“And he told me that he had been plannin to kill somebody for as long as he could remember. Said that if they turned him out he’d do it again. Said he knew he was goin to hell (McCarthy, 1). Violence, death, greed, and drugs are several of the prominent aspects that contribute to the overall theme of evil found throughout No Country for Old Men. Cormac McCarthy, the author, writes about the ugly truth behind a drug deal during the 1980’s. The novel takes place along the Texas- Mexico border with a drug deal gone wrong. From there, a Vietnam war veteran finds the drug money and is on the run until he is killed off by Anton Chigruh, a drug lord. One could argue that within this novel, Cormac McCarthy uses his writing to demonstrate where
…show more content…
The title, No Country for Old Men, almost seems to foreshadow the story. During this time period, a majority of the men, similar to Wells, Moss, and Bell, have had war experience. They know the brutal cost of survival and what it takes to get there. Throughout this story, there are several wars that are alluded to; however, the most prominent one presented was the Mexican drug war. Personally, I think the reason that Sheriff Bell is not as involved as Wells and Moss is because of his age. Those few extra years resulted in him being wiser and more cautious as he questioned the reasoning behind this kind of fighting in the war for money and power. “I know where we’re headed. We’re being bought with our own money” (McCarthy, 303). It is very evident throughout this book that money could be considered yet another cause of evil. Money causes people to react in abnormal ways and brings a sense of power into the situation. Money and evil often go hand-in-hand. The greater the drive for money, the more evil will be uncovered as individuals stop at nothing to get more money. This is identified throughout the entire novel when the drug money is the prized possession, and killing is the ultimate …show more content…
From the side of the Mexican drug war, Anton Chigruh can easily be identified as evil. He can be seen as the root of evil for his greed and determination to kill. He has a reasoning behind his actions. Contrary to the popular belief, Chigruh does not see the world revolving around money. “You even say he has principles. Principles that transcend money or drugs or anything like that” (McCarthy, 153). Instead, he sees himself as the ultimate judge of other people’s actions. He feels that it is his prerogative to decide their fate at the flip of a coin, based on their choice of heads or tails. Anton Chigruh is a different type of evil, ruthless and unforgiving. By the end of the novel, Chigruh and others involved with the drug cartel have killed off all of the characters except for Sheriff Bell. Bell views defeating evil as pointless; “The point is there aint no point” (McCarthy, 218). There is no point because there is always going to be evil in the
The title, No Country for Old Men, almost seems to foreshadow the story. During this time period, a majority of the men, similar to Wells, Moss, and Bell, have had war experience. They know the brutal cost of survival and what it takes to get there. Throughout this story, there are several wars that are alluded to; however, the most prominent one presented was the Mexican drug war. Personally, I think the reason that Sheriff Bell is not as involved as Wells and Moss is because of his age. Those few extra years resulted in him being wiser and more cautious as he questioned the reasoning behind this kind of fighting in the war for money and power. “I know where we’re headed. We’re being bought with our own money” (McCarthy, 303). It is very evident throughout this book that money could be considered yet another cause of evil. Money causes people to react in abnormal ways and brings a sense of power into the situation. Money and evil often go hand-in-hand. The greater the drive for money, the more evil will be uncovered as individuals stop at nothing to get more money. This is identified throughout the entire novel when the drug money is the prized possession, and killing is the ultimate …show more content…
From the side of the Mexican drug war, Anton Chigruh can easily be identified as evil. He can be seen as the root of evil for his greed and determination to kill. He has a reasoning behind his actions. Contrary to the popular belief, Chigruh does not see the world revolving around money. “You even say he has principles. Principles that transcend money or drugs or anything like that” (McCarthy, 153). Instead, he sees himself as the ultimate judge of other people’s actions. He feels that it is his prerogative to decide their fate at the flip of a coin, based on their choice of heads or tails. Anton Chigruh is a different type of evil, ruthless and unforgiving. By the end of the novel, Chigruh and others involved with the drug cartel have killed off all of the characters except for Sheriff Bell. Bell views defeating evil as pointless; “The point is there aint no point” (McCarthy, 218). There is no point because there is always going to be evil in the