A Character Of Llewellyn Moss In The Novel "No Country For Old Men"
Llewellyn Moss is the main character and also the protagonist in the novel No Country for Old Men also He is a Vietnam veteran with a strong desire for auto fulfillment. His favorite hobby is to haunt animal life in the desert. His life gets changed when he accidentally grabs a case full of money involved in a drug case, that may get him in trouble, this forces him to use his Military Skills to survive and evade the dangerous man that is looking for him. He is mostly happy and doesn't care much about his economic status, he lives in a trailer with his beloved wife; Carla Jean, no matter what circumstances they are living there will always be a beer in their fridge, it's like a small tradition they have.
They both perform a simple and happy life, content with each other. A question that may round the readers head is "why doesn't Moss return the money?". He is willing to give his wife a better life, because who would not want 2 million dollars for free. He knows his way around and holds that any obstacle is beatable with the right combination of preparation and courage. It's rare that we see a Vietnam veteran this mentally healthy, usually, they would experience PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), in this type of disorder patients should experiences different things like, emotional breakdown, sense of careless, hallucinations, sounds that may bring him or her back to the traumatic experience, and even psychotic impulsiveness, which can result in the harm of him or her or others.
Like with any other mental disease, PTSD can get treated with pills and medications, usually expect a patient that around this stress situations, would most likely detonate into a psychotic breakdown. But with Moss, we experience a different attitude. A positive attitude and the hope of life that he carries everywhere he goes. Carla is worried about Moss because she knows that Moss is never going to ask for help. We can also see an impulsive and creative man willing to do everything for his precious wife.
In some ways, we can maybe think that his wife has some sort of control over Moss, and we can maybe believe that their relationship is a toxic one. In my point of view, Moss's philosophy is worth following because he lives with no worries and away of all conflicts.
References:
- I'm a match to Llewelyn Moss from No Country for Old Men. (n.d.). Retrieved September 25, 2018, from https://www.charactour.com/hub/characters/view/Llewelyn-Moss.No-Country-for-Old-Men
- Ranna Parekh, M. (2013). What Is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder? Retrieved September 25, 2018, from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ptsd/what-is-ptsdMcCarthy, C. (2010). No country for old men. London: Picador.
