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
Furthermore, Chigurh continues to demonstrate characteristics of an individual who has achieved individuation through his attempts to block his shadow; “She looked at the gun. She turned away. She sat with her head down, her shoulders shaking. Oh Mama, she said. None of this was your fault. She shook her head, sobbing. You didnt do anything. It was bad luck. She nodded. He watched her, his chin in his hand. All right, he said. This is the best I can do.” (McCarthy 257) Soon after Lelwyn Moss was gun downed, Carla Jean, his wife, held a funeral for her mother, mourning for her mother and her husband both. Upon returning to her home, she found Chigurh. Chigurh gave his word to Lelwyn that if he did not cooperate with him, he would kill his wife. Despite Lelwyn now dead, Chigurh, a man of his principle, feels compelled to carry out the act as his word is solidified and cannot be undone. Again, Chigurh holds his ideologies and principles to the extreme, where in this case he fulfils his word he gave to a dead man, resulting in the death of an innocent woman. However, in this scenario, Chigurh proves he has already attained individuation by showing a slight resistance to his shadow (the shadow is not suppressed completely). Instead of instantly killing her, as seen with his other victims, Chigurh takes the time to talk to