Next

Sheriff Ed Tom Bell 

The sheriff of Terrell County, Texas, and protagonist of the novel. At fifty-seven, Bell serves as the sheriff of his community and feels responsible for keeping people safe. To him, the world is changing in ways he can’t keep up with. He believes Chigurh represents a new kind of evil and he leaves his job rather than risk facing someone like him again. 

Read an in-depth analysis of Sheriff Bell.

Anton Chigurh 

The antagonist of the novel. Chigurh works with criminals as a hitman and “fixer.” He is a remorseless killer who lacks empathy for his victims. Chigurh is supremely self-confident and at times seems almost omnipotent. He believes that people are fated to certain futures, including to die at his hand, by all the choices they have made. 

Read an in-depth analysis of Chigurh.

 

 

Llewelyn Moss 

A Vietnam vet who sets the novel's events into motion. At thirty-six, Moss is a self-sufficient and clever man who makes the fatal mistake of stealing money from drug dealers and returning to the scene to give water to a dying man. Moss shows ingenuity in his flight from Chigurh and the other men chasing him, but ultimately he cannot outrun them. He refuses to bargain with Chigurh to save the life of his wife, Carla Jean.

Read an in-depth analysis of Moss.

Carla Jean Moss 

Moss’s nineteen-year-old wife. Carla Jean was raised by her grandmother. She is stubborn, resisting Bell’s efforts to get her to tell him where Moss is. Carla Jean believes that she and Moss were fated to be together. She tries unsuccessfully to convince Chigurh not to kill her.

Carson Wells 

A hitman. Wells is hired by a man involved in the drug business to recover the money from Moss and kill Chigurh. Knowing that Chigurh is merciless, he tries to persuade Moss to work with him to return the money. 

The Hitchhiker 

A teenage girl Moss gives a ride to when he picks her up on the highway. She is on her way to California to start over. She flirts and jokes with Moss and invites him to sleep with her.   

Loretta Bell 

Bell’s wife. She is supportive, understanding, and religious. Loretta helps Bell in his role as sheriff by providing moral support and by cooking for the prisoners. He believes he would be lost without her.

Uncle Ellis 

Bell’s uncle. Ellis, in his eighties, is a retired sheriff’s deputy and confined to a wheelchair after being shot in the line of duty. Bell and Ellis talk about family stories, aging, and society. Bell reveals his secret about his actions in World War II, which won him a medal. Ellis tries to convince Bell that he is being too hard on himself.  

Sheriff Lamar

Sheriff of Sonora, Texas. Lamar is a friend of Bell’s. His deputy is the first person murdered by Chigurh in the novel.  

David DeMarco and his (unnamed) friend

High-school boys that witness Chigurh’s car accident. DeMarco gives Chigurh his shirt in exchange for money. He and his friend steal Chigurh’s gun. DeMarco refuses to cooperate with Bell, but his friend tells Bell more information about their encounter with Chigurh.

Deputy Torbert Hays 

Bell’s deputy. Torbert discovers the stolen patrol car with a body in the trunk. 

Wendell 

Bell’s officer, likely a deputy. Wendell is present at the scene of Chigurh’s first murder and accompanies Bell to the scene of the drug shootout.

Man in the High Rise 

A businessman involved in some way in the drug trade. He hires Wells to get his money back and kill Chigurh, but Chigurh bypasses his elaborate security system and kills him. 

Carla Jean’s Mother 

Never given a name, Carla Jean’s mother is actually her grandmother who raised her. She has never liked Moss.

Deputy Haskins 

Lamar’s deputy. Twenty-three-year-old Haskins is Chigurh’s first victim in the novel and leaves behind a young widow.

Next section Sheriff Ed Tom Bell

Take a Study Break