What is the message of No Country For Old Men?
'Alright then. Two of 'em. Both had my father in 'em . It's peculiar. I'm older now then he ever was by twenty years. So in a sense he's the younger man. 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 second one, it was like we was both back in older times and I was on horseback goin' through the mountains of a night. Goin' through this pass in the mountains. It was cold and there was snow on the ground and he rode past me and kept on goin'. Never said nothin' goin' by. He just rode on past... and he had his blanket wrapped around him and his head down and when he rode past I seen he was carryin' fire in a horn the way people used to do and I could see the horn from the light inside of it. 'Bout the color of the moon. And in the dream I knew that he was goin' on ahead and he was fixin' to make a fire somewhere out there in all that dark and all that cold, and I knew that whenever I got there he would be there. And then I woke up...'
The final scene of the film consists of a monologue told by the minor of the three main characters, Sheriff Bell. In this, he tells of two different dreams he had that night. The peacefulness of this scene completely contrasts to the main theme of the film, mainly violence and action, making it seem like an unusual ending. However the details of this scene heavily link into the narrative and meaning of this film.
The first dream is told of him being concerned over a loss of money, similar to the main plot of this story, the symbol which causes a collapse in Human mentality, their greed and ruthlessness being highlighted as a fatal flaw. The second dream consists of him and his father on horses, showing their old take on life, and his father holds a hidden flame which he rides on ahead. His final line says that he knows wherever his father goes, he will catch up with him in the end. This could be considered as him passing on his line of duty to the Sheriff, that he holds the family position and when it’s the Sheriff’s time, it’ll be passed to him.
Both of these dreams cast a part for Bell’s relative (his dad) who guides him. His constant need for nostalgia and his contrast for life then and now highlights a point of the film, showing him to be the ‘old men’ which is in the title. His old values, which are also conveyed in his opening monologue, show him to be a stranger to the modernness of a then 80s society.
This film showcases how different life has changed and how it affects the mentality of people. Bell is like the past, Chigurh the future and Moss is the bridge that connects the two. The violence of the present and future is something that Bell cannot keep up with, causing him to quit his job in the force due to feeling helpless.
'Alright then. Two of 'em. Both had my father in 'em . It's peculiar. I'm older now then he ever was by twenty years. So in a sense he's the younger man. 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 second one, it was like we was both back in older times and I was on horseback goin' through the mountains of a night. Goin' through this pass in the mountains. It was cold and there was snow on the ground and he rode past me and kept on goin'. Never said nothin' goin' by. He just rode on past... and he had his blanket wrapped around him and his head down and when he rode past I seen he was carryin' fire in a horn the way people used to do and I could see the horn from the light inside of it. 'Bout the color of the moon. And in the dream I knew that he was goin' on ahead and he was fixin' to make a fire somewhere out there in all that dark and all that cold, and I knew that whenever I got there he would be there. And then I woke up...'
The final scene of the film consists of a monologue told by the minor of the three main characters, Sheriff Bell. In this, he tells of two different dreams he had that night. The peacefulness of this scene completely contrasts to the main theme of the film, mainly violence and action, making it seem like an unusual ending. However the details of this scene heavily link into the narrative and meaning of this film.
The first dream is told of him being concerned over a loss of money, similar to the main plot of this story, the symbol which causes a collapse in Human mentality, their greed and ruthlessness being highlighted as a fatal flaw. The second dream consists of him and his father on horses, showing their old take on life, and his father holds a hidden flame which he rides on ahead. His final line says that he knows wherever his father goes, he will catch up with him in the end. This could be considered as him passing on his line of duty to the Sheriff, that he holds the family position and when it’s the Sheriff’s time, it’ll be passed to him.
Both of these dreams cast a part for Bell’s relative (his dad) who guides him. His constant need for nostalgia and his contrast for life then and now highlights a point of the film, showing him to be the ‘old men’ which is in the title. His old values, which are also conveyed in his opening monologue, show him to be a stranger to the modernness of a then 80s society.
This film showcases how different life has changed and how it affects the mentality of people. Bell is like the past, Chigurh the future and Moss is the bridge that connects the two. The violence of the present and future is something that Bell cannot keep up with, causing him to quit his job in the force due to feeling helpless.
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