Rating: 
Summary: Unknown
Review: What is there to say about the West during the 1800's. More animals roamed the earth, there was a great deal of friction among Native Americans, Mexicans, and other settlers, and the land that they all inhabited. And all of the current news we have today reflects not only a time of unrest, but a time of justified unrest. Similarly, we must take into consideration the authors of these situations and occurrences were mostly white upper class males. With hate-filled lives, "pioneers" meandered from town to town, in search of life; a more fulfilling, wealthier life, or simply, just a better one. Unbeknown to them, their history recorded under extreme prejudice and narrow scope, the inhabitants of America during this time were nonetheless violent. To what extent, we are left without a truly unbiased account. All we know is that it (or something), happened. IT was called Manifest Destiny-still "recalled" that way-as if such savage and ungodly acts could acquire a label at all, the word itself sort of a binary opposite. IT was publicized in papers and flyers, pointing lofty fingers at right and wrong measured by the color of skin or religious affiliation. The idea was set to "push West", to develop lands previously uninhabited by a white population. It was seen, then, as a "moral" authority to take over certain lands. However, seldom do we think about what was already there before these decisions were finalized. More particularly, who was destroyed in the path toward a bigger and better "America"? In his masterpiece Blood Meridian, a book that sends the reader undulating through a previously unheard of history, Cormac McCarthy explores Manifest Destiny like it's never been portrayed before in any textbook. McCarthy implies abstracting thinking to the doctrine in an effort to downplay the appalling nature of the idea; and yet exemplify the action that followed those who carried it out. Despite this being a fictional account, the reader may find themselves wondering, what if? By looking at this account of history through the eyes of three main aspects-actor, victim, and witness-the author shows that history is unfairly portrayed in learning atmospheres today. The book opens with a 14-year-old orphan searching for a better life. He is forced to volunteer to a small army to participate in attempts of "clearing" out the territory today known as Texas of Indians in further attempts to gain the West. Along for the ride is a band of men carrying out an idea that was first introduced by the manipulation of their abstract thinking, or lack thereof. They come across roads and plains drenched in blood and bodies, whetting their appetite for further destruction. McCarthy's most mythical character, and possibly one of the most mythical characters by representation in American literature, Judge Holden, is a sort of historian, interpreter, and savage in the most intimidating form. The Judge stands near seven feet tall and lacks all forms of hair on his body, adding to the already heavy feeling of surrealism. Because of his fluency in all languages, the Judge controls the flow and censorship of information to the rest of the army, even the captain of their small army. He carries around with him a small notebook, in which he writes or draws situations they encounter. After copying down a thought or sketching a bird or flower, the Judge destroys it. In doing so, he is portraying one of the main themes McCarthy is after. By producing his own account or interpretation, the Judge becomes an "authority". This coincides very closely with the idea that history has been sadly misinterpreted. The journey they embark on is one that will never be forgotten, one that maybe should not be forgotten, but looked at as an important part of American history. McCarthy rewards the reader countless times in Blood Meridian-so much so that with each page, the reader must deal with a number of centralized themes and ideas. Dip your mind into Cormac McCarthy's world. Swim in the reality of "how the West was won". Decide for yourself how valid the principles are that shaped the way Americans live and believe in today. Walk the line that formulated history despite prejudice and savagery, a line better known as Blood Meridian.
