Uncle Ellis Character Analysis in No Country for Old Men

Sheriff Bell’s uncle, Uncle Ellis is a retired sheriff who uses a wheelchair since being disabled by a gunshot wound in the line of duty. Ellis lives in the family homestead, and Bell visits him to seek guidance and ask questions about his family history. Bell imagines Ellis as an old-timer who upholds a view of justice, faith, and morality that is fading from society. Although Ellis is a moral man who loves his country, he is not as nostalgic as Bell about the past. He is a realist, noting the way in which this country is hard on its people and God does not seem to meddle in human affairs.

Uncle Ellis Quotes in No Country for Old Men

The No Country for Old Men quotes below are all either spoken by Uncle Ellis or refer to Uncle Ellis. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Philosophy, Morality, and Ethics Theme Icon

).

How come people dont feel like this country has got a lot to answer for? They dont. You can say that the country is just the country, it dont actively do nothing, but that dont mean much…This country will kill you in a heartbeat and still people love it. You understand what I’m sayin?

Related Characters: Uncle Ellis (speaker), Sheriff Ed Tom Bell

Page Number and Citation: 271

Explanation and Analysis:

In this scene, Sheriff Bell talks to an old relative, Uncle Ellis. Ellis challenges Bell's nostalgia for the past, pointing out that the nation of America has always been violent and dangerous, killing its own citizens. Ellis is old enough to remember some of the wars Americans have fought in long ago. Moreover, he's critical of the people who continue to trust their country long after their country proves itself to be corrupt.In short, Uncle Ellis's words challenge everything Sheriff Bell has been telling us. Bell naively believes that things were better a time long ago in America--a belief that Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explica

I thought about my family and about [Ellis] out there in his wheelchair in the old house and it just seemed to me that this country has got a strange kind of history and a damned bloody one too.

Related Characters: Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (speaker), Uncle Ellis

Page Number and Citation: 284

Explanation and Analysis:

In this passage, Bell thinks about his recent conversation with Uncle Ellis--a conversation that ended with Ellis angrily telling Bell that America has always been a violent, amoral country. Bell has always had a lot of faith in the idyllic past: he sincerely believes that things used to be good in the U.S., and now they're bad.Now that he's spoken with Uncle Ellis, Bell starts to question his own naive faith in America's past. America has always been dangerous, Bell realizes--therefore, he was wrong to celebrate American history as a model for honor and morality.It would seem that Bell is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste.

Uncle Ellis Character Timeline in No Country for Old Men

The timeline below shows where the character Uncle Ellis appears in No Country for Old Men. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

The narrative jumps to Bell as he visits his Uncle Ellis who still lives in the family homestead. His uncle Ellis is a former sheriff, and... (full context)

Bell asks Ellis what his biggest regret in his life is. Ellis tells him he does not have... (full context)

Bell and Ellis continue talking while they drink some coffee out of the same porcelain cups that had... (full context)

Ellis tells Bell that his grandfather did not ask him, (Ellis) to become a sheriff. Instead,... (full context)

Ellis tells Bell that he thought God would come into his life when he was older,... (full context)

Ellis tells a story about another relative whom Native American’s killed in 1879. This story clears... (full context)

Bell tells Ellis about how we got his decoration as a war hero. He was in an abandoned... (full context)

Bell tells Ellis about the shame he feels about receiving the bronze star for his heroics in battle.... (full context)

Ellis tells Bell he didn’t have a choice, but Bell says he could have stayed behind.... (full context)

Bell asks Ellis what he thinks his father would have done in that situation. Bell thinks he would... (full context)

Bell reflects on his conversation with Ellis. They talked about growing old, and how being hard on oneself is a sign of... (full context)

Bell thinks about what Ellis said about waiting for God to come into his life. He comments that God comes... (full context)

Uncle Ellis Character Analysis

Uncle Ellis Quotes in No Country for Old Men

Chapter 9 Quotes

Chapter 10 Quotes

Uncle Ellis Character Timeline in No Country for Old Men