Review by arquebussy - Blood Meridian

arquebussy 's review for:

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

5.0

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Excerpted from some thoughts I had while processing my feelings after completion:

"This is something that irks me about the critical discussion of the Judge as a Faustian figure--he isn't there to tempt Glanton's men to their increasingly nihilistic evils. He is there to give them permission. This is the significance of his appearance at previous points in their lives. When the gang finds themselves in the thick of it, without the ability to choose violence so much as have it thrust upon them, he provides a lily-white hide to cover their capillary actions. Where Glanton acts out of immediate instinct in a cruel environment, the Judge fosters and nurtures that cruelty, providing a moral framework in which it seems justified, even inevitable.
"Glanton is the monster that a lesser writer would be more concerned with, the chief antagonist of a Hollywood version of this story. Holden is something that exists outside the text and outside history. He is Samuel Barber, he is David Frum, he is the "sinister gringo" paying off Salvadorian death squads, he is hasbara, he is qualified immunity for police officers who murder black teenagers, he is Mutually-Assured Destruction, he is here to tell you that it is imperative that you continue the experiment."

Can see why this is a frequent contender for the title of Great American Novel. Even as a perennial Melville dick-rider, I think I might be persuaded to agree in time. I should read something fun next.

Content Warnings