Rating:
Summary: Evening redness, eternal black
Review: The friend who recommended this book prefaced his offer by warning me that McCarthy essentially had to reinvent the English language to tell this story - much the way that biblical translations often take great liberty with typical structural and grammatical conventions. He then effectively tripled my apprehension by promising more than a few uncomfortably graphic scenes, then hinting that the story's resolution was bound to infinitely deepen my disgust with the World of Man's inherent immorality and injustice. I read the story anyway (with a degree of caution I typically reserve for late-night downtown strolls), and found myself ecstatic that all of his warnings came true. Not only does McCarthy's prose speak of an unparalleled timeworn Western gothic, but it rates easily as the most poetic and intense narrative I've yet read. Indeed, the gore occasionally reached epic proportions, serving as a visceral reminder that the story's lofty, deeply interwoven themes do actually have basis in physical reality. And, truest of all, Blood Meridian left me hopelessly stranded in the midst of a dark, brooding, inhumane surreality that for months afterward stifled any hope I had regarding the future of humankind. That said, it merits mentioning that I've not come across a more enthralling, powerful story before or since. It also should be obvious that unadventurous readers need not consider even approaching this book. While it might be possible to read the dramatic narrative superficially as some divine archetype of the picaresque cowboy-and-Indian adventure novel, to do so would be tantamount to original sin. McCarthy uses the backdrop of the newly annexed southwestern U.S. to explore a myriad of historically developed cultural mores and philosophies that have laid the groundwork for Western civilization's arrogant, self-righteous obliteration of all things - cultures, credos, environments, et c. - that represent potential deviations from its singleminded vision of The Way Things Ought To Be. (These underlying themes are far too extensive to detail here, and I doubt that my singular reading of the book was enough to notice even a fraction of them; you'll have to investigate for yourself.) The setting and characters McCarthy employs in this extended parable are not only engaging and broadly representative of their cultural and historical contexts, but also are of particular import in accessing the complex metaphysical nature of his thematic exposition. By the story's end, your unlikely attachment to the kid, Judge Holden, Toadvine, Glanton, the expriest Tobin, Davey Brown, Jackson, the Vandiemanlander, the Delawares, and the rest of their leather-souled scalp-hunting posse - in spite of their multifarious personal shortcomings and acts of nearly unspeakable atrocity - will have engraved a twisted black scar onto your humanity's virgin flesh, compelling you to pick Blood Meridian right back up and begin anew, searching feverishly for a fleck of hope that the world really isn't such a bad place after all.
Rating: 
Summary: Hawking or Wayne or both
Review: At first glance, the average reader would not be interested in picking up this novel. It contains little of the dramatic conventions common to books of our era. The main characters do not have names, the motivations are often unclear and complicated, and the judge has a stronger grasp of rhetoric than even the reader. Its pages, seemingly laced with blood and pointless racist slaughter, bring about the timeless struggle of every serious reader: to read critically and thoroughly. At the end, to truly read this novel one must be able to think like Stephen Hawking while fighting like John Wayne. The major obstacle of this novel is the ability to think in abstract terms. It is almost a new language for those readers, including myself, unused to reading beyond a dramatic level. We are challenged in this book to examine the dramatic conventions and decisions as part of and taking the back seat to the thematic concerns of Cormac McCarthy. Each decision made in this book is not just a way to get to Mexico; it is one of the intricate puzzle pieces of McCarthy's world. The discussion of the nature of man on page 19 makes no sense until the last page (and even then it is still worrisome) and the constant religious references plague any reader that is conscientious enough to catch them. They will only fit into an abstract reading. But this abstraction is quite difficult to arrive at without an English professor or the knowledge of historical events and philosophies such as Manifest Destiny, none of which McCarthy gives us. These difficult abstractions are, however, couched in some of the most poetic and lyrical language written in recent years. The lines read as though taken from "Thanatopsis" or "The Tell-Tale Heart." The pure, flowing prose contains a beauty that the brutal subject matter lacks and is one of the best features of this novel. Even if the subject matter had been baked beans, McCarthy's prose would have been, as always, brilliant and reason enough to read at least a little of the passage. McCarthy, a critical favorite for his Border trilogy and winner of the National Book Award for All the Pretty Horses, received much condemnation for his use of violence, death, and brutality, including a "baby tree," ... of young children, and the flaying of Indian tribes. Within the first few chapters, it is obvious that McCarthy is a rated "R" author. The amount and vivid description of violent acts was one of the things that turned me away from this book initially and a part that I skimmed rather than read. The violence is a necessary part of the historical accuracy and themes of the novel, but is hard to endure dramatically. However, even without the possibility of compassion, the story still rings true. Hope for the future certainly is not present in Glanton or the judge or any member of the gang. This seeming utter lack of hope in the story will keep Blood Meridian from being an ... Book of the Month or from gracing the top of the "New York Times" best-seller list, but anything else would be untrue to the author's view of the world. McCarthy refuses to tell the reader what they want to hear because the world, his world, is just not that simple. The world that McCarthy wants to present is harsh, one that can hardly be seen as a good place. Yet, the novel must have some sort of redemption from the wasteland of pessimism. This redemption is the very fact that the story is being told. These deaths and activities are not buried in the ignorance of future generations. McCarthy, despite the fact that there was little hope in world of which he writes, at least memorializes its tragedies. The true lie would be to erase the sufferings in a rewritten, happily-ever-after, Disney ending. Though the feeling and conclusions follow a clearly marked path and seem quite true according to the author's perception of the world, the overall tone and conclusion of the piece was, in my opinion, a bit too dark and too brutal in its assessment of the human condition. While I think a happy story would be inaccurate, I think that McCarthy is wrong in his creation of a harsh, almost totally unfeeling world. Though I am certainly no Stephen Hawking and would never want to be John Wayne, I have had my own valiant struggles to understand Cormac McCarthy's vision of the world and the choices he made in shaping it. With its abstractions, heavy subject matter and frequent use of violence, this is not an airport-read or a book for a Saturday afternoon, but if the reader is willing to work as hard as McCarthy has in writing Blood Meridian, the reward will be a dark and lyrical voyage into the truth of the Old West legend and the rawness of humanity.
