There Will Be Blood: Bastard in a Basket

        Throughout this film many questions arise in the viewers mind. One that really caught my attention was whether or not Daniel actually cared about H.W. or if he was just an key object in expanding his business. I believe that once Daniel took on H.W. it was just for a 'cute face' for his company so he can buy more land and look like a trusting father. However; this fatherly image is false, Daniel is a focused business man and this was just a strategy for personal gains. He uses this strategy well, taking him to every meeting, engraining in his clients heads that he is a true family man and has the best intentions for him and his son, who also tragically lost his mother in child birth. This facade gets Daniel far, his business flourishes and it is very convincing that he loves his son H.W.. But once there is an explosion at the drill which causes H.W. to go deaf,  Daniel abandons him at the train leaving him to go to the school for the deaf by himself. Not a very caring action in my opinion, one might argue it to be tough love, but I just believe Daniel doesn't have the time and cares more about his business. Another alarming scene was when H.W. got back front he school and they went to lunch at a restaurant where the competing company also came into eat, having already refused to work with them Daniel was upset and offended by previous remarks about his relationship with his son, so he of course had to make it obvious how much of a loving father he was. After he argued with the men, he went back to H.W. and gave him four hard kisses on the cheek, they were aggressive and unconvincing to me. But what really sold me that Daniel did not care about H.W. in the end was the fact that throughout all of this, everything they've been through, even up to the end scenes with H.W. in the flash forward Daniel not once made one attempt at trying to understand the new language his son had to undertake being deaf. H.W. was just a "Bastard in a basket."