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There is perhaps no filmmaker working in the entertainment industry today as ambitious and idiosyncratic as Paul Thomas Anderson. His works consistently go unparalleled in originality and ingenuity among contemporaries, and his vision as both a director and writer echo the kind of complete command of craft seen in the works of Stanley Kubrick, Akira Kurosawa, and Andrei Tarkovsky. While each of his creative ventures are unlike anything we’ve seen before, threads of similarities embedded in each film reveal themselves upon closer analysis. In this essay, we will investigate how Anderson delivers the idea of happiness by way of community, through story, images, and characters in his films The Master (2012), Phantom Thread (2017), Punch Drunk Love (2002), and There Will Be Blood (2007).
Before we understand how Anderson conveys these ideas across, it’s important to note that a large body of evidence shows that ties in any forms of personal relationships is beneficial to one’s perceived well-being. According to Tim Immelman, an Educational Psychology PhD Student at the University of Georgia, “Students with narrow, one-dimensional social networks are more likely to have unresolved stress because they lack the social resources necessary to talk about issues outside of the narrow interests that define their social network” (Immelman and Wielkiewicz 510). More specifically, after studying the effects of sociality on the lives of low-wage migrants, Tim Bunnell, an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at the National University of Singapore, found that, “Friendship is important not just in material, practical and even instrumental terms, but also emotionally and affectively” (Bunnell and Kathiravelu 201).
Now that we’ve established that a sense of community is beneficial, we can start examining how Anderson promotes this idea throughout The Master. The story is simple on its surface: Freddie Quell, a troubled and animalistic, World War II veteran struggling with post-traumatic stress-disorder is taken into The Cause, a pseudo-religious movement led by the charismatic, but flawed, Lancaster Dodd. A common critique of the film’s screenplay is its lack of conflict or rising tension, yet upon a closer look, much of war is fought on a psychological level between the id and superego— represented by Quell and Dodd— respectively. Anthony Carew, an Honorary Visiting Reader in International Labour Studies, notes, “...the film becomes another battle of wills between two men, who, even when they’re on the same side, remain constantly opposed” (Carew 80).
This id and superego idea of happiness is accentuated in the excerpt, “Have You Renounced Pleasure?” by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, with Douglas Abrams. In the text, they describe the inherent difference between pleasure and happiness; whereas pleasure comes in the form of sex and food, happiness is experienced “at the deeper level through our mind, such as love, compassion, and generosity” (Bstan-’dzin-rgya-mtsho et al 51). Such a dynamic of impulsive behavior and intellectual wisdom is one of the most powerfully consistent themes of The Master. At the beginning of the film, Quell acts purely on instinct and constantly tries to achieve instant gratification, which leads him into isolation and unemployment. But by the end of the film, through Quell’s experiences with Dodd (his Master), he is “rebirthed”, turning his life around and searching for true happiness (“Paul Thomas Anderson…”). It is ultimately through this teacher-master relationship that both lives improve for the better, no matter how questionable the road there was. In a Machiavellian sense, the ends justify the means.
Before we understand how Anderson conveys these ideas across, it’s important to note that a large body of evidence shows that ties in any forms of personal relationships is beneficial to one’s perceived well-being. According to Tim Immelman, an Educational Psychology PhD Student at the University of Georgia, “Students with narrow, one-dimensional social networks are more likely to have unresolved stress because they lack the social resources necessary to talk about issues outside of the narrow interests that define their social network” (Immelman and Wielkiewicz 510). More specifically, after studying the effects of sociality on the lives of low-wage migrants, Tim Bunnell, an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at the National University of Singapore, found that, “Friendship is important not just in material, practical and even instrumental terms, but also emotionally and affectively” (Bunnell and Kathiravelu 201).
Now that we’ve established that a sense of community is beneficial, we can start examining how Anderson promotes this idea throughout The Master. The story is simple on its surface: Freddie Quell, a troubled and animalistic, World War II veteran struggling with post-traumatic stress-disorder is taken into The Cause, a pseudo-religious movement led by the charismatic, but flawed, Lancaster Dodd. A common critique of the film’s screenplay is its lack of conflict or rising tension, yet upon a closer look, much of war is fought on a psychological level between the id and superego— represented by Quell and Dodd— respectively. Anthony Carew, an Honorary Visiting Reader in International Labour Studies, notes, “...the film becomes another battle of wills between two men, who, even when they’re on the same side, remain constantly opposed” (Carew 80).