Rating:
Summary: Violence, Mules, the Kid, and the Judge
Review: Blood Meridian will redefine how you judge other novels and yourself as a reader, in the way that it sets expectations to a new level. When tackling the enormity that is Blood Meridian, a reader can expect a denseness and seriousness not attained by many novels. Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian is a humbling experience that I suggest to anyone with patients and a hunger for a truly challenging negotiation of the bloody history that shaped our "civilized" present. I cannot say that with the conclusion of this novel that I can look with patriotic feelings as to how Americans in the 1850's attained territories now a part of the United States. The unbridled violence and lack of conscience in the utter destruction of native peoples is disheartening, repulsive, and embarrassing. This novel questions the manipulation of entire groups of people by those capable of that manipulation. Not only Mexican and Native Americans are controlled and conquered, but also those unable to exercise thought and morality when someone (the Judge, concepts like Manifest Destiny) does it for them. Helpless are those who can not see beyond their own position to think abstractly. Although I am in awe of the exaltation of language, actually several languages, employed by this novel, I find that I admire more the implication of this novel's themes on today's America the beautiful. Have we really overcome the animalistic drives and notions that fueled the rampage of the fire across the Old West? I think we would like to distance ourselves and read this novel as an unfortunate but true glimpse into what life was during this time, but can we? Do we or do we not find evidence of this barbaric behavior and manipulation of people today? I think we would like to think of this as fiction or an abstraction of the past, a time in which none of us has lived. However, when the specifics of today's world prove just as or nearly as horrifying, it scares us into identification with McCarthy's world. Who wants to be held accountable for the violence and manipulation of the past or present? If you are interested in exploring these complex questions or many others raised by this novel, then please do so. I have included my own questions only to implicate the complexity of this novel, but there are many more. I don't want to give too much away though. I suggest that while reading this novel you allow yourself to be swept away with the beauty of its landscapes and the gruesome battle scenes. This book allows for new discoveries with each consecutive turn of the page or each consecutive read. Its subtleties and subversions and the way it feels like a code rather than English makes you want to read it repeatedly. However, I cannot imagine anyone not needing a break from it. Afterward, it may be wise to read some "Dick and Jane" for reassurance to understand a book. Now, in all seriousness, I think that reading this novel is an accomplishment. I may never feel like I have unlocked all of its secrets and wisdom, and for that, I will always respect it.
