Daniel Plainview : A Brief Character Analysis

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The indelible, the infamous, the shrewd, and morally obtuse Daniel Plainview, adjectives describing a character  remembered for usury, and his disdain for people. But  why did Plainview dislike people so much?  In associating with people he saw nothing worth liking. Perhaps  the reason why he saw nothing worth liking, was an  understanding of his own penchant for manipulating others. Plainview may have been projecting is own detestable qualities onto the people he encountered. Knowing the distrustful acts he was capable of,  he became vigilant and suspecting of others. Interestingly, if Plainview has this view of people, being a human being, it's a wonder, how he feels about himself ? Does he see himself as trustworthy, or someone not worth liking? 

 Aside from any introspective capacity, Plainview's dislike for people, was possibly born from his perspicacity,  integral in making observations about human nature, in concluding that people are pure crap. That being the case, Plainview felt no compunction, and also felt justified in using "these people" to get what he wants, especially in recognizing Eli Sunday as a charlatan.

Although Plainview despises people, he recognizes communicating with people, and understanding how they think is functional in achieving his goals, which is well noted in his public relations skills,  in describing himself as a "family man", and purporting to be a simple person, in saying, " I believe in plain speaking ", as if  he is a member of the common folk.   

Notwithstanding his inclination for usury, Plainview is not so monstrous that he is incapable of showing compassion, evidenced by his confrontation with Abel Sunday about hitting his daughter for not praying.  While Plainview is prone to usury, and manipulation, he is not fond of being subject to it. When a stranger who pretended to be his brother Henry, took advantage of his compassion, Plainview's reaction, There Will Be Blood indeed. To Plainview's credit, this betrayal was a painful confirmation that people are indeed not worth liking.   

One question  surrounding Plainview's moral character, is whether or not he cared about his son? If  he did, one has to reconcile  Plainview's propensity for manipulation  with the supposed love he had for H.W Plainview. If he did not, one has to acknowledge that human emotions are complex, and even if  H.W was just an asset that he used to buy land, this does not necessitate he did not develop a genuine paternal love for H.W.  Again, Plainview's conception of human nature is justified when this "bastard from a basket", betrayed him, and became his competitor by starting his own company.