Good and evil have existed since the beginning of mankind. Good defends the righteous, as evil has been bent on destruction. In today’s society, many people believe that good will always triumph over evil. The murderer will eventually be caught by the police; the carjacker will one day meet his doom; the superhero will defeat the evil villain. Simply, in some circumstances, this is not entirely true. Good does not always prevail over evil. This is exceptionally true in the movie No Country for Old Men by the Coen brothers. The dominant theme in the Coen brother’s movie is evil.
The movie No Country for Old Men is based on a book by Cormac McCarthy. According to Lan Buckwalter, “McCarthy's bloody and beautiful novel comes to life under the Coen's able touch” (1/1). The movie No Country for Old Men tells a tale of Sheriff Ed Tom Bell’s life as he tries to exonerate the country of the increasing evil in a region where his father and grandfather once served as sheriff. Bell inclined to sheriff at the age of twenty five. According to Bell, he was remarkably proud to become a sheriff (1/7). He represents a large significance of good in the Coen brother’s film. The code of law that Bell represents is honorable. He tries firmly to remain loyal to his beliefs and save people while protect his country from violence. Sheriff Bell is the only main character in No Country for Old Men that is not corrupted by human society’s influences. Sheriff Bell symbolizes the honesty and integrity that is being overcome by the corruption of other characters in the film. Bell sated, “I always knew you had to be willing to die to even do this job” (1/7). He was a man of many morals, and he was willing to put his life on the line for his country. Bell tri...
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...nd a chilly sensation of terror down one’s body. The bizarre and perplexed mind of Anton Chigurh is unreal. He murders innocent people without mercy as if he does not possess a conscience for human society. No Country for Old Men leaves behind a stunned sensation of having witnessed a ruthless application of evil.
Works Cited
Buckwalter, Lan. "Out of Frame: No Country for Old Men." DCist: Washington DC News. 9 Nov. 2007. Web. 01 Apr. 2011. .
God. Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 2001. Print.
McCarthy, Cormac. No Country for Old Men. New York: Knopf, 2005. Print.
Radcliffe, Vinnie. "No Country For Old Men: A Somewhat Complete Analysis." Full Frontal. 13 Mar. 2008. Web. 02 Apr. 2011. .
Both Captain John Adam and George Orwell demonstrated how their character drove their courage to be deciding factors for major decisions, whether it be negatively or positively. While Adam thought what he chose was a better decision and leading to the end he continued to being a coward until his finale and Orwell failed to be as courageous as he could have been, they both showed how their courage was a driving factor to make the most difficult decisions. Their courage was undisputed displayed in their actions throughout the stories, Orwell failed to find the courage to speak against what happened while John Adam was strong enough to find the courage to go against the pressure of people around him. Both of these stories display the importance of courage, and facing your fear of being shunned by criticizing surrounding and to stand up for what is right.
The battle of good versus evil is present in all aspects of life. Actions taken by people can determine how others view them. Some choose to do what is right and good, while others choose what is wrong and evil. Many characters are forced to choose between the two, and some do not foresee the consequences of their actions. In the book Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, actions committed by the Davy, Jeremiah, and Jeremiah’s friends, both good and evil, always have consequences.
When O’Brien first arrives to Vietnam, the men of the platoon show him how the grief of war can be covered up by humor. As the men were patrolling near a village off the South China Sea they suddenly started to encounter sniper fire. The firefight only lasted a few minutes but Lt. Cross decided to order an airstrike on the village anyways. After the strike was over, the platoon proceeded to the smoldering village to find nothing but “…an old man who lay face up near a pigpen at the center of the village. His right arm was gone. At his face there were already many flies and gnats.”(). To many, this image of a destroyed village and the mutilated old man would cause horror and plight. Instead of that normal reaction, “Dave Jensen went over and shook the old man’s hand. “How-dee-doo,” he said.”(). The other men of the platoon also went up to the dead man’s body and shook his hand while adding a comment. This disturbing response the men have to the dead old man isn’t one of disrespect, it is their coping mechanism for realizing what they just did. Because O’Brien was new to Vietnam he had yet to understand why the men were all doing this. He was awestruck by the actions...
"Overview of Charles, Jr. Mccarthy." DISCovering Authors. Detroit: Gale, 2003.Student Resources in Context. Web. 8 May 2014.
Director Jim Jarmusch’s film Deadman displays many of the accepted conventions for Western genre films, but manipulated in such a way as to create a revisionist, rather than a classical, western. The most obvious example of this manipulation are the characterizations of the hero, William Blake, and his Native American partner, Nobody. Blake is an awkward easterner who travels westward unaware of the different rules governing western life, instead of the rugged, knowledgeable outdoorsman who “does what he has to do” to defend justice and honor. Nobody’s character is unusually independent, educated, and kind towards Blake, instead of the traditional Western genre’s violent, unintelligent Indian.
