Dead Man Literary Elements

Fiction, American Literature, Adventure movie.

The setting of the movie is America during 19th century and the story has been written in the context of the illusion of American dream and the bad effects of industrialization.

The narration shifts from one person to another in the movie and the point of view of William Blake and Nobody have been demonstrated in the film.

Anxious, Chaotic, Pensive, Solemn.

The protagonist of the film is William Blake who was working as an accountant but moves to machine for better prospects.

The major conflict in the story is between William Blake and his life. He keeps on running to save his life from the killers and remains in the company of the Native American man, Nobody.

The climax in the story comes when William Blake shoots John Dickinson's son.

The coal shoveler's description of the place 'Machine' foreshadows the violent scenes and hell like appearance. The man in the train says that Machine is hell which is the foreshadowing about the reality of the place. Later on, when Blake experiences the scorching heat, he remembers the comparison with hell. There is also foreshadowing in the name of the city I.e. Machine. It depicts the life like machine, the noise and heat of the place.

The understatement in the movie is the futility of American dream and the worse effects of individualism. Another understatement is the journey towards spirituality. A man keeps on running throughout his life but he can find solace only through spirituality.

There are allusions to American dream, death, contract killers, Native Americans, escapement, betrayal, sympathy, spirituality, industrialization, hell, Machine, bullet, dead man, limbo, William Blake, liminal space, identity crisis, war, poetry, soul, deer, wildlife and forest.

There are images of Blake moving to Machine in a train and then his conversation with a coal shoveler about the place. Then there is a portrayal of violence through the demonstration of killing the buffaloes. The author has shown the city as replete with the imagery of smoke filled environment, noise and pollution. The author has represented Blake as killing a man after making love with his girlfriend. The images of escapement are also present throughout the movie.

The paradox in the story is that Blake moves to Machine for making his life better but he ends up destroying his life there. Instead of settling there, he runs away from Machine. Another paradox is the name of Blake's savior. He was named as Nobody but he was everything to Blake after Nobody saves his life.

There is a parallelism between American dream and Blake's dream of wonderful prospects in Machine. Another parallel has been drawn between hell and the place which is named as Machine.

An example of metonymy is Blake who represents all the people who hankers after American dream. William Blake is also an example of synecdoche because through his character, the writer has alluded towards William Blake who was the poet and also towards industrialization.

Machine, forests, and death have been personified in the movie.