Previous Next

Chigurh is the novel’s antagonist. A ruthless hitman, Chigurh shows no empathy for his victims or any hesitation to kill. Readers learn few details about Chigurh other than he has tan skin and blue eyes and can speak Spanish and English. He is dedicated to his job and achieving the sought-after results, and he demonstrates almost supernatural self-control and patience. Chigurh’s behavior shows that he is powerful, determined, true to his word, and almost indifferent to physical pain. People who come into contact with Chigurh or see the chaos he leaves behind recognize his power and lack of remorse. One drug dealer calls him invincible.

One of the most crucial details shared about Chigurh is how he kills, often by shooting people between the eyes with his unique weapon. To use the bolt gun requires him to get close to his victim. Killing for Chigurh seems to be like a personal calling, reflective of his philosophy that the choices people make through their lives lead to whatever is happening in the present moment. To Chigurh, if he is about to kill someone, then it is the person’s own fault, and Chigurh can do nothing to change their fate.

Chigurh is one of the few people involved with the briefcase of money who doesn’t attempt to take the money for himself. When he does get the money, he promptly returns it to its owner, but as a means to forge new and lucrative business contracts with the man. 

Chigurh is truly a scary, mysterious human being. Readers never ascertain how he learns about the missing money, where he comes from, or what happens to him after he walks away from the truck accident. As described by the few people who meet him and live to tell about it, Chigurh looks fairly generic, like anybody else, so he can vanish as easily as he appeared.

Previous section Sheriff Ed Tom Bell Next section Llewelyn Moss

Take a Study Break