Saturday, December 8, 2012

No Country for Old Men Final (Hyperlinks)


Jeremy Clark

Dr. Childs

English 1301

08 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.”(Emerson)

 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.

 “He's a strict, conscientious, self-taught psychopath who vigilantly maintains his mental ill health. He's purged himself of all qualms and second thoughts so as to function smoothly in the world that Bell, the Goldwaterian granddad, has grown unfit for. When in doubt -- and Chigurh rarely is -- he shoots someone point-blank or pierces his forehead with a pneumatic instrument designed for slaughtering cattle. He wears this tool strapped to his body like a prosthesis, and the story leaves no doubt that he'll prevail over beings who aren't so well equipped. Chigurh has achieved an evil state of grace that the ambivalent masses will never know.” (Kirn)  Anton shields the light of day with his darkness that prevails in all circumstances. This dark side has a way of bullying viewers into thinking that the actions taken by him are indeed predestined and that is just the way the cookie crumbles.

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. “Llewelyn’s love for his wife and his compassion for others turns out to be his tragic flaw; most obviously, he is pursued after bringing water to a man who lay dying in the desert, something he knows is “dumber than hell.””(McClure 48) This was his first choice of several “dumber than hell” decisions, which led him to the trials and tribulations he faced head on as a repercussion.

 

The concluding scenes of No Country for Old Men seem to spin around destiny. A variant of the line, "a man cannot escape what's coming to him," is vocalized numerous times by several of the characters. It leads up to the ending scene in Sheriff Bell's household, where he is reminiscing 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.”(No Country for Old Men) The first one is about lost money; this could be the two million dollars being chased, the loss of the flip of a coin, or any number of things, but ultimately it's about loss. Sherriff Bell’s outlook on the world and the way he conducts himself within it shows he is losing touch with all around him. Maybe it's just that he's discouraged with all the unwelcomed newness around him which leads him to his choice of retirement. 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.

Fate is not the only thing chasing evil in this film. Sheriff Ed Tom Bell is a step behind in the chase of Chigurh’s coat tail as he tries to conquer the man of black and vaguely striking appearance. “Bell defines himself as a composite self, a self whose core identity exists in constant relation to other people. Love and goodness, for Bell, only occur in relationship, and outside of such relationships, all that a human possesses would need a box. Chigurh, of course, recognizes no such ethical or metaphysical obligations and therefore epitomizes the disease whose symptom is catastrophic violence.”(Cooper 56)  This is the good versus evil aspect of the film that leaves us awestruck and clinging to the hope of virtuous luck saving the targets of this savage being. We are to believe that only fate could have brought such rotten outcomes to these characters. This leaves the viewer wondering whether destiny or coincidence played the final role of their walk of life.

“Llewelyn Moss is searching for authenticity in the context of betrayal and moral hypocrisy. But unlike other so-called existential heroes, who attempt to create meaning in a meaningless world, Llewelyn remains entangled in ethical categories and will ultimately be judged according to those categories.”(McFarland 167) Llewelyn’s background as a two time Vietnam Veteran comes into play as he takes on the challenge of defeating Anton Chigurh. We see that his survivalist instinct shines through the “dumb luck” of coincidence. The test of defying the immoral destined by the cluster he has created for himself makes for an entertaining, yet gloomy, dramatic affair. The darkness that ensues the light of the world is boldly pronounced as being predestined in Chigurh’s actions and philosophies. Chigurh says that the coin he carried had “been traveling twenty-two years to get here. And now it’s here,” (No Country for Old Men) “as though all of history had unfolded to the precise moment of the coin toss.”(Cooper 56)

The choices that we make in life ultimately control the outcome of our lives. “Sheriff Bell’s choices in confronting his fears lead him to a fate that is loaded with regret.”(Spino) As Ed Tom gradually fell further and further behind in the case against Anton Chigurh, so did his grasp on reality around him and the fight against the evils of life. “We make decisions based on wrong or right. Some people however, have a sense of unexplainable evil that lingers inside them. The actions of evil would be considered cold blooded and ruthless.”(Nick) Do we succumb to those evil forces, become a part of them, or do we do our best to maintain our own sense of integrity even if we lose everything? These are the questions that lingered in the minds of Sheriff Ed Tom Bell and Llewelyn Moss throughout this film. The answers were easy enough to find, but without faith these questions were answered with destiny or coincidence.

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Cooper, Lydia R. "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 (2009): 37-59. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 Dec. 2012.

Emerson, Jim. "No Country for Old Men: Out in All That Dark." Suntimes. Jim Emerson, 27 Nov. 2007. Web. 08 Dec. 2012.

Kirn, Walter"'No Country for Old Men': Texas Noir." Rev. of No Country for Old Men by Walter Kirn. New York Times 24 July 2005. Newyorktimes.com. 24 July 2005. 07 Dec. 2012 <http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/24/books/review/24KIRNL.html?pagewanted=print&_r=0>.

McClure, Christopher. "No Country for Old Gods." Perspectives on Political Science 39.1 (2010): 46-51. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Nov. 2012.  

McFarland, Douglas. “No Country for Old Men As Moral Philosophy.” The Philosophy of the Coen Brothers. Ed.Mark T. Conrad. Lexington: University of Kentucky, 2009. 163-175.    Print

Spino, Tammy. “Fear and Fate in No Country for Old Men.” Blogger. Blogger.com. 25 November 2012. Web. 8 December 2012.

Arrazola, Nicholas. “Determining the Good and the Bad .” Blogger. Blogger.com. 28 November 2012. Web. 8 December 2012.

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

Friday, December 7, 2012


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.

Friday, November 30, 2012


Jeremy Clark

Dr. Childs

English 1301

30 November 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, the repercussions we face as a result and the responsibilities played by the main characters in this film.

            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. 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.

            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.

            Moss 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. He 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.