Blood Meridian – a book which’s name proceeds it. Known for its dark subject matter, the book is more than just a straightforward western, it’s the scariest book I’ve ever read.
Cormac McCarthy’s deconstruction of the Western holds a different reputation than many of his other books. Whilst, arguably his finest novel, No Country For Old Men is a straight forward narrative, Blood Meridian lacks the conventions of a classic story structure.
It follows The Kid – a young boy that wanders the west alone. After falling in with a gang of Filibusters, The Kid is exposed to horrors far beyond his imagination. Eventually, he meets the man that will change his life forever – Judge Holden. There’s no heroes in the book, just a band of murders slaughtering anyone they can find to turn their scalps in for money.
What makes Blood Meridian far more disturbing is that it’s based on the history of a gang of scalpers that operated in the south for a number of years. Many characters are based on real people, including the books most memorable character Jude Holden.
If you’re looking for a dense, horrifying, and incredible read this spooky season, give Blood Meridian a try.
The Kid, The Scalpers and The Judge
A large amount of Blood Meridian takes place on the Texas-Mexico border. It’s set just after Mexican-American war with many of the characters being veterans from both sides.
Cormac blends true history and fictitious elements very well, especially when it comes to the actions carried out by the Glanton Gang. Yes, they were a real gang that scalped Native Americans and Mexicans. However, certain actions carried out aren’t true and the character of The Kid is completely made up by Cormac.
The Kid is a weak protagonist for many reasons. He doesn’t care for anything other than money and alcohol, and he lacks motivation that makes the early parts of the book a tough read. What makes the reader care for him is his situation. At only 14-years-old he is surrounded by people who are willingly to do terrible things to him.
As the book crawls from one massacre to another, The Kid starts to become a background character in his own story. During the killings his actions are very rarely described. This makes the reader guess whether he is going along with it, or if he’s opposed to what the rest of the gang are doing.
These massacres are frequent and graphic. Cormac describes the brutal actions in very explicit detail that turned my stomach more than once, but it’s not these moments that had me on edge and terrified to turn the page. What had me scared was every moment Judge Holdin talked.
The death of innocence
Innocence and corruption are the two main key themes Blood Meridian, both themes are embodies by the two most important characters, The Kid and Judge Holden.
Both characters flip between innocence and corruption and by the time the book nears its end, the lines are blurred to the point you can’t tell where The Kid lies. The Judge pushes The Kid to do things he never would have but what separates The Judge from many other antagonists is his apperance and personality.
You’d assume that a seven-foot-tall man known for scalping people would be a cold blooded killer, but The Judge isn’t. He’s a calculated man that’s well spoken and knows many languages. He’s the complete opposite of everyone else in The Glanton gang, and that’s what makes him horrifying.
At least with the other members of The Glanton gang you can tell what they’re going to do. At multiple points The Judge makes decisions that seem out of let field and are completely shocking. In a conversation about his outlook on life, he makes a statement that has haunted me since I first read it. “Whatever in creation exists without my knowledge, exists without my consent.”
It may not be as scary without context, but understanding The Judge and realising what this means when you finally finish the book, it’s a nightmare inducing statement that’ll haunt you.
Judge Holden also has a super natural element to him, it’s unclear where he came from and why he does the things he does. But what is known is that he seems to know everything about everything. Not a single thing gets past him that he doesn’t know about. The only thing The Judge doesn’t understand is The Kid and why he is the way he is.
The Kid’s relationship to the The Judge is the most important and interesting thing about Blood Meridian, and it’s a relationship that will haunt you long after you put the book down.
He’s dancing and he’ll never die
Blood Meridian is one of my favourite books and it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. Cormac McCarthy was a fantastic author that broke through the stylings of traditional literature and he had written some of the most important books of the 20th century.
It’s not a book the faint of the heart. Although, if you’re interested in what you’ve read, give it a try. It’s a rewarding read, but Cormac’s writing style can get difficult to read sometimes.
Who knows, Blood Meridian could become the perfect companion piece for you this spooky season.
Featured image credit: David S. Higdon
Fourth year Film and Journalism student
Deputy editor
Contact - deputyeditor@brignews.com
