“ I have a competition in me. I want no one else to succeed. I hate most people” Identify one specific instance which exemplifies this philosophy of Daniel Plainview.

Plainview is not some Ivy League-educated East Coast banker who makes millions by investing in the hard work of others and skimming everything off the top before double-dealing from the bottom of the deck. He is capable of doing every bit of grunt work required to pump oil from beneath the surface. He put in the hours, he paid with blood, sweat and broken bones he set himself, and he made himself into a rich man. Daniel Plainview, is a mineral prospector and the film’s protagonist. After working for a while and finding nothing, he climbs up a ladder out of the mine. We then see him sitting alone by a campfire in the evening, huddled under a blanket to shield himself from the wind. A title card informs us that the year is 1898. We cut to Daniel once again working in the mine. This time he finds a rock which, after he spit shines it a bit, appears to indicate the presence of precious ore. He sets a stick of dynamite in the wall and lights the fuse. He climbs out of the mine and attempts to pull his pack of tools out by rope.