Like many directors, The Coen Brothers have certain thematic and stylistic preferences that define their work. Fargo and No Country for Old Men are similar thematically. Both films comment on the nature of evil in humans by depicting the deplorable influence greed can have on the individual and society as well as question the meanings of good and evil. They differ in their styles, which the Coen Brothers employ to enhance each narrative in a unique way.
Thematically, both Fargo and No Country For Old Men are comparable to Greek tragedies. According to Gilmore, “As in ancient Greek tragedy, a good but flawed man will become enmeshed in events that will prove to be his ruin. It will be what is good in him as much as what is flawed that will
…show more content…
The Coen Brothers develop Fargo and No Country for Old Men using this paradigm to explore the subjectivity of good and evil. In Fargo, Jerry Lundergaard (William Macy) is arguably good; his motivations are to help his family. All of his actions are dictated by his quest to make money to provide for them. Jerry can be understood as good, but flawed. The way he goes about providing for his family is morally questionable, such as having his wife kidnapped. Jerry has a job and a home but that is not enough for him. He is flawed by greed, which leads him on a search for more money. The greed becomes more intense as his stakes get higher and ultimately it is his greed that leads to the ruin of his family. The goodness within Jerry developed into greed, which led to his demise. No Country for Old Men is similar in this regard. Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is also arguably good. During a hunting trip, probably to provide for him and his wife, Llewelyn discovers a large sum of money as well as a dying man among many dead bodies. Llewelyn takes the money but return to the scene of the …show more content…
The Coen Brothers explore this in both Fargo and No Country for Old Men to demonstrate the theme of greed being the nature of evil in humans. One way The Coen Brothers utilize this subjectivity is through characterization. Both films use police in an attempt to symbolize ‘objective good’ and the criminals for ‘objective bad.’ Using police to represent ‘good’ and the criminals for ‘bad’ enhances the subjectivity of the two terms when considering actions of Jerry in Fargo and Llewelyn in No Country for Old Men.
Both films feature cops who are inexperienced in the violent crimes they encounter and their ‘goodness’ is demonstrated as they deal with the crimes (Gilmore, 59). Each cop tries to understand what has happened through their own understanding of ‘good’. The two films differ in their resolutions, which is exemplified by the police in their concluding actions. In Fargo, Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) after solving the crime questions the last remaining criminal, Gaear (Peter Stormare) attempting to understand his
Comparing and Contrasting Shepard and McCandless Two adventures had taken place, and both were different in their own ways. Adam Shepard, an individual that was unhappy with society wanted to prove the point that the American dream is achievable, and had left his home to start from the “Bottom”. Now McCandless, another individual that was unhappy with society, had a different reason for leaving his town and family. He felt that the life he was living isn’t the way he wanted it to be, so he set off on an adventure to find a new way of living. The idea that is being presented to you is the idea that both had significance throughout their journey (Impacts), but they both served a purpose that wasn’t fulfilled.
Why did The Misfit do Evil Tasks? In the world we live in there are delightful people that enrich our lives. There are also some dark citizens that make life harder and also cause us to live in a slight fear. Some authors have been able to capture realistic depictions of these frightening misfits.
The second similarity is how in both cases the fathers were ashamed of their daughters. In the video it shows Orion being ashamed of his daughter and as a result he says hurtful objects to her. One of them was he saying how a white woman will have a black child. In the book it shows how Mayella was a disappointment to Mr.Ewell. Mr. Ewell had beaten her up and told the town Tom had raped her.
Flannery O'Connor (1925-1965) is one of the most influential Southern Gothic writers in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (Verde). She draws readers time after time through her grotesque and haunting short stories. Two of her most acclaimed stories, "A Good Man is Hard to Find," and "The Lame Shall Enter First" focus on the same theme; good versus evil. As well as using theme to convey her message, she utilizes irony to shock and mystify the readers. The internal struggle between a person's will power and humanity is highlighted often through her many complicated characters.
In life, people face the pressures of conformity in their everyday lives from school, to just going shopping for clothing. Throughout literature, protagonists face the pressures of conformity in their lives no matter the age of the character. Both The Giver by Lois Lowry and Number Twelve looks just like You by John Tomerlin deal with pressures of conformity, but they do so in different ways. Both texts are similar because both protagonists want or try to escape the conformity that is within their communities. “In Number Twelve looks just like You”, Marilyn knows that conformity in her community is wrong.
