Power Interpreted In The Film There Will Be Blood

After watching the movie There Will Be Blood there were many things left to be interpreted. The audience witnesses the rise of power with one man named Daniel Plainview as the film follows him throughout his life as he goes from poor to extremely wealthy. Through the rise of his power he undergoes, he begins to accumulate massive amounts of money he acquires through the oil industry. Money is not the only thing he solely develops, his mental state is clearly deteriorating in the later parts of the film. Within the film a conflict arises between two people, Daniel and Eli. There are many moments where the two clash with their beliefs being the reason for it, which will be covered in this paper. Daniels view on life is very capitalistic which …show more content…
What makes things worse for him is the false environment he is forced to live and work in but he has no choice to if he wants to fulfill his passion for more money. An example is in the restaurant scene he becomes frustrated with the men at the other table and when he decides to speak to them the audience witnesses it when Tilford asks to be excused. "oh, excuse me gentlemen. excuse him gentlemen." (There Will Be Blood 2007). Eli and Daniel have another breaking point when Daniel attends a church gathering. Eli makes Daniel stand in front of the church and confess to abandoning his son, completely humiliating him. Eli exposes the true harshness of Daniel to everybody causing it to push Daniel over the …show more content…
What might strike the viewers is the very moment Daniel disowns his son. He almost word or word repeats lines he said earlier to characterize himself in the film to his fake brother: "I've built up my hatreds over the years, little by little...", "If it's in me, it's in you."(There Will Be Blood 2007). There is a paradox in this scene; Daniel seems to be disowning his son also at the same time he believes that something essential about him is 'in his son'. This is Daniel's utmost vulnerable and sympathetic moment, because although everything he has stated he still reveals his desire for some kind of meaningful human relationship. Even though that has been warped unrecognizable by anyone else due to his years working in the cutthroat industry. Eli also has a harsh moment of realization with his own father. He states that his father is ''stupid'' holding him down the ground and diminishing any type of manhood he may have left after being fooled by Daniel on the land deal they agreed to. Daniel and Eli both share issues with their family; Eli with his father and Daniel with