While I shouldn’t complain that McCarthy has decided to use plotting in its simplest form, I’ve got to say that the story the plots lead us through doesn’t quite sit right with me.
Of course I’m used to McCarthy enough now to not depend upon his characters to do the obvious, but I do wonder why Llewelyn would a) direct his wife to go to Odessa to stay with her mother, realizing who he’s up against–just doesn’t seem a safe place for her to hide out; b) call Wells for help (and end up talking to Chigurh, who has just killed Wells) even though the guy seemed nice and wanted to help him, he’s still one of the bad guys; and c) wander out of the hospital without clothes or shoes and try to get across the border that way in a cab.
Once McCarthy has decided to go the "normal" route of mystery adventure, his characters shouldn’t be doing dumb things.
That’s for the hour-long TV shows, where it can possibly slide right by the viewing audience.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology
I agree with this assessment of the plot. I thought M’s characters here were also derivative of his classics. I smiled through the forced plotting and through the dance of protagonist and antagonist, as if I’d seen it all before.
What does Chigurh do that hasn’t been done in Outter Dark and beyond?
He seems to have given his characters here a bit more stage, a chance for soliloquy (Bell) or some indication of the thoughts behind Moss’ plans. They arent’ the characters of Suttree, or Blood Meridian who act and are judged on their actions by reader perception. We’re not guessing so much as being told, and oddly enough, it’s unsettling but not in the frightening way of his prior characters.
What happened to the money?
Emily, read the book. I’m not here to do your essay for you.