Envision a world where evil has taken over, simply because decent people are willing to do nothing to oppose the evil that is taking over. The idea is not far off from reality, because many people believe evil is prevails when decent people do nothing. Among these people was Edmund Burke, who once said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” He meant that injustice will continue to take place when good people don’t choose to fight against injustices. Many people agree with Burke, because true events have occurred that support Burke’s statement. Some people disagree, because they believe that even when righteous people intervene, evil will continue to prosper. However, Burke is correct in his statement
The lines that define good and evil are not written in black and white; these lines tend to blur allowing good and evil to intermingle with each another in a single human being.
In most of Ford’s western films, they are about principles, patriotism, and the interrelationships his characters have as they have to deal with while living in the outskirts of civilization during the great American Frontier movement of the 1800s. Ford was able to transport his filmgoing audiences into another realm and time period by picturesque images, staging actors in static poses, noble tough characters with morals, and designing worlds dominated by the western lifestyle. Truly a great film and by a director who knew how to translate a time in American history like no
“When the legend becomes fact, print the legend,” this single quote by the newspaper editor Maxwell Scott (Carlton Young), utters throughout the whole film on what Ford is trying to get across. The whole film tells of a lively era that is so deep in the roots of American history, but we seem to lose sight of that in the here and now. The standard critical approach to Liberty Valance has been to emphasize the contrasts between its two worlds, the old and the new, and to characterize it as celebrating the mythic western frontier and remember its passing by the industrialized times it had to give in to. John Ford brought back that view in his westerns, and although it was the last film with the duo of Ford and Wayne, it can now be referred to as a classical tale of fact and legend.
The essence of good in evil is contained within this speech given by Red Horse. That which should be, will come from revolution. The people will fight for what they consider is the truth and if certain morals or institutions stand in the way of that, they must be torn down. The reason for destruction is to actually create anew what is better for existence. This is what I believe the old man is trying to say. That sheer brutality, and that which is considered evil, is the only way to achieve change and therefore a newer, better way of life. It is a concept which sounds harsh and uncompromisingly hurtful to those who are on the opposing end, but it is actually similar to sociology's conflict theory. Without conflict, and therefore the resolution of conflict, there can be no change. Without change, life remains stagnant and in the same cycle of trading one man’s pain for another man’s happiness. Therefore, without evil as a means to achieving good, the world would remain a constant struggle without advancements of living and without advancements of life.
Ellis reminds Bell about how his uncle Mac died: gunned down by Indians in the old days saying Mac came out with a shotgun. Ellis is letting Ed Tom know that things were violent even in the old days. Ultimately, Bell’s decision to quit is the opposite of what Moss decided to do when presented with the choice of quitting and Bell’s decision leaves him with his life. Bell’s wife, Loretta, asks him if he his quitting while he is ahead; Bell, whose rite of passage is written throughout the entire story and concludes that there is no country for old men, responds: “no mam I just aim to quit. I aint ahead by a damn sight. I never will be” (298).
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” This oft-repeated paraphrase of a less-palatable line of Edmund Burke’s has made its way into the modern public vernacular as a call to vigilance against the eternal creep of evil. Yet the question remained: “What is the nature of this evil?” and “What action do good men take in order to prevent it?” In her 1957 Magnum Opus, Atlas Shrugged, the American novelist Ayn Rand put forward the next step in that line of thinking; “The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it.” (Rand 1066). Through Hank Rearden’s familial relationships, his struggles against the government, and John Galt’s final exposition of his philosophical discoveries, Rand explains the nature of good and evil; good can only lose if it presents itself to be negated, and evil can only triumph with good’s willing consent.
“Inside each of us, there is the seed of both good and evil. It's a constant struggle as to which one will win. And one cannot exist without the other” (Eric Burdon). People do not think they are doing good or evil, they just think that they are doing the right thing. Evil comes from within each one of us. You just need to something to bring it out.
Evil seems to always get the bad side of things since it always gets conquered
Few Hollywood film makers have captured America’s Wild West history as depicted in the movies, Rio Bravo and El Dorado. Most Western movies had fairly simple but very similar plots, including personal conflicts, land rights, crimes and of course, failed romances that typically led to drinking more alcoholic beverages than could respectfully be consumed by any one person, as they attempted to drown their sorrows away. The 1958 Rio Bravo and 1967 El Dorado Western movies directed by Howard Hawks, and starring John Wayne have a similar theme and plot. They tell the story of a sheriff and three of his deputies, as they stand alone against adversity in the name of the law. Western movies like these two have forever left a memorable and lasting impressions in the memory of every viewer, with its gunfighters, action filled saloons and sardonic showdowns all in the name of masculinity, revenge and unlawful aggressive behavior. Featuring some of the most famous backdrops in the world ranging from the rustic Red Rock Mountains of Monument Valley in Utah, to the jagged snow capped Mountain tops of the Teton Range in Wyoming, gun-slinging cowboys out in search of mischief and most often at their own misfortune traveled far and wide, seeking one dangerous encounter after another, and unfortunately, ending in their own demise.