No Country for Old Men by Cormack McCarthy has many themes throughout the novel, such as: morality and ethics, justice and higher law, choices and consequences, and corruption and greed, and while they all work together, the most prevalent theme displayed is the idea of fate and free will. Fate never fails to follow each character throughout the story, despite their best efforts to escape it. The characters always seem to stumble upon an instance where their morality and ethics are being tested, forcing them to make actions that inevitably effect their fate. While Sheriff Bell has taken a strong stance against any form of outlaw in Terrell County, his actions are driven by each characters interpretation of fate throughout the novel. The characters’
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Bell had been the sheriff of Terrell County a while before Anton and the drug deal, so he was more hurt and shocked about the situation than most. Bell possessed many untold feelings about the situation, on the outside he was like he had always been, but as Chigurh was destroying the town, Bell was breaking inside. McCarthy gives Bell many narratives throughout the novel, which depict him being upset at the changing times, and the fact that he could do nothing about them. Eventually, Bell and his wife, Carla Jean, come to terms with their fate, and accept that there is not much they can do, given the circumstances, Bell retires. In the beginning of the novel, McCarthy characterizes Bell as a man willing to do whatever it took to keep his town safe, as you can see with Bells statement “… always knew that you had to be willin’ to die to even do this job…” (McCarthy 2). The title of the novel No Country for Old Men seems appropriate when taking Bell’s character into consideration. Overall, Bell’s interpretation of fate has changed the most out of all of the characters. He went from optimistic, thinking he alone could protect his citizens’ fate, his own fate, and Carla Jean’s fate. However, throughout the novel the reader can see that his optimism slowly changed into depression due to his lack of control of the changing
Bell had been the sheriff of Terrell County a while before Anton and the drug deal, so he was more hurt and shocked about the situation than most. Bell possessed many untold feelings about the situation, on the outside he was like he had always been, but as Chigurh was destroying the town, Bell was breaking inside. McCarthy gives Bell many narratives throughout the novel, which depict him being upset at the changing times, and the fact that he could do nothing about them. Eventually, Bell and his wife, Carla Jean, come to terms with their fate, and accept that there is not much they can do, given the circumstances, Bell retires. In the beginning of the novel, McCarthy characterizes Bell as a man willing to do whatever it took to keep his town safe, as you can see with Bells statement “… always knew that you had to be willin’ to die to even do this job…” (McCarthy 2). The title of the novel No Country for Old Men seems appropriate when taking Bell’s character into consideration. Overall, Bell’s interpretation of fate has changed the most out of all of the characters. He went from optimistic, thinking he alone could protect his citizens’ fate, his own fate, and Carla Jean’s fate. However, throughout the novel the reader can see that his optimism slowly changed into depression due to his lack of control of the changing