The Book of Eli features a post-apocalyptic wanderer and his treasured book. In fact, Eli's book turns out to be a rarity and the object of some envy and contention. Eli enters a town run by the despotic Carnegie. Carnegie wants the book to gain power and control people. When one of his henchman questions how a book can have such effect, Carnegie yells: "It's not an effing book; it's a weapon!" Eli, similarly, comes to objectify the book, albeit not as a weapon.
At one key point in the film, Eli confesses to his co-traveler, Solara: "All these years I've been carrying it...I forgot to live what I learned from it." From the juxtaposition of Carnegie's and Eli's conceptions of the book, it's possible to surmise that the Hughes brothers want at least to communicate the point that ultimately this book is only as good or as bad as the people who use it. That's not a bad takeaway.
This film features a great deal of clever interplay with the book, its contents, and the possessors of the book. In fact, this film does "inter-texting" like no other.
It's all there in the double-meaning of the movie's title: The Book of Eli.
In the most obvious sense, the "of" in "book OF Eli" is possessive. It's the physical book that Eli possesses, reads, memorizes, carries, protects.
At the same time, because he has carried the book for so long (30 years!) he has had time to learn its entire contents by heart. In this sense, Eli has become the book, he IS the book. (Grammatically speaking, here the "of" in The Book of Eli functions as a genitive of apposition.) The double meaning of the book "OF" Eli sets up the ironic ending of the film. It also helps you understand the evolution of Solara, who begins as an unread novice but evolves into a book of her own.
Perhaps there will be a sequel: "The Book of Solara"?
At one key point in the film, Eli confesses to his co-traveler, Solara: "All these years I've been carrying it...I forgot to live what I learned from it." From the juxtaposition of Carnegie's and Eli's conceptions of the book, it's possible to surmise that the Hughes brothers want at least to communicate the point that ultimately this book is only as good or as bad as the people who use it. That's not a bad takeaway.
This film features a great deal of clever interplay with the book, its contents, and the possessors of the book. In fact, this film does "inter-texting" like no other.
It's all there in the double-meaning of the movie's title: The Book of Eli.
In the most obvious sense, the "of" in "book OF Eli" is possessive. It's the physical book that Eli possesses, reads, memorizes, carries, protects.
At the same time, because he has carried the book for so long (30 years!) he has had time to learn its entire contents by heart. In this sense, Eli has become the book, he IS the book. (Grammatically speaking, here the "of" in The Book of Eli functions as a genitive of apposition.) The double meaning of the book "OF" Eli sets up the ironic ending of the film. It also helps you understand the evolution of Solara, who begins as an unread novice but evolves into a book of her own.
Perhaps there will be a sequel: "The Book of Solara"?