Pop quiz: are we masters of our destiny … or are we just ants controlled by forces way, way, way bigger than us?
Don't worry if you stuttered, because No Country for Old Men can't seem to make up its mind, either. Oh, it has plenty to say on the subject, for sure. On the one hand you've got Anton Chigurh, who seems to believe that some sort of random chaos controls everything in the world, including himself. On the other hand, you have Llewellyn Moss who refuses to believe that anything other than himself is in control of his life.
What's the final answer? In the end, Moss dies and Chigurh lives, which might count as a point in favor of Chigurh's view. But then again, Chigurh gets into a totally random car crash and escapes only because of his toughness and quick thinking.
Hm, might be time to ask the audience.
Questions about Fate and Free Will
- Do you think this movie tells us that we're in control of our own lives? Why or why not?
- What's the significance of Anton Chigurh's car crash at the end of the movie? What does it tell us about fate and free will?
- Why does Chigurh compare himself to the coin he likes to flip? Why does he see himself this way?
Chew on This
In No Country, we learn that there neither fate nor free will. There's only randomness and we're totally at the mercy of it.
No Country shows us that there's no hope for humanity unless we can rely on our free will as individuals.