This id and superego idea of happiness is accentuated in the excerpt, “Have You Renounced Pleasure?” by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, with Douglas Abrams. In the text, they describe the inherent difference between pleasure and happiness; whereas pleasure comes in the form of sex and food, happiness is experienced “at the deeper level through our mind, such as love, compassion, and generosity” (Bstan-’dzin-rgya-mtsho et al 51). Such a dynamic of impulsive behavior and intellectual wisdom is one of the most powerfully consistent themes of The Master. At the beginning of the film, Quell acts purely on instinct and constantly tries to achieve instant gratification, which leads him into isolation and unemployment. But by the end of the film, through Quell’s experiences with Dodd (his Master), he is “rebirthed”, turning his life around and searching for true happiness (“Paul Thomas Anderson…”). It is ultimately through this teacher-master relationship that both lives improve for the better, no matter how questionable the road there was. In a Machiavellian sense, the ends justify the means.
Ironic methods of achieving a specific goal has always been a trademark of Anderson’s. In his latest endeavor, Phantom Thread, he explores the benefits of a toxic relationship and what it really means to be in love. Featuring frequent collaborator Daniel Day-Lewis playing Reynolds, an obsessive, busy, career-oriented fashion designer, the story essentially follows a psychological battle between two polar opposite personalities. After Reynolds meets Alma and finds peace in her carefree nature, the bond is quickly tested by a battle for attention and power.
Lee Marshall, a film critic for Queen’s Quarterly, remarks, “This is a story about the shapes that desire takes. In Phantom, these shapes fit together like two sides of a broken heart: submission and domination” (Marshall 232). This theme of domination in a relationship drives the narrative drama of the story, and forces us to reconsider how we treat our companions. Carew explains it especially clearly, connecting the film’s familiar threads with Anderson’s previous works: “Like There Will Be Blood and The Master, Anderson’s eighth feature is another war of wills between two combative characters. Instead of exploring father-son dynamics, though, Phantom Thread is about a pair of lovers: a memorable study of relationships in all their shifting power dynamics…” (Carew 80).
After games of pretending like they both don’t care about each other by flirting with others, avoiding eye contact, and acting tougher than they are, Alma eventually finds a way of asserting dominance in a way where both can be happy: by poisoning his food. Thus, when she’s feeling emotionally torn, she can regain power by making Reynolds physically weak, forcing him to present a side he never wants to show. “It’s only when the two are at their most vulnerable, are they happy together. It’s a relationship driven by abuse and negativity. Yet, the result is something positive” (“Phantom Thread - Exploring…”).
A stroke of Paul Thomas Anderson’s ironic genius, the pair of lovers understand they are only truly ever happy together in a toxic environment. Yet they embrace that fact, allowing themselves to be taken by the thrill of the ride. At the climax of the film, Alma collects inedible herbs and cooks him an omelet with them. Well knowing the food is poisonous, Reynolds look her in the eye, eats it, and says, “Kiss me my girl before I’m sick.” His submission and certainty that Alma will be at his bedside to nurse him back to health is the core to their mutual unconditional love, and what makes the film so beautiful.
Lee Marshall, a film critic for Queen’s Quarterly, remarks, “This is a story about the shapes that desire takes. In Phantom, these shapes fit together like two sides of a broken heart: submission and domination” (Marshall 232). This theme of domination in a relationship drives the narrative drama of the story, and forces us to reconsider how we treat our companions. Carew explains it especially clearly, connecting the film’s familiar threads with Anderson’s previous works: “Like There Will Be Blood and The Master, Anderson’s eighth feature is another war of wills between two combative characters. Instead of exploring father-son dynamics, though, Phantom Thread is about a pair of lovers: a memorable study of relationships in all their shifting power dynamics…” (Carew 80).
