The Illusion of the Hunter
While watching The Night of the Hunter I noticed that throughout the film there
was this constant presence of illusion or veil of ignorance that seemed to
affect majority of the characters in the film and even the audience. Harry Powell, the preacher, was a serial
killer who was able to avoid the law and murder widows believing he was doing
god’s work. It was not until a little boy, John, and his sister, Pearl, became
suspicious of this stranger that they realized that this man was after the
money that their father stole. No one in the small town, besides these
siblings, believed that Harry Powell was a monstrous man, not even the
children’s mother, who just recently became a widow. Harry Powell was able to
convince the town that he was a preacher by explaining, with his southern
drawl, the story of love overcoming hate. He showed everyone who he came in
contact with this story by displaying the fight with his hands. On his right he
had the word “love” and on his left he had “hate.” Both of these strong
emotions themselves sometimes cast a veil over things and make people illusion
a false reality or a person. This effect of illusion is present throughout the
film and it is presented as love and hate.
The mother of John and Pearl, Willa,
was the first victim of being blinded by love. The moment Harry Powell came into
their town, many of the towns folk pushed the mother and the preacher together.
Powell, using his wit, seduced Willa into marrying him and made her repent for
her late ex-husband in front of everyone. However it was all a lie, the moment
Willa succumbed under the preacher’s illusion was when she was in front of
the mirror and Powell is degrading her.
He not only convinces her that emotions of passion mean nothing to him,
but he also convinces her that she was only meant for one thing and that’s
giving birth. The illusion that the
preacher cast over the mother was so strong that she no longer believed her
children when it came to their new step-father. There were many occasions where
Willa would look past her new husband’s actions, however after hearing Powell
threat Pearl; the veil began to up lift. Unfortunately by the time she realized
what was happening to her children and what this man truly wanted she was
murdered by Powell. The ending is ironic however because Powell ended up being
blinded as well. However, it was not because of love but his hatred for the
children that created an illusion that blinded him.
His hatred for these children was so
extreme that he followed John and Pearl down the river, to a barn, and
eventually to Mrs. Coopers household. He originally tried seducing a young teen
girl, Ruby, in order to get to John and Pearl, however when he got to the
homestead he was met in for a surprise. He tried using his lover over hate
biblical tale over Mrs. Cooper but because his hate was so strong he fell for
his illusion and displayed hate over coming love. Mrs. Cooper noticed this and
pulled out a shotgun on Powell. It wasn’t until the next day; after Mrs. Cooper
shot him, the police found him and took him to jail. John and Pearl were
finally able to live peacefully now knowing that their hunter was never coming
back to get them again. The love that Mrs. Cooper had for these two children
was able to see through Mr. Powell’s illusion.
The emotions of love and hate are
very powerful things that cannot be handled lightly. After all even the master
of illusions in this film was caught under his own illusion. As a result it
wasn’t until he was caught that he realized that the reality he tried to make
for himself was just an illusion.
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