Human nature and evilness are closely examined together as there are many conflicting views regarding this subject. William Shakespeare, in his play Macbeth, and Paul Solotaroff, in his article “The Gangster in the Huddle,” have opposing ideas on evils in human nature, believing respectively that evil is something one is born with and evilness in a person comes from external corruption. In Macbeth, Macbeth is born evil through and through, unlike Aaron Hernandez in “The Gangster in the Huddle” who is corrupted by the evils around him. Macbeth is controlled by his fate, whereas the choices that Hernandez makes by his own free will determine how his life plays out. The play, Macbeth, tells the story of Macbeth’s disloyalty through his ambition
We as human beings both create and endure evil of many different varieties and levels of severity on a daily basis. Evil, both moral and natural, is recognized and spoken of constantly. Whether in sermons declaring the ultimate result of sin and evil from the perspective of the church, the daily news reports updating us on the War in Iraq or informing us of a local murder, or the knowledge of the ongoing struggle to rebuild a community which was destroyed during a catastrophic storm, earthquake, or wildfire, we without a doubt live amidst evil. Many of us have very differing philosophies on the proper way to define evil, for example, whether evil is intentional or a natural balancing force, whether evil is universal, or if one's particular
They both show the feeling and how hard the people struggled then. As they both go into their situations, for example, in The Patriot the character Benjamin Martin has to decide if
20% of criminals suffer from psychological damage. People who suffer from physiological problems are more likely to commit evils acts. These evil acts root from the environment they surround themselves with. This tragedy lead people to not have their own state of mind and hate crimes against Muslims dramatically increased. Being put in a psychologically damaging environment growing up can lead to the person performing evil actions.
Moral corruption is not being concerned with the distinction between good or bad, or right or wrong and only focusing on one’s own mean to the end. Moral corruption leads to the failure of distinguishing between what is right or wrong for them and only care about what the person feels is right. In Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood and “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” Flannery O’Connor displays moral corruption through several characters including Asa Hawks and Hazel Motes from Wise Blood and the Grandmother and the Misfit from “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” In Wise Blood, Hazel Motes is a person whose behavior or attitude sets him apart from others and then there is Asa Hawks who is an evangelist and thinks it is right to falsely preach and is a fraud.
Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” was published in 1955. O’Connor was also known for her novel The Violent Bear it Away (published in 1960) and her collection of short stories Everything That Rises Must Converge (published in 1964). The author often used violence and greed to show how she saw humanity that was without God. She liked to write about pettiness and vanity in the rural south, both of which play large parts in “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” This particular piece of work is about a family who goes on a road trip that takes an unexpected turn when they cross paths with a murderer and his henchmen.
The first similarity, is that both of the main characters have some sort of mental illness. In Dead Poets Society the main character, Neil, has to deal with his parents not letting him do what he wants which leads to his
Imagine living in a town where lightning strikes, muck fires and sinkholes happen all the time. Well in the book Tangerine by Edward Bloor, Paul Fisher lives in a town that has all these terrible events happen almost daily. The town that Paul lives in is Tangerine County. Paul lives with his mom, dad, and Erik. Paul’s dad only pays attention to Erik and spends all his time with Erik because he wants Erik to become a pro football player.
Greed and guilt are two characteristics that can wreak havoc on the human mind and soul, and give someone what they deserve over time. Therefore, nothing seems more satisfying than when the villain or protagonist gets what they deserve for their bad deeds. In The Tragedy of Macbeth, William Shakespeare shows these traits, along with their affects, through the tragic hero of the play, Macbeth, and his wife, Lady Macbeth, also leaving the reader with the question: “Could this happen today?” After gaining the corrupt title Macbeth craves, being king is not as significant as he implies. Macbeth admits to his reign being spoiled saying, “To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus”(Act III, Scene I, lines 50-51).
The old western films’ solid black and white boundaries between good and evil characters are no longer relatable in a time where most members of society fall into the grey. The unique morality in No Country For Old Men is representative of the constant changes in modern day society and the adjustments in the moral standards of society that accompany those