Paul Sunday as the Prophet

Often forgotten is the important role of Paul Sunday as the Prophet announcing the coming of the Third Revelation, namely Daniel Plainview. Observe how Paul doesn't talk, he acts. He knew what was there in Little Boston, he found Daniel to take it out of the ground, got $10000 cash in hand, just like that, he has his own company now, prosperous little business 3 wells producing $5000/week. And Daniel came and brought wealth to the town.

Paul Sunday was the chosen brother. He is the Prophet. He is the smart one. Yin.

Eli Sunday was the afterbirth. That slithered out on his mother's filth. Just a fool. Yang. 

Seepage vs Drainage

Seepage comes easy and is not valuable.

Drainage is hard and gets at the bottom of things.

Drainage is valuable, seepage is for the lazy ones.

If you want to succeed in life, don't take the easy seepage route. Go for drainage! And be as successful as Daniel Plainview. Do make sure to bring a straw that reaches across the room (i.e. get the right tools), otherwise you won't be able to drink milkshakes, i.e. bear the fruit of your efforts (such as the strawberry and banana on the milkshake). 

Eli Sunday and Joe Gundha

Joe Gundha's tragedy could have been avoided if only Eli Sunday had spent more time with him, and/or had properly blessed the well. What alternative paths could have taken place? Presumably, God had a destiny for everyone, and it was Gundha's to die the way he did. Presumably, he went to heaven for being a man of considerable faith; that being said, it is unlikely he would have made the journey if it hadn't been for the Third Revelation (Daniel Plainview) taking charge, asking his crew to clean him up, put some clothes on him, and set up a tent -- and setting up his burial for noon the next day.

Joe Gundha helped illustrate the kindness in Daniel Plainview, and also helped Eli exercise some of his calling duty by presiding over the funeral and ensuring that Joe's possessions made their way back to his family.

Discuss: why doesn't Eli's supposedly good acts here absolve him from being the afterbirth?  

What is behind the locked doors in Daniel's bowling alley?

The answer is undoubtedly, heaven. Eli tries to make it but can't as he doesn't deserve it. And Plainview is the keeper at the gates of dawn. It is also not for us mere mortals to yet know what is on the other side. Eli is the one who preaches salvation but can't get it, since Plainview is the third revelation.

An interesting twist is, why are there two doors? Two doors to heaven? Yes, because there is always an alternative path, but all paths require unlocking. Without the key, neither path is available, and in the case of Eli, he dies at the door. Kinda like dying on the beach. And song and dance and superstition don't help here. 

Daniel's diet at the end of the movie

Strictly speaking, when the movie ends Daniel is not yet finished as Eli is still there, and Daniel planned to eat him up. It is clear that Daniel has gained weight, so now his stomach has added space for the large meal that would be Eli Sunday. Presumably, like large Burmese pythons or saltwater crocodiles, Plainview can eat large meals in one sitting.

Research the nutrition characteristics for Plainview of eating Eli. How long would he need before the following meal? And of Daniel's drinks, which would complement this meal best? (Hint: he also drinks Eli's milkshake, so in addition to eating Eli, Daniel is also going to extract whatever milk-like substance is inside Eli, shake it, and drink it).

And in the end, Daniel will bury Eli underground, though at that point it will be the bones and other indigestible pieces of Eli that Daniel defecates post-meal. This way, some of the nutrients can be recycled back to nature, presumably into new reservoirs of oil, which Daniel can (in a sequel) drill via either seepage or drainage. 

The importance of starting small

When Daniel Plainview first pitches the folks at Signal Hill, he describes how his wells are giving him an income of $5000 a week. "I couldn't come here sooner because my new well was coming in at Coyote Hills and I had to see about it. That well is now flowing at two thousand barrels and it's paying me an income of five thousand dollars a week. I have two others drilling and I have sixteen producing at Antelope. " And in the end, it is revealed that Paul Sunday, with the initial $10000 cash in hand from Plainview, also has his own company, a prosperous little business, three wells producing five thousand dollars a week. And given inflation since this is past 1927, this number is much lower than Daniel's income in 1911 -- not to mention, it is unclear if $5000 a week includes the Antelope production.

But one must not forget that Plainview started with just a few hundred dollars of silver mining. So he started really small.

A penny saved is a penny earned.

Meanwhile, how much was Eli Sunday able to get with his song and dance? Discuss. 

Plainview's dieting advice to Al

When Al suggests that Daniel build the pipeline around the Bandy tract, Plainview says "don't be thick in front of me Al!". Given that Al is overweight, discuss the double-meaning of going around Tehachapi mountains and Daniel's follow-up of going around Al to negotiate the Bandy tract deal. As in, Al is fat, but not as fat as the mountains -- or at least, Daniel makes sure that Al doesn't get too thick first, and goes around Al first. Discuss. 

A movie with a happy ending

The ending is by all practical purposes, a happy one. Daniel lives in a big and luxurious house that he deserved given all his hard work and prosperity he brought to the places where he drilled. When so many people suffer from insomnia, Daniel can sleep anywhere. Despite his wealth, he will occasionally use more modest clothes, and he doesn't leave spare food (or for that matter, spare booze -- his accidental breaking of the champagne glass at the end notwithstanding). Finally, while the movie doesn't show it, he also has a succulent meal in Eli Sunday at the end, who Daniel said he was going to eat. No wastage there! 

This happy ending may be the 4th revelation, the 3rd being Daniel Plainview.