No Country For Old Men Essay

819 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay analysis on no country for old men

No Country for Old Men by Joel and Ethan Coen can have several different interpretations of what the film really meant. The authors deliberately included clues and connections between certain things throughout the movie to point the audience in the direction that they wanted. The story begins with a hunter named Llewellyn Moss taking a shot at a deer in the desert. He hit the deer but it was only wounded so it stumbled off. At first it seems as though the movie was about Moss, who comes across a drug deal gone wrong and discovers 2 million dollars left behind by the cartel. Then Moss gets targeted by a psychotic serial killer named Anton Chigurh who also wanted the money. As the movie proceeds it becomes evident that the meaning wasn’t really …show more content…

However, the violence was deliberate to prove a point. The Coen Brothers put so much violence in this movie to show the reality of how the scene of this world is changing. When Ed Tom Bell, the local sheriff, went to visit his old friend Ellis about all that was going on, Ellis said “Whatcha got ain't nothing new. This country's hard on people, you can't stop what's coming, it ain't all waiting on you. That's vanity” (No Country for Old Men). This quote backs up the argument that the younger generations are progressing with this violent world and the older generations are being left in the dust, confused about the awful things going on because the world isn’t waiting on them to catch up. Bell is coming to terms with this truth and it scares him. He figures out that he is in way over his head and this causes him to want to quit his job. He realizes that he is always a few steps behind the younger, more violent generations that have little to no respect for human life. The talk that Bell had with Ellis showed him that he was no longer in control and that he couldn’t stop what was to come. However, Bell continued to be the man wearing the white hat and he kept on following Chigurh and …show more content…

The man that they lead the audience to believe was the protagonist, Llewellyn Moss, ended up being irrelevant to the story in the end. In fact, Llewellyn was so insignificant that he was killed off scene. This was done to bring the audience back to the true meaning of the story. Anton Chigurh was the most puzzling character because throughout the movie the audience tries to figure out why he murdered all those people. The way Chigurh decided to spare some lives was with a coin toss because he had his own set of values or principles. Chigurh believed in fate and to him if the victim called the coin and got it wrong, it was fate for them to die. Instead of believing it was up to him whether or not innocent people were murdered, Chigurh believed it was fate to blame. The character Ed Tom Bell was the most dynamic character. As mentioned before, Bell wears the white hat in this story but he does not save the day in the end. Bell is the hero, the protagonist and yet he fails to succeed. The Coen Brothers specifically wrote him this way in the movie to further prove their argument that good doesn’t always win. Not even the good can stop what’s

Show More
Related

  • The Postmorbid Condition by Vivian Sobchack

    1011 Words  | 3 Pages

    2. According to Sobchack, contemporary screen violence greatly differs than portrayals of violence in years past. Today, violent scenes are careless and lack significance because we as audiences have become calloused and desensitized to any acts of violence. She states that there is “no grace or benediction attached to violence. Indeed, its very intensity seems diminished” (Sobchack 432). Senseless violence, gruesome acts, and profound amounts of gore are prevalent in movies today, and because even this is not enough, it must be accompanied by loud blasts and noise, constantly moving scenes to keep audiences stimulated and large quantities of violence for viewers to enjoy what they are watching. Decades ago, it was the story that was engaging to audiences and filmmaking was an art.

    Read More

  • From Adolescence to Adulthood: Boyle's Greasy Lake

    548 Words  | 2 Pages

    I chose to write about the narrator and his friends because I found there was more to them than just the bad guy persona they wanted everyone to see. I find the narrator and his friends are dynamic characters because in the end of the story they lets go of all his childish pretending and changes into the en they are supposed to be. “We were bad. We read Andre Gide and stuck elaborate poses to show we didn’t give a shit about anything.” (Boyle 529) This quote sums up that they have to...

    Read More

  • Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet Summary

    1127 Words  | 3 Pages

    To have a good story, there must be good characters. Characters help the reader relate to the plot and struggle of the story, as well as creating a picture of the scenes on each page. But what exactly makes a character? What defines their personalities and relatableness to the reader? The way a character thinks, acts, and views the world are influenced, much like in the real world, by the people and places around them. In essence, they are ideas that are forged and refined by the author and other supporting aspects of the story into the living, breathing lenses through which we view the story. In the case of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford, Henry is our window into the world of wartime Seattle. Through him, we can view

    Read More

  • Snow Falling on Cedars

    508 Words  | 2 Pages

    Another reason I enjoyed this book was because the characters were flawed, making them more realistic. For instance, the reporter, Ishmael, had a few character flaws. He had fought in the war and had his arm amputated. He had also been in love with Hatsue before she married Kabuo. Therefore, when he found evidence that could exonerate Kabuo, he waited until the very last moment to show it to the judge because he was debating whether or not he should use it. Another flawed character was Kabuo himself. His experiences in the war had made him emotionally distant. When he was in the courtroom, he showed no emotion, even though he could have hanged. He thought that his death would be atonement for the people he killed in the war. The last flawed character is the coroner. He is portrayed as a nice, normal guy. However, after he finishes his autopsy on the victim, he tells the sheriff to look for a "right-handed Jap.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Discrimination In Remember The Titans

    508 Words  | 2 Pages

    Firstly, the movie showed physical violence against someone because of their race. This is portrayed when the combined teams arrived at Gettysburg College for camp. One black man puts a poster on his wall above his bed. Another white man says to take down the poster. When the black man refuses, tension rises, and a fight breaks out. If another white man had put a poster above their bed, there wouldn’t be a problem. When the black man did it, it was not accepted. Another time physical violence was displayed because of someone’s race was when a brick was thrown into Coach

    Read More

  • Morally Ambiguous Characters in Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    If these characters were both purely evil, and had no guilt whatsoever, this would be simply a boring story of unhinged men. Adding both good and evil sides to an individual adds a little something extra to the story that distinguishes it from many other pieces of literature. Aside from adding to the storyline, these morally ambiguous characters give students a chance to practice their skill at analyzing characters and think for themselves, forming their own outlooks on the characters and the book as a whole.

