One of the most challenging reads of the year, without a doubt - not that I'm suggesting that it was a book I didn't enjoy reading. How McCarthy maintained his authorial voice for the duration is a mystery to me - every sentence must have been laboured over, and the editing must have been like purgatory. ( )

Cormac McCarthy’s “Blood Meridian” is a narrative preoccupied by scenes of lurid violence. The motif of violence intertwines within the narrative so much so that “death seemed to be the most prevalent feature of the landscape” (50). The Judge provides insight to this, explaining that “what joins men together, he said, is not the sharing of bread but the sharing of enemies” (319). Here, the moral apathy assigned to violence within the text. Blood Meridian’s violent acts develop organically as a natural response to conflict or contractual obligation.

The theme of contracts relates to enacting violence. For the characters within the narrative, contractual obligation necessarily results in enacting violence against others for the advancement of civilization or monetary prospects. The Judge’s explanation to the boy that “our animosities were formed and waiting before ever we two met” (319), reveals the way violence acts as a direct outcome of the structure of society. The critique of attaching any moral beliefs on violence centralizes an understanding of the events in “Blood Meridian.” ( )

Cormac McCarthy’s “Blood Meridian” is a narrative preoccupied by scenes of lurid violence. The motif of violence intertwines within the narrative so much so that “death seemed to be the most prevalent feature of the landscape” (50). The Judge provides insight to this, explaining that “what joins men together, he said, is not the sharing of bread but the sharing of enemies” (319). Here, the moral apathy assigned to violence within the text. Blood Meridian’s violent acts develop organically as a natural response to conflict or contractual obligation.

The theme of contracts relates to enacting violence. For the characters within the narrative, contractual obligation necessarily results in enacting violence against others for the advancement of civilization or monetary prospects. The Judge’s explanation to the boy that “our animosities were formed and waiting before ever we two met” (319), reveals the way violence acts as a direct outcome of the structure of society. The critique of attaching any moral beliefs on violence centralizes an understanding of the events in “Blood Meridian.” ( )

Cormac McCarthy’s “Blood Meridian” is a narrative preoccupied by scenes of lurid violence. The motif of violence intertwines within the narrative so much so that “death seemed to be the most prevalent feature of the landscape” (50). The Judge provides insight to this, explaining that “what joins men together, he said, is not the sharing of bread but the sharing of enemies” (319). Here, the moral apathy assigned to violence within the text. Blood Meridian’s violent acts develop organically as a natural response to conflict or contractual obligation.

The theme of contracts relates to enacting violence. For the characters within the narrative, contractual obligation necessarily results in enacting violence against others for the advancement of civilization or monetary prospects. The Judge’s explanation to the boy that “our animosities were formed and waiting before ever we two met” (319), reveals the way violence acts as a direct outcome of the structure of society. The critique of attaching any moral beliefs on violence centralizes an understanding of the events in “Blood Meridian.” ( )

Cormac McCarthy’s “Blood Meridian” is a narrative preoccupied by scenes of lurid violence. The motif of violence intertwines within the narrative so much so that “death seemed to be the most prevalent feature of the landscape” (50). The Judge provides insight to this, explaining that “what joins men together, he said, is not the sharing of bread but the sharing of enemies” (319). Here, the moral apathy assigned to violence within the text. Blood Meridian’s violent acts develop organically as a natural response to conflict or contractual obligation.

The theme of contracts relates to enacting violence. For the characters within the narrative, contractual obligation necessarily results in enacting violence against others for the advancement of civilization or monetary prospects. The Judge’s explanation to the boy that “our animosities were formed and waiting before ever we two met” (319), reveals the way violence acts as a direct outcome of the structure of society. The critique of attaching any moral beliefs on violence centralizes an understanding of the events in “Blood Meridian.” ( )