After games of pretending like they both don’t care about each other by flirting with others, avoiding eye contact, and acting tougher than they are, Alma eventually finds a way of asserting dominance in a way where both can be happy: by poisoning his food. Thus, when she’s feeling emotionally torn, she can regain power by making Reynolds physically weak, forcing him to present a side he never wants to show. “It’s only when the two are at their most vulnerable, are they happy together. It’s a relationship driven by abuse and negativity. Yet, the result is something positive” (“Phantom Thread - Exploring…”).
A stroke of Paul Thomas Anderson’s ironic genius, the pair of lovers understand they are only truly ever happy together in a toxic environment. Yet they embrace that fact, allowing themselves to be taken by the thrill of the ride. At the climax of the film, Alma collects inedible herbs and cooks him an omelet with them. Well knowing the food is poisonous, Reynolds look her in the eye, eats it, and says, “Kiss me my girl before I’m sick.” His submission and certainty that Alma will be at his bedside to nurse him back to health is the core to their mutual unconditional love, and what makes the film so beautiful.
Similarly, in “The Happiness Project”, Andrew O’Hagan, a Scottish author and non-fiction author, recollects Disney adventures with his family. At the beginning of the article, he’s skeptical of the commercialism and bureaucratic industry that draws so many oblivious consumers in every year. Yet by the end, he becomes one of them, a consumer who has learned to love the journey instead of criticize it: “The greatest ride in Disneyland, as you might see, is the ride through one’s own ambivalence. And that is how it should be. Disneyland is a beautiful attempt at the impossible, and the impossible is not always beautiful” (O’Hagan). This arc mirrors that of Reynolds’; like how the beautiful community Disney has built brings millions of children and adults around the world joy, Reynolds and Alma find happiness within their flaws, learning how to love through acceptance.
Finally, the most obvious, straight-forward, and pleasant example of this underlying theme is found in Anderson’s 2002 romantic-comedy Punch-Drunk Love. Played by Adam Sandler, protagonist Barry Egan finds himself caught in the middle of a phone-sex line, seven sisters, running a business, and severe social anxiety. Mixed with self-deprecation and a facade of masculinity, Barry’s indecisiveness plays out like a screwball British comedy where nothing seems to go right, with even Sandler himself describing his character as “pathetic” (Stanley 235).
One day, he coincidentally meets Lena Leonard, a beautiful, optimistic, “projection of male fantasy” who happens to be a perfect foil for Barry. Although Barry struggles to connect with her personality immediately, through a series of adventures he finds the missing piece that has been the keystone to his arch for so long. Writing about the moment in Hawaii where both characters first clearly fall in love, Stuart Klawans, a film critic for The Nation, remarks: “Barry finally knows, a little, how another person is; and now that he does, multitudes of people come rushing in--people of every description--as if Barry were being released into the world” (Klawans 34).
Finally, the most obvious, straight-forward, and pleasant example of this underlying theme is found in Anderson’s 2002 romantic-comedy Punch-Drunk Love. Played by Adam Sandler, protagonist Barry Egan finds himself caught in the middle of a phone-sex line, seven sisters, running a business, and severe social anxiety. Mixed with self-deprecation and a facade of masculinity, Barry’s indecisiveness plays out like a screwball British comedy where nothing seems to go right, with even Sandler himself describing his character as “pathetic” (Stanley 235).
One day, he coincidentally meets Lena Leonard, a beautiful, optimistic, “projection of male fantasy” who happens to be a perfect foil for Barry. Although Barry struggles to connect with her personality immediately, through a series of adventures he finds the missing piece that has been the keystone to his arch for so long. Writing about the moment in Hawaii where both characters first clearly fall in love, Stuart Klawans, a film critic for The Nation, remarks: “Barry finally knows, a little, how another person is; and now that he does, multitudes of people come rushing in--people of every description--as if Barry were being released into the world” (Klawans 34).
While this theme finds strong linkage between almost all his films, many notable scholars have noted how many of his more prevalent ideas are presented onto the grand landscape of society rather than the psychological fulfillment of one’s well-being. For example, in There Will Be Blood, which The Guardian’s film critic Peter Bradshaw and many others describe as “the best film of the 21st century”, the story is widely interpreted as an allegory on the complicated nature of capitalism in America (Bradshaw). Gregory Alan Phillips, a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, explains, “There Will Be Blood is a narrative that nas adapted itself to the twenty-first century by omitting socialism— not to depoliticize the oil boom, but to magnify the implications of capitalistic triumph” (Phipps 34).
