No Country For Old Men Essay

The Dark Side of the Justice in No Country for Old Men

Many people see justice as black and white, clearly defining right from wrong, but in Cormac McCarthy’s book No Country for Old Men, this line is blurred. Taking place in the 1980’s in Texas, after a drug deal goes awry, Llewelyn Moss while hunting stumbles upon the site to find around 2 million dollars, but unfortunately for him another car arrives on the scene starting a novel long pursuit of Moss and the 2 million dollars. This disastrous drug deal brings in the other two main characters Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, lead investigator of the drug deal, and Anton Chigurh, the mercenary/hitman hired to retrieve the money. Along the novel is a series of murders, shoot-outs, and absolute chaos all centered on Moss and the money, Chigurh trying to find Moss, and Sheriff Bell trying to bring Chigurh in for his string of murders.

In this book each main character has their own view of justice. Chigurh being a psychopathic hitman easily dispatches his targets, while deciding those who get in his way’s fate with a simple toss of a coin. Moss acts on his own accord trying to do what will benefit himself and his wife, which ultimately leads to his death. Lastly Sheriff Bell’s sense

Sheriff Bell represents the theist view of divine law, not only does he follow and support it he enforces this law as the sheriff. Both Moss and Chigurh represent the humanistic views on divine law and our self-preservation elements. Although both views are humanistic, Chigurh’s view is a twisted one replacing the divine for luck or fate. His outlook can be seen through Chigurh deciding people’s fate with just the toss of a coin. This explains how he easily eliminates his targets and those in his way with no sense of guilt or justice. Moss embodies the greed of the human nature. His desire to keep hold of the 2 million dollars is what motivates him through most the