Blake's initial disappointment
William Blake has a limited point of view at the onset of the film. He travels by train into the frontier, and he has heard fairly good things about that decision. There are lots of opportunities out past the edge of civilization. What he discovers very quickly is that the chaos of the unknown has just as many risks as opportunities, risks that often outweigh the opportunity immensely. The landscape is not exciting and fun, it is hellish, full of death. He realizes he is surrounded by violent men who do not share his respect for life.
The outcome of love
Finally, Blake finds someone to experience intimate community with. He falls in love with Thel Russell, and they make it to the bedroom. Afterward, they are lounging around in erotic bliss, when suddenly a madman enters with a gun. The gunfight ends with all three injured or dead, and the outcome of love is seen for its true end; all life ends in death, with or without love, and Blake sees that love in some ways incited this violence, because the madman was mad with love for Thel—she dumped the man who came for vengeance.
The outcome of survival
When Blake survives, it is a miracle, but that is only the surface of this irony. Not only does he survive, but he is captured and restored to health by a Native American community. He is introduced to the community as a religious martyr by a shaman whose insights are wildly unpredictable to Blake. He even believes he is the famous poet, William Blake. The irony of his survival is that on the other side of survival, he is someone brand new in a way.
Nobody's influence
The influence of "Nobody," is continually ironic, because his name invokes ideas of nothingness, a lack of identity, and ego-death (because of the hallucinogens). Nobody's influence leads Blake to becoming "Somebody," because Nobody treats him like a divine figurehead and as a hero. The transformation is akin to the religious ecstasy of hallucinogenic "ego-death" which makes someone feel like "Nobody." The convergence of naturalism and transcendentalism make Blake into a kind of philosopher.
Irony and death
When Blake travels across the water in the final act, the symbolism is clear; he is venturing into chaos to see what he can learn. He sees the white man murdering his Native American community. He sees death all around, and the scene of horror is similar to his entrance into the Wild West. In both cases, death was revealed with full ironic drama, but this time, he is on the other side of the guns. In this case, he is like the buffalo who were slain in the opening. The irony is his own death and mortality.