On the other hand, while there is no doubt economic statements made across the runtime, as a whole, the film is a character study of a businessman, Daniel Plainview, dehumanized by his lack of connection and sympathy for people. His ruthless descent into madness and pursuit for enormous wealth leaves him destroyed by the end, with no remorse for those he tricked along the way or his deaf, abandoned son. John Petrakis, a screenwriting teacher, describes the film as, “an epic tale of power, greed and hypocrisy”, and continues to note how Plainview is “swallowed by [his] larger ambitions” (Petrakis 44). Todd McCarthy, the chief film critic for Variety, also agrees: “The film’s zealous interest in a man so alienated from his brethren can be alternately read as a work abnormally fascinated by cold, antisocial behavior or as a deeply humanistic tract on the wages of misanthropy” (McCarthy 2). Even Plainview himself admits in the most remarkably human scene, “I hate most people. I want to earn enough money so I can get away from everyone.”
The most intriguing comment of all derives from an article written by Maurice Yacowar— a professor emeritus at the University of Calgary-- who explains that although a metaphor for capitalism is clearly implied, Anderson manages to deliver his trademark concepts convincingly: “While this allegory of American capitalism draws on Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil, the film also advances two themes from Anderson’s earlier features… shallow forms of manliness and how they trouble family relationships, real or surrogate” (Yacowar 94). Here, a “shallow form of manliness” is depicted by a complete disregard for connection with other people, and therefore, as shown by the ending scene, drives him insane.
Thus, not only does Anderson depict achieving true happiness by way of connecting with people, he also portrays descent into insanity through a lack thereof. The argument for There Will Be Blood assuming a capitalist critique role in his filmography in fact reinforces the idea that the downfall in one does not primarily come from greed for money, but rather, a disconnect from other humans. From the light-hearted, comedic, feel-good Punch Drunk Love to the bold, savage, complex The Master, Paul Thomas Anderson has consistently proven himself as a stand-alone visionary and one of the most complex filmmakers working in the medium today. His stories are a metaphor for the innate dependence we all possess for one another, and a heart-warming reminder of the true beauty that is held within friendship, romance, and community.
On the other hand, while there is no doubt economic statements made across the runtime, as a whole, the film is a character study of a businessman, Daniel Plainview, dehumanized by his lack of connection and sympathy for people. His ruthless descent into madness and pursuit for enormous wealth leaves him destroyed by the end, with no remorse for those he tricked along the way or his deaf, abandoned son. John Petrakis, a screenwriting teacher, describes the film as, “an epic tale of power, greed and hypocrisy”, and continues to note how Plainview is “swallowed by [his] larger ambitions” (Petrakis 44). Todd McCarthy, the chief film critic for Variety, also agrees: “The film’s zealous interest in a man so alienated from his brethren can be alternately read as a work abnormally fascinated by cold, antisocial behavior or as a deeply humanistic tract on the wages of misanthropy” (McCarthy 2). Even Plainview himself admits in the most remarkably human scene, “I hate most people. I want to earn enough money so I can get away from everyone.”
The most intriguing comment of all derives from an article written by Maurice Yacowar— a professor emeritus at the University of Calgary-- who explains that although a metaphor for capitalism is clearly implied, Anderson manages to deliver his trademark concepts convincingly: “While this allegory of American capitalism draws on Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil, the film also advances two themes from Anderson’s earlier features… shallow forms of manliness and how they trouble family relationships, real or surrogate” (Yacowar 94). Here, a “shallow form of manliness” is depicted by a complete disregard for connection with other people, and therefore, as shown by the ending scene, drives him insane.
