Notes on No Country for Old Men

This consists of notes on No Country for Old Men. A real prose post, more coherent and dedicated to full sentences I hope, is planned for later. The following is compiled with the help of my wife, whom we'll call Kay Hawking for now, in both thinking and remember things thought. It should perhaps be emphasized that we've not read the novel, and watched only the "Sheriff's Diary" among the extras. And I suppose a Spoiler Alert is demanded precisely in this spot, though it's an amorphous enough film that it's hard to say precisely what one might spoil.

Money under a tree: "The Pardoner’s Tale" – love of money is the root of all evil – is it for Anton's evil? Why is he so enraged at competition?

How does everybody find Llewellyn?

Magical realism

Texas gothic

Evil as a unexplainable force

Multiple unanswered questions: money? death of wife? motives? death of sherrif? meaning of dream? Woody Harrelson?

Eden and the fall of man: "What you’re dealing with is nothing new," says the cripple.

Air weapon is dehumanizing – modern version of reaper’s scythe – no big difference between crops and cattle – both raised for killing – Beckett’s giving birth astride a grave.

Twist of fate – flip of coin, but wife puts it on his choice, but he says I got here just the same way as the coin did.

How much choice do we have and how much is out of our control?

"Signs and wonders."

God would come to me, but he didn’t; I wouldn’t either if I knew me; you don’t know what he’s thinking

Failure? Should he have graduated to some level of expertise/some faith in or knowledge of the universe. The “gameboard” has changed and so he is not an expert but more of a rookie than ever before.

Retirement cliché turned on its head or at least emptied – nothing happens, which seems like a failure. His death seems prophesied by tale of ancestor who died on his porch and by dream, but nothing happens after first, and movie ends after second.

Goes into hotel room after Llewellyn dies, after he visits the morgue? Why is killer in room – where is he? How does sheriff not find him? He’s probably there because he’s looking for money. What ever happens to the money? Was probably not in vent because vent is round shaped behind grate. Was lock blown out originally? Probably not, because Mexicans killed him it seems, and so killer comes to look for money.