No Country for Old Men

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What determines a person’s actions? How can we explain random events and actions? In general, how much agency does a person have over the world and their relationship with it?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt may be helpful in piquing interest before examining these or similar resources in groups or as a class. Notetaking or annotation may increase retention of this contextual information. Students may benefit from the opportunity to share their thoughts in small groups of 3-4 before engaging in a whole-class discussion or Socratic seminar.

• This article offers an accessible explanation of determinism, a key philosophical concept explored throughout the novel.
• This 10-minute Crash Course video examines the argument for both determinism and free will. (Content Warning: The fate/free will discussion is introduced with an animated summary of Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, which may require additional context and guidance.)

2. Describe a work of literature or film that one might consider a Western. What characters and character traits might an audience member expect to see, and what are the common elements of the plot? What themes do Westerns often explore? What variations and subgenres exist within the genre?