Thus, not only does Anderson depict achieving true happiness by way of connecting with people, he also portrays descent into insanity through a lack thereof. The argument for There Will Be Blood assuming a capitalist critique role in his filmography in fact reinforces the idea that the downfall in one does not primarily come from greed for money, but rather, a disconnect from other humans. From the light-hearted, comedic, feel-good Punch Drunk Love to the bold, savage, complex The Master, Paul Thomas Anderson has consistently proven himself as a stand-alone visionary and one of the most complex filmmakers working in the medium today. His stories are a metaphor for the innate dependence we all possess for one another, and a heart-warming reminder of the true beauty that is held within friendship, romance, and community.
Works Cited
Bradshaw, Peter. "Why the Best Film of the 21st Century Is There Will Be Blood; Paul Thomas Anderson's Tragic Parable of Society's Addiction to Oil, Fuelled by a Zealous Daniel Day-Lewis, Is a Burning Indictment of Male Aggression and an Apocalyptic Warning." The Guardian (London, England), 13 Sept. 2019. Gale Academic Onefile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A599348969/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=73393635. Accessed 28 Jan. 2020.
Bstan-’dzin-rgya-mtsho, Dalai Lama XIV, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Carlton Abrams. “Have You Renounced Pleasure?” The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World New York: Avery, 2016. Pp. 51-57.
Bunnell, Tim, and Laavanya Kathiravelu. "Extending Urban Liveability: Friendship and Sociality in the Lives of Low-wage Migrants." International Development Planning Review, vol. 38, no. 2, Apr. 2016, p. 201+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A452159304/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=415029c4. Accessed 3 Feb. 2020.
Carew, Anthony. "Paul Thomas Anderson." Screen Education, no. 91, Sept. 2018, p. 80+. Gale Academic Onefile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A576220105/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=7968cbad. Accessed 28 Jan. 2020.
Hawksley, Theodora. "But It Did Happen: Sound as Deep Narrative in P.T. Anderson's Magnolia (1999)." Journal of Religion and Film, vol. 13, no. 2, Oct. 2009. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A242454080/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=ad89bad1. Accessed 5 Mar. 2020.
Immelman, Timothy D., and Richard M. Wielkiewicz. "INVESTIGATING VARIATION AND STRENGTH in SOCIAL NETWORKS." College Student Journal, vol. 53, no. 4, Winter 2019, p. 510+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A612581081/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=ed5ba75a. Accessed 3 Feb. 2020.
Klawans, Stuart. "Love, Sandler Style." The Nation, 11 Nov. 2002, p. 34. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A93553954/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=33bd447a. Accessed 6 Mar. 2020.
Marshall, Lee. "Gorgeous Gothic." Queen's Quarterly, vol. 125, no. 2, Summer 2018, p. 232+. Gale Academic Onefile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A545146888/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=25c1cbad. Accessed 28 Jan. 2020.
McCarthy, Todd. "There Will Be Blood." Daily Variety, vol. 297, no. 25, 2 Nov. 2007, p. 2+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A171540197/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=93de61d3. Accessed 28 Feb. 2020.
Metz, Thaddeus. "For the Sake of the Friendship: Relationality and Relationship as Grounds of Beneficence." Theoria: A Journal of Social and Political Theory, Dec. 2010, p. 54+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A247740214/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=10192ce7. Accessed 3 Feb. 2020.
O’Hagan, Andrew. “The Happiness Project.” Pro Quest, Jul 17, 2015, https://search.proquest.com/docview/1713684451?accountid=34409.
"Paul Thomas Anderson - Finding Purpose In Life." Youtube, uploaded by Jack's Movie Reviews, 11 Mar. 2017.
Petrakis, John. "There Will Be Blood." The Christian Century, vol. 125, 29 Jan. 2008, p. 44. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A174101836/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=84f5edda. Accessed 28 Feb. 2020.
"Phantom Thread - Exploring The Twisted Relationship." Youtube, uploaded by Jack's Movie Reviews, 21 Apr. 2018.
Phipps, Gregory Alan. "Making the Milk into a Milkshake: Adapting Upton Sinclair's Oil! Into P. T. Anderson's There Will Be Blood." Literature-Film Quarterly, vol. 43, no. 1, Jan. 2015, p. 34+. Gale Academic Onefile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A403299209/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=4ab94804. Accessed 28 Jan. 2020.
