A) As one of the main characters in the novel, we learn a lot about Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, especially through his soliloquies at the start of every part. I see Bell as an old man. The stories he tells show that he has a lot of experience within the law and the stories shows us different lessons he’s learned or ideas hes pondered. For example, in the second soliloquy, he tells the story of where he stopped a truck with Coahuila plates. At the end of the story he talks about how dangerous his job is and how you never know what you might come across. This story also shows a slight amount of racial profiling. He stopped the car because it had mexican plates which is racial profiling. This was probably cultivated through is upbringing or experiences on the job with mexican cartel
B) The soliloquies serve two purposes. One to show us more information about Bell. We get more insight into his opinions about the law and his job. We get unique stories about Bell that help develop his character so that we can better understand the actions that he takes throughout the sections. The soliloquies also serve as an intro into each section. For example in the second section, Bell’s soliloquy talks about two men who traveled around the country killing people for what seemed like no good reason. This is probably how Bell feels about Chigurh, who his killing people for what seems like no reason.
Great American Novels 