“ | Oh, Daniel, you've come here and you've brought good and wealth, but you have also brought your bad habits as a backslider. You've lusted after women, and you have abandoned your child - your child that you raised. You have abandoned all because he was sick and you have sinned. So say it now - "I am a sinner." | „ |
~ Eli to Daniel during his confession. |
Eli Sunday is the secondary antagonist of the 2007 Neo-western There Will Be Blood. He is a highly religious yet egocentric man who rivals with the main protagonist and antagonist Daniel Plainview, seeing through his manipulative motives only for him to be just as devious. He is based on Eli Watkins from the novel "Oil!" by Upton Sinclair which inspired the whole movie.
Story[]
Backstory[]
Eli Sunday was born in the small town of Little Boston which was located in Isabella County. He lived with his parents (Abel Sunday and unnamed mother), two sisters (Ruth and Mary Sunday) and twin brother Paul on the Sunday Ranch.
There Will Be Blood[]
One day, his twin brother Paul decided to contact up and coming oil baron Daniel Plainview after the assumption that there might be oil under their ranch, which he saw leaking from the surface after a small earthquake. He sets up a deal with Daniel causing him and his son, H.W. Plainview, to travel to their land for investigation.
Daniel and H.W. set up camp near the ranch when Eli meets Daniel for the first time. He gives them firewood and politely tells Daniel that his family will make dinner for them. Daniel respectfully thanks him, but when Eli leaves him, starts to have a more distrustful look on his face.
After the dinner is over during the evening, Eli is seen sitting at the table with Daniel, his son, and Eli’s father, Abel. Daniel attempts to negotiates a deal to buy the land of the Sunday Ranch.
Whereas Abel appears to be more meek at this transaction, Eli quickly demands to get 6 dollars per acre, but Daniel only thanks him for his suggestion and doesn’t elaborate further. Daniel tries to by the land for 3700 dollars, but Eli quickly attempts to shut it down. Abel tries to reason with his son, claiming that Daniel was personally sent by the lord himself, with Daniel reassuring this. He once again tries keep the deal at 3600 dollars, but Eli then asks him what exactly sent him to their location. Daniel says the lord and instantly ignores him, but he grabs Daniel’s attention when he starts speaking about the oil. Eli sees through Daniel’s motives, as he pretends as though he only wants to buy the land to hunt quails. Eli asks for $10,000 so he can build his own church. Daniel eventually agrees with this deal, making him the new landowner of the Sunday Ranch.
Daniel would eventually buy the majority of the land in Little Boston and gave a speech to the residents regarding the changes that will happen and the “benefits” that will come from it, with Eli being in the crowd listening to him. After Daniel’s speech is over, Eli asks him if the new road will lead to the his church, and Daniel reassures him.
After some time passes, Eli is seen with his fellow believers walking towards the oilwell while singing prayers. They offer Daniel’s workers to come visit the church, while Daniel watches from the distance. Eli then comes to visit Daniel and is told by him that everything has been provided to start the drilling, but Eli has one demand for Daniel. He knows that before the drilling begins, Daniel shall give another speech to the residents. Eli wants Daniel to introduce him by saying the words; “the proud son of these hills tended his father’s flock.” And thus, Eli will have “blessed” the well. Daniel appears to have no issue with Eli’s demand and tells him that he will do as he said.
Everyone is gathered together to witness the introduction of the oilwell and Eli is seen standing in the front of the crowd. Suddenly, Daniel takes Eli’s younger sister Mary with him to the stairs of the oilrig. Daniel tells the crowd that he shall give a simple “blessing”. He tells the people that it was thanks to their unity with one another that they were capable of completing the oilwell. He then proceeds to use Mary as to what Eli wanted for himself, claiming her to be the “daughter of these hills” and even names the oilwell after her, while Eli watches with a smiling yet dubious expression. Daniel completes his blessing and H.W. activates the well so it starts pumping for the first time. Everyone claps and seems tranquil, expect for Eli who clearly isn’t happy by what happened, but leaves to feast with his fellow residents.
A few days later, Eli is seen in his church, preaching about the concept of demonic possession. He uses an elderly woman with arthritis as an example, talking in a tranquil and quiet manner while praying for the devil to leave her. He caresses her hands until he gets more and more extreme with devotion, to the point when he starts screaming and demands the devil to leave her alone. It ends until he metaphorically throws the devil out the door, while everyone cheers for him. The ceremony ends and as everyone has left, Daniel approaches Eli who has seen Eli’s way of preaching. He tells him that a man recently died in an accident while working in the oilwell. The man was religious and so he asks Eli if he could speak at his funeral. Eli however tells Daniel that this could have been avoided if he had simply let him bless the well. Sparking a small argument to ensue with Daniel claiming that his workers need to get enough rest which he believes they wouldn’t get by being in his church. Their dispute is ended by expressing that Eli’s preaching was “one goddamn hell of a show”.
When a gas leak caused a fire to the oilrig, Eli was seen watching the destruction from afar.
Eli is seen walking towards Daniel on an open field and asks him when he and his followers get their money. This causes Daniel to start furiously slapping Eli, while claiming him to be nothing more than a fraud. He drags Eli trough a pile of mud while smearing it over him to humiliate him.
Eli would go back home defeated and during dinner, starts blaming his father for bringing Daniel to them. Even going as far to begin assaulting him and that he and Paul are both “foolish” for their actions.