Stanley, Timothy. "Punch-Drunk Masculinity." The Journal of Men's Studies, vol. 14, no. 2, Spring 2006, p. 235+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A147614195/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=1048ca9c. Accessed 5 Mar. 2020.
Yacowar, Maurice. "Digging in." Queen's Quarterly, vol. 115, no. 1, Spring 2008, p. 94+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A179351995/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=929e4829. Accessed 6 Mar. 2020.
Bstan-’dzin-rgya-mtsho, Dalai Lama XIV, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Carlton Abrams. “Have You Renounced Pleasure?” The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World New York: Avery, 2016. Pp. 51-57.
Bunnell, Tim, and Laavanya Kathiravelu. "Extending Urban Liveability: Friendship and Sociality in the Lives of Low-wage Migrants." International Development Planning Review, vol. 38, no. 2, Apr. 2016, p. 201+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A452159304/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=415029c4. Accessed 3 Feb. 2020.
Carew, Anthony. "Paul Thomas Anderson." Screen Education, no. 91, Sept. 2018, p. 80+. Gale Academic Onefile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A576220105/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=7968cbad. Accessed 28 Jan. 2020.
Hawksley, Theodora. "But It Did Happen: Sound as Deep Narrative in P.T. Anderson's Magnolia (1999)." Journal of Religion and Film, vol. 13, no. 2, Oct. 2009. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A242454080/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=ad89bad1. Accessed 5 Mar. 2020.
Immelman, Timothy D., and Richard M. Wielkiewicz. "INVESTIGATING VARIATION AND STRENGTH in SOCIAL NETWORKS." College Student Journal, vol. 53, no. 4, Winter 2019, p. 510+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A612581081/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=ed5ba75a. Accessed 3 Feb. 2020.
Klawans, Stuart. "Love, Sandler Style." The Nation, 11 Nov. 2002, p. 34. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A93553954/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=33bd447a. Accessed 6 Mar. 2020.
Marshall, Lee. "Gorgeous Gothic." Queen's Quarterly, vol. 125, no. 2, Summer 2018, p. 232+. Gale Academic Onefile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A545146888/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=25c1cbad. Accessed 28 Jan. 2020.
McCarthy, Todd. "There Will Be Blood." Daily Variety, vol. 297, no. 25, 2 Nov. 2007, p. 2+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A171540197/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=93de61d3. Accessed 28 Feb. 2020.
Metz, Thaddeus. "For the Sake of the Friendship: Relationality and Relationship as Grounds of Beneficence." Theoria: A Journal of Social and Political Theory, Dec. 2010, p. 54+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A247740214/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=10192ce7. Accessed 3 Feb. 2020.
O’Hagan, Andrew. “The Happiness Project.” Pro Quest, Jul 17, 2015, https://search.proquest.com/docview/1713684451?accountid=34409.
"Paul Thomas Anderson - Finding Purpose In Life." Youtube, uploaded by Jack's Movie Reviews, 11 Mar. 2017.
Petrakis, John. "There Will Be Blood." The Christian Century, vol. 125, 29 Jan. 2008, p. 44. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A174101836/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=84f5edda. Accessed 28 Feb. 2020.
"Phantom Thread - Exploring The Twisted Relationship." Youtube, uploaded by Jack's Movie Reviews, 21 Apr. 2018.
Phipps, Gregory Alan. "Making the Milk into a Milkshake: Adapting Upton Sinclair's Oil! Into P. T. Anderson's There Will Be Blood." Literature-Film Quarterly, vol. 43, no. 1, Jan. 2015, p. 34+. Gale Academic Onefile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A403299209/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=4ab94804. Accessed 28 Jan. 2020.
Stanley, Timothy. "Punch-Drunk Masculinity." The Journal of Men's Studies, vol. 14, no. 2, Spring 2006, p. 235+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A147614195/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=1048ca9c. Accessed 5 Mar. 2020.
Yacowar, Maurice. "Digging in." Queen's Quarterly, vol. 115, no. 1, Spring 2008, p. 94+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A179351995/AONE?u=nysl_li_jhsch&sid=AONE&xid=929e4829. Accessed 6 Mar. 2020.