No Country for Old Men Essay
Nitish Bali
Mrs. Caporiccio
ENG4U1 – 05
7 June 2013
The Attainment of Individuation in No Country for Old Men
Society is built upon a foundation of norms, but not all individuals adhere to said norms, some are outliers. If the actions of an individual causes pain onto another, society defines that the normal reaction for that individual would be to exhibit a state of empathy, but this is not always the case, as there are those who do not feel or exhibit the normal psychological reactions to differing scenarios (sociopaths). As individuals’ progress and experience obstacles in their lives, they become familiar with the different aspects of their mind, such as their persona, shadow, and self, ultimately achieving individuation. In Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men, the state of individuation is demonstrated by the antagonist Anton Chigurh at the onset of the novel. In Anton Chigurh’s quest for the stolen satchel of money, Chigurh remorselessly murders all those who are obstacles to attain the satchel, including competitors. Through Chigurh’s varying experiences during his expedition, Chigurh’s constant impersonal persona, sadistic shadow and sociopathic self, portray him as an individual who has attained individuation prior to the onset of the story. Chigurh demonstrates that he has achieved individuation at the onset of the novel by maintaining a constant impersonal persona throughout his expedition. A requirement for individuation is a stable persona. Chigurh understands that in order to survive he requires a façade in order to not standout in society. As seen throughout the novel, Chigurh demonstrates a deep understanding of his persona by manipulating it to match societies social norms when faced with social interactions, specifically, Chigurh restricts his social interactions to low key small talk without revealing the specifics of his own life, “And you? What about your enemies? I have no enemies. I don’t permit such a thing. He looked around the
Mrs. Caporiccio
ENG4U1 – 05
7 June 2013
The Attainment of Individuation in No Country for Old Men
Society is built upon a foundation of norms, but not all individuals adhere to said norms, some are outliers. If the actions of an individual causes pain onto another, society defines that the normal reaction for that individual would be to exhibit a state of empathy, but this is not always the case, as there are those who do not feel or exhibit the normal psychological reactions to differing scenarios (sociopaths). As individuals’ progress and experience obstacles in their lives, they become familiar with the different aspects of their mind, such as their persona, shadow, and self, ultimately achieving individuation. In Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men, the state of individuation is demonstrated by the antagonist Anton Chigurh at the onset of the novel. In Anton Chigurh’s quest for the stolen satchel of money, Chigurh remorselessly murders all those who are obstacles to attain the satchel, including competitors. Through Chigurh’s varying experiences during his expedition, Chigurh’s constant impersonal persona, sadistic shadow and sociopathic self, portray him as an individual who has attained individuation prior to the onset of the story. Chigurh demonstrates that he has achieved individuation at the onset of the novel by maintaining a constant impersonal persona throughout his expedition. A requirement for individuation is a stable persona. Chigurh understands that in order to survive he requires a façade in order to not standout in society. As seen throughout the novel, Chigurh demonstrates a deep understanding of his persona by manipulating it to match societies social norms when faced with social interactions, specifically, Chigurh restricts his social interactions to low key small talk without revealing the specifics of his own life, “And you? What about your enemies? I have no enemies. I don’t permit such a thing. He looked around the