Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Grew Up… in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin in the 1860s. He had a tough upbringing, and didn’t get along with his father. After leaving Wisconsin to work for a geological survey in Kansas, Daniel lost touch with his family.
Living… in a camp beside an oil well. He lives with a small group of men, his partners and employees, who help him prospect and drill for oil. Following the death of one of his workers in an accident, Daniel adopts the man’s infant son, H.W. There is a glimmer of tenderness in him for H.W., but no one would call him father of the year.
Profession… entrepreneur specializing in petroleum. After working for the geological survey and becoming a mineral prospector in New Mexico, Daniel started prospecting for oil in California. He’s knows the oil business literally from the ground up.
Interests… business. Daniel likes straight talk and takes little in the way of nonsense. By his own admission he sees the worst in other people and is interested more than anything in pushing them away, including the family and few others who might love him. He sees his business as a means to outdo others and keep them at a distance.
Relationship Status… unclear. When asked where his wife is, Daniel either evades the topic or says that she died in childbirth. Whether out of duty to H.W. or duty to his work, Daniel takes no interest in the opposite sex. It would be wrong to say he is married to his work, as if out of principle; he is consumed by it.
Challenge… finding a higher purpose than greed. His hunger for oil seems to leaves him with no time for anything or anyone else. He’s never satisfied, no amount of money will ever be enough, but before long, his lust for oil and success robs him of what little humanity he has left.
Personality… worldly, formal, and efficient. Daniel is a man of business and few words. He likes to keep a generally calm and collected demeanor – until someone steps on his lucrative earnings. At that point, expect the veins to start popping in his forehead, as he’ll howl his way to victory and cover your face in spittle.
Get to Know him in...
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When ruthless oil prospector, Daniel Plainview learns of oil-rich land in California that can be bought cheaply, he moves his operation there and begins manipulating and exploiting the local landowners into selling him their property. Using his young adopted son to project the image of a caring family man, Plainview gains the cooperation of almost all the locals with lofty promises to build schools and cultivate the land to make their community flourish. Over time, Plainview's gradual accumulation of wealth and power causes his true self to surface, and he begins to slowly alienate himself from everyone in his life.
