No Country for Old Men

No Country for Old Men, written by Cormac McCarthy, is a quickly paced novel that is very interesting to read. Though it’s a short text, it digs deep into the complexities of the protagonist. The reader is able to look into the psychology behind the characters, mainly Sheriff Bell. I think a major reason why this short novel is so captivating and descriptive is because of its structure. At the beginning of every chapter, the author chooses to insert a monologue of Sheriff Bell. Each monologue is a recollection of Bell’s thoughts toward his job, past events, and how the happenings of his life in general influence his thoughts and actions. This is a powerful literary tool because it’s unconventional yet successful in adding to the novel. The reflections tend to expand on guilt, regret, or fear that the sheriff feels. At the beginning of chapter 7, Bell discusses his experience in war: “I was supposed to be a war hero and I lost a whole squad of men. Got decorated for it. They died and I got a medal.” Clearly, Bell feels guilty in this instance as he does in many of the other reflections in each chapter. The author’s rhetorical purpose of doing this could be to communicate Bell’s uncertainty of his actions relating to his job and life.