Explain how the setting can influence the characters and reflect the director's own
context?
Introduction: Did The Book Of Eli (TBOE) reflect humanity’s fear for the future environment?
TBOE is about Eli, a blind man driven by faith to protect the last copy of the Bible in a
post-nuclear holocaust environment. The global issue of the environment in the film portrayed
how Albert Hughes represents humanity’s fear for the future environment, through characters.
The intent of the film is to inform the audience about the dangers the future holds if humanity
continues to destroy the planet.
BP1: Firstly, the character Eli is used to representing the man ‘benefitting’ the world. Eli kills a
cat at the beginning of the film. Humans tend to domesticate and nurture cat, however, in the
TBOE, has now turned into food. This shows the helplessness of Eli and our dependence on the
environment to survive. There is a thin line between life and death when an environment
collapses, and when Eli realized this, he did what he had to do (kill a cat) in order to survive.
Secondly, Eli gave his things up in trade for water. Eli was willing to sacrifice his belongings for
the sole purpose of surviving, which yet again, shows the desire to survive.
BP2: Secondly, Solara is a character, which clearly portrays her desire to escape the current
environment she is in (where she is abused). She managed to escape her environment and tag
along with Eli. However, she gets abandoned by Eli. Yet, she decided to follow him once again.
This shows her struggling to adapt to her current environment, which possibly foreshadows
future generations when they are faced with the environmental challenges that the present
generation has a chance at stopping.
Conclusion: It’s clear that the setting influences the characters in TBOE in different ways. Eli is
aware of the horrible conditions he is in, however, fights back and doesn’t let anything come in
his way. However, for Solara, she is aware of the horrible conditions she is in but chooses an
easier option: to escape. When faced with challenges and especially, environmental challenges,
individuals respond differently, which was portrayed by these two characters in the film. I believe
TBOE is not simply a film for enjoyment but indicates that no matter what environmental
challenges we are faced with, we have choices when it comes to how we live our lives, taking
into consideration the impact our decisions will have on our environment: our home.
context?
Introduction: Did The Book Of Eli (TBOE) reflect humanity’s fear for the future environment?
TBOE is about Eli, a blind man driven by faith to protect the last copy of the Bible in a
post-nuclear holocaust environment. The global issue of the environment in the film portrayed
how Albert Hughes represents humanity’s fear for the future environment, through characters.
The intent of the film is to inform the audience about the dangers the future holds if humanity
continues to destroy the planet.
BP1: Firstly, the character Eli is used to representing the man ‘benefitting’ the world. Eli kills a
cat at the beginning of the film. Humans tend to domesticate and nurture cat, however, in the
TBOE, has now turned into food. This shows the helplessness of Eli and our dependence on the
environment to survive. There is a thin line between life and death when an environment
collapses, and when Eli realized this, he did what he had to do (kill a cat) in order to survive.
Secondly, Eli gave his things up in trade for water. Eli was willing to sacrifice his belongings for
the sole purpose of surviving, which yet again, shows the desire to survive.
BP2: Secondly, Solara is a character, which clearly portrays her desire to escape the current
environment she is in (where she is abused). She managed to escape her environment and tag
along with Eli. However, she gets abandoned by Eli. Yet, she decided to follow him once again.
This shows her struggling to adapt to her current environment, which possibly foreshadows
future generations when they are faced with the environmental challenges that the present
generation has a chance at stopping.
Conclusion: It’s clear that the setting influences the characters in TBOE in different ways. Eli is
aware of the horrible conditions he is in, however, fights back and doesn’t let anything come in
his way. However, for Solara, she is aware of the horrible conditions she is in but chooses an
easier option: to escape. When faced with challenges and especially, environmental challenges,
individuals respond differently, which was portrayed by these two characters in the film. I believe
TBOE is not simply a film for enjoyment but indicates that no matter what environmental
challenges we are faced with, we have choices when it comes to how we live our lives, taking
into consideration the impact our decisions will have on our environment: our home.
