Jeremy Clark

Dr. Childs

English 1301

07 December 2012

Destiny or Coincidence

             Is our existence prearranged and are we to follow a supernatural diagram in which events and understandings are governed by coincidences therefore creating our destiny? Some believe our lives are predetermined which poses an interesting question: what would be the point of living if everything were already preset? The main antagonist in the film No Country for Old Men Anton Chigurh gives people a choice: heads or tails. You have the choice to make and must suffer the consequences of this choice. There is a strong connection between the choices we make, succumbing to life’s evil temptations and the repercussions we face as a result. The main characters in this film perform parts that leave us wondering whether destiny or coincidence has taken a hold of them.

The morals we possess are often put aside in a life altering time, where it seems destined that the events playing out before us are symbols or a sign leading to prosperity. Llewelyn Moss is the main character in this film, which is seen in the opening scene of the movie hunting antelope. During this hunt, Moss stumbles upon a drug deal gone sour and its aftermath. The choice that he makes to take the temptation of money in front of him is the beginning of his navigation down life’s bumpy road of consequences. This simple man of few words puts not only his own life in jeopardy by stealing the cash, but also endangers all of those surrounding him as well. Most would view this scenario as fate or luck, but it’s just not that simple.         

As Emerson states: “Chigurh sees himself, however, as destiny personified. He is simply the Reaper, who does what must be done... because that's what he does. The way he sees it, he is not the one responsible for the decision to kill or not kill. There are rules and he must enforce them, if only because he's the only one who understands them (as far as he's concerned). So, he doesn't choose to kill or not kill; but if fate puts someone in his way, then so be it.” Chigurh’s unforgiving evil is shown time and time again during this epic struggle of life and death. His outlook on life is terribly dark and he shows us that the choices we make don’t just revolve around fate or luck, but actions and consequences. To comprehend where Anton’s mentality comes from, one would have to think like a sociopathic hit man as well. He has no fear of the unknown because he sees life as being predestined and himself as a tool of the trade. The coin that he uses to determine whether his victim lives or dies is not a symbol of destiny in his eyes. The truth is that Chigurh makes the choice of letting one live or to kill even when the coin flips. He is responsible for the deaths of many, justified in his own moral less mind.

“The concluding scenes of No Country For Old Men seems to spin around destiny. A variant of the line, "a man cannot escape what's coming to him," is vocalized numerous times by several characters. It leads up to the ending scene in Sheriff Bell's household. He's talking about his dreams.” “Anyway, first one I don't remember too well but it was about meeting him in town somewhere, he's gonna give me some money. I think I lost it.” “The first one, about lost money -- could be about a coin toss, or $2 million, or any number of things. But it's about loss. Maybe the loss of the way Ed Tom looked at the world, and his relationship to it, in his opening monologue. Or maybe it's just that he's discouraged, and now retired.” In the second dream, he dreamed of his father, who passed away twenty years earlier than Bell's present age. I think the dream he describes is a representation for death, but more so, the death of the old way of life, the life that he knew.      

Moss chose to tempt fate and go for it all rather than playing it safe and staying on the good, slow rate of life he was living. He makes many decisions or choices that dig him deeper and deeper in the hole, eventually causing him to lose everything. These choices seem to revolve more around fate or luck, than destiny or coincidence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Cooper, L. R. (2009). He's a Psychopathic Killer, but So What?": Folklore and Morality in Cormac McCarthy's "No Country for Old Men. Papers On Language & Literature, 45(1), 37-59.

 

 

No Country for Old Men. Dir. Joel Coen. Prod. Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Perf. Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem. Miramax, 2007. DVD.