MovieChat Forums > The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) Discussion > Can someone please explain the last stor...

Can someone please explain the last story for me

posted 5 years ago by villafoo (11)
8 replies | jump to latest

I just want to know what the purpose of all their stories were.

There are many ways to interpret the story. I took it as the lady, trapper and Frenchman were already dead due to the bounty hunter's comment about being a harvester of souls and the group's reluctance to enter the "hotel". The light at the top of the stairs confirmed this interpretation for me.

[–] villafoo (11) 5 years ago

If the bounty hunters were transporting the trio, who was the person on top of the coach and why was he already dead?

Thanks for the reply btw.

[–] jriley555 (7048) 5 years ago

just a wrinkle. the reaper said he enjoyed watching people 'work it out for themselves'.

all three knew the jig was up once he laid it out for them, only slightly obliquely.

[–] Nanook (1414) 5 years ago

Possibly an analog of Charon.

[–] ejonconrad (1) 5 years ago

The last story was a lot like the "folktale" at the beginning of A Serious Man: primarily about crafting a certain atmosphere and mood. Personally, I really liked it, and don't feel compelled to champion a particular interpretation of the ambiguous ending.

[–] John Kyle (647) 5 years ago

Correct, not everything has to be laid out for you. Have some mystery, make the viewers think and come up with their own conclusions.

[–] bistritapcv (1657) 5 years ago

I thought the were all dead. The Coachman looked like someone out of an Emily Dickinson poem.

[–] John Kyle (647) 5 years ago

In my opinion, yes they all were dead, yet some are the dead collecting the newly dead who are just now realizing they are.