Throughout the entire movie, Daniel is trying to show how he is much
better than anyone else and how he was so much more power than anyone else.
Since their first meeting, Daniel's number one threat to his power. Daniel
really does think that he is a God. In the final scene, Daniel constantly says
he is "the third revelation." Eli just built up his new church and
finally has his power, which is what he always wanted. The final scene is all
about how Daniel is trying to impose his power over Eli. He has always wanted
complete control over Eli and he has never given Eli the complete respect that
Eli expected. By having Daniel repeat "I am the third
revelation." He is pretty much saying I am a God I am what you created.
This entire scene was Daniel finally getting what he wants and him continuing
his quest for complete control over the people he is involved with. He usually
has power over people, but Eli was an exemption. The first time Daniel is in a
group setting, he is selling himself to the townspeople, who have all come to
listen to what he has to say. He almost controls the people. Later he is pretty much able to control all of the townspeople in Little Boston, except for one. Eli was the only person in Little Boston that was treated as equal as Daniel or looked up to by the Townspeople. The final words of "I'm done" symbolize that Daniel is done in proving his dominance. The killing of Eli got rid of his final enemy. Daniel has gotten everything that he has wanted.
I think you have a great point. I didn't think about why Daniel hated Eli so much. I assumed it was because Eli ran the local church and Daniel did not believe in any type of religion. But, like you said, Eli was Daniel's biggest threat. And, he hated being wrong. When one of Daniel's workers dies and Eli claims it is because he didn't let Eli bless the well, it is clear that Daniel is frustrated. Daniel was clearly able to charm all the townspeople except Eli. And, anyone who questioned or threatened his power would be destroyed. Even when his own "son", H.W, wanted to go off on his own and start his own business, Daniel would not allow it because it was more competition towards his business. In the last scene, "The Milkshake Scene", Daniel makes Eli say he is a phony in order to prove that Daniel is more powerful. But, what is it he is really searching for? He has all the money in the world, tons of power, and a gigantic house. Why does Eli, a small-town minister, threaten him so much? I'm not exactly sure. But, I do know that once H.W goes deaf, Daniel's morals seem to change.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with this. Daniel does have a behavior of a "godlike" figure. When he screams “I am the third revelation” to Eli when he is throwing bowling pins at him he literally is referring to himself as God. Another example was when Daniel was meeting the Standard Oil representative and gets angry by the representative telling him how to run his family he says, “you don’t tell me how to raise my family” then he threatens to slit his throat. He also explains how he will do it: he will silence him as a result of cutting his throat, then take away his power. Also, all throughout most of the movie everything Daniel says is spoken in a declarative tone, just like someone who indirectly refers themself to God would do.
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