re: Ballad of buster scruggs

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I thought the Buster Scruggs one didn't really fit. It was too Looney Tunes.

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I think the order in which the short films were placed was intentional. Each story represents a step on the journey one goes through when confronted with the famous 'Problem of Evil', starting with simple explanations, and on to more complex ones.

"Ballad of Buster Scruggs" - The universe is a ultimately just place, and Goodness and Evil are easily identified and intrinsic qualities within people. This is the naive, 'Disney-esque' treatment of evil and suffering where the good guy is good and he can do wrong (despite breaking laws and dropping bodies left and right). The world and the people in it are black and white, and when the good guy dies, he ascends into heaven to experience eternal joy and happiness.

"Near Algodones" - Neither good nor evil is your nature - you have a choice in the matter, and your actions are the cause of your own suffering. Here the MC tries to rob a bank, and for this sin he is condemned to death. Though he narrowly escapes his sentence the first time, the karmic justice of the universe catches up with him, and for his sin he is killed. Conversely, the old banker is earning an honest living, and so the all of the MC's bullets miraculously bounce off the pans, no doubt due to his good karma. Here too, the universe is just. If anything bad happens, it is because it is your fault, even if the cause-effect relationship is not so clear.

"Meal Ticket" - There is no rhyme or reason to the suffering of humans - In contrast to the previous story, one is not always punished for crimes that he committed - Here the MC is nearly incapable of sinning, as he has no arms and no legs, and cannot impose his will on anyone; in fact I believe the only time he ever speaks in the film is when he is encouraging others towards virtue. He is a hard worker trying to make an honest living in the only way he can. Yet in the end he is thrown to his death because a chicken can entertain the masses better than he can. Here it seems his suffering was unwarranted and that the universe is unjust.

"All Gold Canyon" - Man is the source of suffering and evil. Nature is all sunshine and dandelions, if left alone. Add one man and he begins to destroy the earth in his quest for wealth (the deer, the birds, etc. all leave). Add just one more man and we have death, suffering, and conflict. Wherever we go, it seems, evil and destruction is sure to follow. Here, the universe is not intrinsically just or unjust. It simply is, and evil emerges from man's presence inside of it.

"The Gal Who Got Rattled" - Evil is not fundamental, even in man. Instead, things like Fear and Ignorance are fundamental - In other words, Evil doesn't really exist, and so it is not really a problem at all. Here the MC is told all through her life that she is subject to the whims of a incompetent man (her brother) and is to be married off to another man. She earnestly believes that in this world, as a woman, she has no agency. Whatever problems arise in her situation, she relies on a man to solve them for her. This understanding of her place in the world is ultimately the cause of her death. In contrast to all the previous stories, nothing external caused her physical harm - fear of what one man told her another might do to her was enough. This is not to say that physical suffering does not exist - but that our preoccupation with resolving this 'Problem of Evil' in the external world is built on a misdiagnosis.

"The Mortal Remains" - This story suggests that regardless of where you sit on the moralizing spectrum, we all end up the same: dead. From there, an individual's future is uncertain. So why worry about it, I guess?

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BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS - DEATH AS A JOKE
Death is portrayed exclusively as an amusing gaffe brought upon by underestimating Scuggs. Each death isn't really sad or emotionally draining but funny and surprising. Scruggs' own death is a great visual gag. Death is really just the punchline to the joke we call life.

NEAR ALGODONES - DEATH AS AN INEVITABILITY
The main character is constantly skirting death's door. He's shot at, hung, attacked by natives, captured, and hung again. Life is kind of shaggy dog story where we all know the end. You can only find humor in the absurdity of it all and the beauty we get to see for only a brief moment.

MEAL TICKET - DEATH AS A PART OF LIFE
It looms over the protagonists. They're just a few pennies away from starving. The artist wouldn't be able to function without the impresario's care. In reality he doesn't feel any attachment to the disabled man. He's a tool to be used to avoid the ever present reality of death. In the end, death is just a means to an end of survival.

ALL GOLD CANYON - DEATH AS AN OBSTACLE
Overcome death and seek your wealth. The prospector's journey is through resilience and fortitude. The final goodbye is kicked away and the man lives on. You have to struggle against it. So, dig for the gold and pray your luck doesn't run out.

THE GAL WHO RATTLED - DEATH AS A TRAGEDY
Death is unfair and unflinching. That was the life of the wagon train. The story pretty much begins with a sudden and tragic death. The only thing you can do is reach out and try to get closer with those around before your number comes up. When it does, it's probably never the right time.

THE MORTAL REMAINS - DEATH AS A MYSTERIOUS FORCE
We march on to our destination, growing more confused of what waits for us. The conversations we have about what love means for you and why my presence of self isn't satisfactory for some. What is each other's experience and can we ever learn of our own when someone passes along that mortal coil? We can't ask questions, the driver never stops.

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