In No Country for Old Men, the briefcase full of money is a symbol that reflects the theme of power, greed, and corruption. The question of whom the money belongs to runs through the course of the novel, and the violent events of the narrative are driven by several entities attempting to retrieve it. Individuals are willing to kill and put their lives on the line for the briefcase, speaking to the power of greed. When Moss first finds the briefcase, his entire life flashes before his eyes. As a working class individual, the money means access to a life he could only have dreamed of. He takes the money, knowing the dangers involved, but deciding the risk is worth the consequences. As the novel progresses, Moss’s motives shift away from the issue of wealth, toward the issue of power and autonomy. The question of who possesses the money becomes more important than the money itself. This struggle to keep the money ultimately leads to Moss’s death, and the downfall of several other characters, suggesting that the individual’s striving for power and wealth, signified by the briefcase, ultimately destroys those who seek it.
The Briefcase Quotes in No Country for Old Men
The No Country for Old Men quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Briefcase. 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:
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Chapter 1
Quotes
He sat there looking at [the money] and then he closed the flap and sat with his head down. His whole life was sitting there in front of him. Day after day from dawn till dark until he was dead. All of it cooked down into forty pounds of paper in a satchel.
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Chapter 4
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[Moss] thought about a lot of things but the thing that stayed with him was that at some point he was going to have to quit running on luck.
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Chapter 5
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I guess in all honesty I would have to say that I never knew nor did I ever hear of anybody that money didnt change.
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The Briefcase Symbol Timeline in No Country for Old Men
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Briefcase appears in No Country for Old Men. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...man is leaned up against a rock. A government issue .45 automatic and a leather briefcase rest beside him. Moss takes the gun and tries to wipe the blood off the...
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...and the way his life ended in this place. Then Moss sets out, taking the briefcase with him, and weighing the dangers of his escape. He could be bitten by a...
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Inside, Moss finds Carla Jean sitting on the couch. She asks what is in the briefcase. He tells her it is full of money, but she doesn’t believe him. He hides...
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...the window toward the highway. He goes back into the bedroom and takes out the briefcase. Opening it, he reaches in and figures that it holds about 2.4 million dollars. He...
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Chapter 2
...for him there. She doesn’t believe him at first, and asks what is in the briefcase. He tells her it contains money, and says she doesn’t have a choice about leaving—she...
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Chapter 3
...him. He takes a nap, and when he wakes up, he decides to hide the briefcase. He unscrews the air duct grille in the wall. He ties a length of cord...
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Chapter 4
...hangers, and the supplies from the hardware store to make a hook to pull the briefcase through the vent into the new room.
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As Moss attempts to get the briefcase through the vent, Chigurh drives through the motel parking lot with the tracking device in...
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...lamp and looks inside. He can see the drag marks in the dust from the briefcase. Moss has already pulled the briefcase out through the vent in the other room and...
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...room has old-fashioned pushbutton light switches and old oak furniture. Suddenly, he realizes that the briefcase may be bugged. He finds the sending unit in the middle of a packet of...
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Moss pushes the bed to the side, and grabs the briefcase. Moss notes that Chigurh doesn’t even seem to notice. Keeping his gun on Chigurh, he...
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...on the bridge between the U.S. and Mexico, directly over the river. He throws the briefcase over the railing into some cane on the riverbank. He slides to the ground, and...
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Chapter 6
...the money into Mexico it would be gone, but he understands Moss didn’t bring the briefcase over the border. He figures out that it is in the cane on the riverbank.
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Chapter 7
...willing to do anything concerning drugs. Moss tells him they are going to get a briefcase, but there is nothing illegal inside. The man says he likes money, but he likes...
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...takes the bulb from the dome light. Moss goes into the cane and finds the briefcase sitting upright, as if someone had simply placed it there. Back in the cab, the...
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Chapter 8
...him. He tells her he took something that didn’t belong to him, referring to the briefcase full of money. Moss tells her about Carla Jean. The young woman asks Moss if...
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...cylinder out of the doorknob and enters the room where Moss stayed. He finds the briefcase in the vent, and brings it to his truck. Just as he is about to...
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Chapter 9
...upstairs, she finds Chigurh sitting in the bedroom. She tells him she doesn’t have the briefcase, but Chigurh tells her it is too late. She says she hasn’t even paid for...
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