies are discovered in the desert, he realizes that times have
changed and that society is not what it used to be. As a result, he does not or
doesn’t want understand these immoral changes, and after the numerous deaths piling
up declares retirement.
•Llewellyn Moss – Moss is likable young man who is full of
self-confidence, comfortable out in an isolated desert, and has a wife who
loves him. He is a tad bit too confident in some ways though. And in the
desert, with no one watching, he refuses a dying man a drink of water and
steals a suitcase full of money. Moss shows remorse for his wife and ultimately
gets them both killed, due to his overconfidence.
•Anton Chigurh - Chigurh is evil itself, killing for the
pleasure of seeing people plead for their lives or perhaps killing because
someone is standing in his way. Chigurh does not have resounding motives for
his actions. He seems not to be affected by money or power. He merely sets a
plan for himself, has a dead-aim focus, and does what he has to in order to get
from one point to another, as if he needs to prove himself.
How to Read
Literature Like a Professor
***Choose 3 Chapters
and Connect those chapters to the movie. Go into specific detail as to how each
chapter connects to a part of the movie.
Chapter 1, Every Trip is a Quest (except when it’s not),
connects with the movie “No Country for Old Men” because Llewelyn Moss ventures
on a quest, but really doesn’t know why, or what is going on. Moss is the
quester on a search for self-knowledge. He travels from motel to motel trying
to avoid the killer Chigurh, which is his stated reason to go there. Moss’s
challenge is trying to stay alive while being sought after by two different
parties.
Chapter 11, More Than It’s Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence,
relates to the movie due to all the violence depicted. The violence in the
movie is character caused by many shootings and is symbolic in the movie. It
represents a shift in time, as put in context like Sherriff Bell. The movie
depicts shooting to demonstrate violence, because it is one of the most
demonstrative, so that the viewers could really see the shift in society.
Chapter 19, Geography Matters, connects with the movie as
well because the setting, The West/Country, constitutes a sense of honesty and
hard-working people, but also brought forth from society, a overuse of gun
violence and of prevalent chase downs. In the movie Moss is being chased and
there is an overuse of gun violence, including Chigurh’s weapon. Also the
desert a low place insinuates death, which is also very prevalent in the movie.
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