No Country for Old Men Chapter VI Quotes
How we cite the quotes:
(Chapter.Section.Paragraph)
Quote 1
Loretta told me that she had heard on the radio about some percentage of the children in this country bein raised by their grandparents. I forget what it was. Pretty high. […] When the next generation come along and they dont want to raise their children neither then who is goin to do it? Their own parents will be the only grandparents around and they wouldnt even raise them. (6.1.2)
This is one of the most powerful quotes about the sliding morals of everyone in the entire country. What kind of country is this if no one wants to raise their children, and yet they keep having them? That's what Bell thinks, anyway. It's as if everyone has just given up being responsible for anything.
Quote 2
Everything that Wells had ever known or thought or loved drained slowly down the wall behind him. (6.2.13)
This is another one of those strangely poignant moments that remind us that the people who die aren't just cannon fodder, like Star Trek red shirts. They have thoughts and feelings, histories and families. Why does McCarthy choose to illustrate this with Wells in particular here? Does he do this with other characters?
Quote 3
Young people anymore they seem to have a hard time growin up. I dont know why. Maybe it's just that you dont grow up any faster than what you have to. (6.1.1)
Perhaps there won't be any old men if young people never grow up. Or we're just headed toward an age of old people who act like children? Bell thinks about the good old days just enough to make us think he's thinking about the past with rose-colored glasses—and yet it's true that his world has become much more violent, and people have stopped taking responsibility for their actions.
Quote 4
Dope.
They sell that s*** to schoolkids.
It's worse than that.
How's that?
Schoolkids buy it. (6.2.407-6.2.411)
Bell implicates the people who are buying the drugs, not just the ones transporting them. The users are just as guilty as the dealers. Just because they can't see the trail of death and destruction paved by the drug run, that doesn't mean they're not partly responsible for it.
Quote 5
When he was done he disinfected the wound a final time and tore open packets of four by fours and laid them over the holes in the leg and bound them with gauze off of a roll packaged for sheep and goats. (6.2.10)
As we've said, Chigurh is just as determined as Llewelyn is. Maybe even more so. While Llewelyn checks himself into a hospital, Chigurh decides to perform minor surgery on himself. That's nuts. It's also a good sign that Llewelyn, strong as he is, is still no match for this crazy sugar dude.
Quote 6
[Chigurh] was a little more than half way down the aisle toward the pharmacy when the car outside exploded into flame taking out most of the glass in front of the store. (6.2.5)
Chigurh isn't just a murderer; he also isn't above causing general havoc as a distraction to help him steal stuff. Yep, he destroys public property and commits robbery all in the same afternoon, and that's when he's not putting bullets through people's skulls like it ain't no thang.