Themes
1. Chance
2. Death
3. Changing of times
Meaning of the Work as
a Whole
That
life is really a game of chance. As well, life goes on,
3 Important Quotations
***Type out each quote
and in 3-5 sentences explain how/why that quote is significant to the overall
meaning.
“It’s been traveling twenty-two years to get here. And now it’s here. And it’s either heads or tails.” — Anton Chigurh
In this scene of the movie, Anton flips a coin and explains to the man across the counter why it is important that he calls it. However, the coin itself is a symbol of fate in two different ways. In one way, the coin fulfilled its fate of getting to that point in time and getting flipped to be either heads or tails and there was nothing it could do about it. Another way is it is the judge in which Anton makes the decision of who to kill and who not to kill. The fate of his victims lie with the coin. If they call correctly, they live; if they call incorrectly, they die. It fulfills its own fate by fulfilling others’ fates.
“The crime you see now, it's hard to even take its measure. It's not that I'm afraid of it. I always knew you had to be willin' to die to even do this job. But, I don't want to push my chips forward and go out and meet somethin' I don't understand. A man would have to put his soul at hazard. He'd have to say: 'O.K., I'll be part of this world.”—Sheriff Ed Bell
At the beginning, Sheriff Bell gives opening lines to set the tone of the story. He speaks about his family, and how hard it was to live in the country he’s in. To be a part of that country, a person would have to sacrifice and change with the times to keep adjusted and able to do the duty they were given. Once Bell aged, he found himself unable to adjust to the new times. He could no longer cope with the country laid out in front of him, proving that nothing stays the same forever.
“All right then. Two of 'em. Both had my father in 'em. It's peculiar… And I knew that whenever I got there, he'd be there. And then I woke up.” —Sheriff Ed Bell
Bell closes out the movie describing two dreams he had. He’d just retired, and hadn't anything really to talk about. In his dreams, he was always with his father in some way, always younger than he. His life is going on, and now, he is subtly dreaming of the future —his end. Death to him is nothing but darkness, but his dad was already there waiting for him to build a fire and light up all that darkness he has to look forward to. After going through such a bloodbath, the movie ends with death in a very subtle way and is entirely left up to interpretation.
Character Analysis
·
Sheriff Bell- Sheriff Bell is the main character of the story. Regardless of the plot following Moss and Chigurh, it really is about him. At the time, Bell was contemplating retirement, but wasn’t entirely decided. This case was his last, and it proves to him that regardless of trying, he was just too old for the job he had. He wasn’t able to adjust to what was being demanded of him by the case and himself.
·
Llewelyn
Moss- Moss is a war veteran is stumbles upon two million dollars leftover from a shootout over drugs. Being greedy over the money, he chooses to try and escape with it. He is mostly successful, using skills from his wartime and sneaky antics, but overall is unable to predict the Mexicans’ moves and gets killed after prepping for his standoff with Chigurh. He is wise, and represents the prey in the theme of hunter and prey.
·
Anton
Chigurh- As the tall, dark, and creepy antagonist, Chigurh proves to be not only heartless to those he kills and a representation of evil, but also as a genius. He was able to throw together a homemade shotgun from his captive bolt pistol, but was able to escape police custody and tend to his wounds without anyone batting an eye at his thievery in the drug store. He understands people’s minds, and is a dark angel of sorts, acting out in terms of fate while still working for his own gain. He is true to his word and makes no decisions on his own about innocent people, leaving the fate of most of his victims to mere chance by flipping the coin. He is a hunter, and is a master at disappearing, as he was never caught by police even after wrecking his car. He also doesn’t seem to like it when people get in his way, as he decides to kill his boss for giving the Mexicans a receiver and tells Moss that regardless of him returning the money, he will kill him.
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)
The entire story is about Moss's trip out of Chigurh's reach. He wanted to get away with the two million, and he had a goal to do. This makes his endeavors a quest. Parallel to that, Chigurh is also on a quest to catch him and retrieve the money that was stolen.
Chapter 11: ...More Than It's Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence
No Country for Old Men is a bloodbath. Save for the anti-climatic end, the entire plotline is based solely around greed and violence. Chigurh murders man after man and Mexicans drop like flies in large groups. Even the main character falls ill to the constant violence.
Chapter 12: Is That A Symbol?
Symbols pop up left and right in the movie, the main reoccurring one being the coin that Chigurh flips. It changes physically because he gives the coin away, but it is always replaced with another just like it. It is a symbol of chance. There is always a 50/50 chance that you will guess correctly when calling it. When guessed correctly, the symbol changes to that of fate and luck. The coin becomes a lucky coin, and symbolizes that they are lucky and should treasure it.
14. Yes, She’s a Christ Figure, Too
In a way Chigurh comes across as a christ-like figure because through the entire film he is charge up until he gets into the car crash. He also see's himself as a justice keeper cause every person he kills he felt deserved to die.