    Read More

  • Cinderella Man Essay

    805 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Great Depression of the 1930’s caused widespread poverty, but the popular culture of the time did not reflect this. People wanted to escape from this harsh time so movies, dancing and sports became very popular. Radios broadcasted boxing matches and boxers became stars. The heavyweight champion James J. Braddock aka “Cinderella Man,” gained popularity. James Braddock gained fame by winning many fights and proving everyone wrong when they said he was too old and couldn’t win.

    Read More

  • The Civil War in the Film Glory

    829 Words  | 2 Pages

    The changes of all of these characters was highly important in terms of the plot of the movie. The film shows how all these completely different people changed so they could come together and fight for a cause that they all believed in, and it shows how they underwent that change. This shows us how it is possible for people to come together, no matter how different they are, and fight as one for a cause they all truly believe in.

    Read More

  • Intolerance And Violence In Pleasantville And Do The Right Thing

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    Intolerance and violence are interconnected, as they are both acts of passion and hate. There is a fine line between the two and they can often become one. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Intolerance is itself a form of violence.” Intolerance has shaped the violence in our society for years and should not be overlooked as it is one of the most controversial and imperative issues that needs to be resolved. Pleasantville, directed by Gary Ross, and Do The Right Thing, directed by Spike Lee, are two admirable films that explore the world of intolerance and violence. In Pleasantville, the colorless town has their world turned upside down as people and things begin to gain color through unknown knowledge that has recently been introduced. As a result, a powerful window-breaking scene is shot where the “noncoloreds” destroy what can be considered the safe house of the “coloreds”. Similarly in Do The Right Thing, the main character, Mookie, breaks the window of the white-Italian pizzeria, owned by Sal, as a result of a brawl that ended in the death of a Radio Raheem, a young black man. With these scenes, both films raise the controversial question of, “What was in fact the right thing to do?” Gary Ross and Spike Lee both examine the world of intolerance through a violent scene, in which Ross portrays it as a clearly unacceptable action through his use nondiagetic sound and camerawork, while Lee leaves it up to the viewer to decide through his uses diagetic sound and camerawork, but is perceived by me as the right thing to do.

    Read More

  • National Honor Society Character Essay

    535 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nominees were asked to try and write about one experience, which proves quite difficult and uninteresting. It's much more interesting to discuss the value of the "pillars" of the National Honor Society. One thing defines us in life. One thing that outshines service, leadership, and even scholarship. In fact, without this thing, the other three are irrelevant. Character. Character carries us through our lives. It gives motivation and strength. It gives love and hate. It gives decisions of yes or no. Character is most important to me. It is character that literally defines all of us. Character is more than being kind and polite. If everyone's character could be summed in that way of unkind or kind and polite or impolite the world would not be interesting anymore would it? The world is interesting and so is everyone else, all because of character.

    Read More

  • No Country For Old Men Analysis

    1175 Words  | 3 Pages

    Over the duration of No Country for Old Men, Chigurh kills about 12 people, and curiously enough, the violence devolves as the film progresses. During the first half of the film, the Coens never shy from unleashing Chigurh. The devolution of violence starts with Chigurh's shootout with Moss(Josh Brolin) in the motel. Aside from the truck owner who is shot in the head after Moss flags him down, both the motel clerk and Wells's(Woody Harrelson) death occur

    Read More

  • And Then There Were None

    498 Words  | 1 Pages

    Because this novel follows the "Who Done It" theme, there are the few obvious characters. 1) The inspector, always trying to get an accusation across as to who the murderer is(of course never correct). 2) The doctor, Devon Island's answer to the question nobody ever asked. 3) The old married couple (Mr. + Mrs. Rogers), always passionate to others, until a guest discovers an eerie secret.

    Read More

  • Holt Renfrew Essay

    1005 Words  | 3 Pages

    Holt Renfrew, known today as Canada’s elite high end retailer started out as a simple hat and fur shop in 1837 Quebec City. Offering top quality cosmetic brands and fashion designers, both local and imported (Prada, Gucci, Armani, etc.), Holt Renfrew provides a uniquely upscale shopping experience for both Canadian men and women. Operating ten stores in Canada, Holt Renfrew offers everything from classics to the most current trends in fashion.

    Read More

  • Movie Analysis: American History X

    1365 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... supremacist gang, to rioting in an Asian owned grocery store, to finally brutally murdering someone. We observe as family ties become increasingly strained in every way, the viewer can easily conclude that Derek’s racism as well as his eventual influence on his younger brother ultimately contributed to their own downfall. As controversial as this movie maybe for the offensive language and brutal violence, it is a movie that deserves to be seen, and even discussed. It really provides insight into some factors within society that cannot be contained by the law or even deterred by even the harshest punishments. Even though American society is becoming more modernized as time goes by in terms of tolerance, racism will unfortunately always be prevalent in society and inevitably it will also lead some individuals to violently express their distorted mentalities.

    Read More

  • Characters of The Tell-Tale Heart

    1178 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first character to be introduced is the old man. Just like every other character, the old man does not receive a name. He has a blue eye that appears to have a film over it. According to the story he has quite a bit of gold in his house. The old man was also nice to the narrator, as he has never done anything to him that would provoke the murder:

    Read More

More about No Country For Old Men Essay

Open Document