Rating: 
Summary: The Hope for Morality in an Evil World
Review: "Blood Meridian" is a challenge. I do not recommend delving into this book as a solo endeavor, grab a friend, grab a class, grab a book club, but don't start this one on your own! I'm not intending to dissuade you from reading this book, Cormac McCarthy has a lot of offer a reader, but "Blood Meridian" is without a doubt the single most challenging book I have ever read. I like to believe that I would have been up to the challenge had I been reading this on my own; I know, however, that I would have failed miserably at understanding this novel if I was not offered guidance, encouragement, and support from other readers. McCarthy throws the reader into a situation that few readers are familiar with, in fact, few authors are even willing to try what McCarthy attempted. "Blood Meridian" is a complex story that centers around the kid (not Billy the Kid or any other kind of capitalized "kid," just 'the kid,' mind you) and the judge. The cast of characters extends from there to a group of diverse nomadic soldiers that includes an expriest, an earless convict, several Delaware Indians, and other rough types. None of these characters is likeable in the least way. All of the characters thrive on war, murdering women, children, old men, and other warriors, and sell Indian scalps for gold. Therefore the reader is surrounded by what appears on first glance to be an utterly immoral book. Morality is a major tenet of "Blood Meridian." McCarthy's characters do not appear to have a moral fiber in their bodies, and this makes the book difficult to read, especially if you are the type of reader who absolutely needs to identify with a character in order to 'get into' a book. You will not (I certainly hope) identify with any of these characters. That does not, however, mean that there is nothing to glean from this gruesome novel of murder, mayhem, and immorality. In life there are often no clear cut sides, no black and white answers, and in this book, at moments, the reader is forced to root for a character not because he is good, but because he is less evil (at that particular moment). The judge is a giant, totally bald man, with a grasp of several languages, who has a vast repertoire of knowledge, and is utterly capable of surviving the direst circumstances (in one scene he makes gun powder in the middle of the desert). It is difficult not to be drawn to the judge, this powerful man who records cave drawings in his journals, sketches, writes, and outwits anyone who speaks to him. And just when the reader is embracing the judge, he does something that reminds the reader that every character in this novel is the worst kind of scoundrel... Yet the Judge is not the incarnation of the devil, McCarthy does not make things that simple for us. Just as the kid is not a David type figure (David and Goliath), the judge is something very evil, but he is not evilness itself. The kid is the character the reader wants to like, but it is hard to root for anyone associated with the judge and this band of soldiers. Therefore McCarthy has created a world where the reader does not particularly care for any of the characters and yet, and this is the brilliance of it, the reader is still invested in the book. I kept turning the pages even though I thought the world would be a better place if all of the characters were locked safely away in padded cells. If you are looking for a challenge, a book that you won't be able to understand without deep thought and concentration, a world where evil is plentiful and goes unpunished, but where there is some morality nonetheless (or so I suspect), then this is the right book for you. If, however, you are looking for some light summer reading, look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Blood Meridian; A Trap
Review: This novel is not an easy read, rather, it is an intricate explosion of prose that requires re-reading and alomst entices the reader to highlight the intensely beautiful and suggestive lines. Besides the intensity of the writing in this novel, it has an even more intense subject matter. To attempt to simplify this novel as simply being a "western" because of it's setting would undermine the point of the violence, and the metaphor of the judge. This complicated novel explores the true nature of the Nineteenth Century frame of mind concerning Manifest Destiny. The book revamps popular American ideals concerning western expansion. Perhaps this is why Bloob Meridian is so difficult to read. We all know (or should know) that what was done to the Native Americans, and likewise, the Mexicans, was wrong. But rarely is this shame dramatized or exposed in such a matter-of-fact manner. Even Dances With Wolves focused on the enlightenment of one individual as opposed to the darker undertones of western expansion. Blood Meridian focuses soley on the violence. There is no enlightenment, only a darkness which seeps in to every corner of the outstanding prose. The kid and the judge are the novel's most prevalant characters. The judge embodies the the abstract ideas behind Manifest Destiny, while the kid is slightly more complicated. He is part of a horde of unabstract thinkers blindly following those who have the power to think beyond what they know and use their phylisophical minds in dangerous ways. Unfortunatly this horde has been commisioned to collect Indian scalps for money. These men, through their violence possess a certain amount of power, but the most power is in the possession of the judge, who seeks to destroy everything he can in order to recreate it on his own terms. The kid is a plot device that McCarthy places in the novel to give the reader someone to root for, or attempt to sympathize with. He seems to be caught somewhere between the philosophy of the judge and the ignorance of the other men. He possesses a certain fleck of compassion on his soul, which we don't see in other characters. This book is full of difficult mysteries which will not easily be solved upon a single reading. It certainly is not suited to everyones tastes. It almost seems because of it's themes, in this PC era, McCarthy has managed to trap his readers (unintentionaly I'm sure) into the understanding that this novel is essential. I feel like if I was to say that I did not like this book, it would be synonimous with stating that I did not understand it, which would make me feel as if I was on the same level as the lowly American scalpers. If I don't like it because of the ideas it imposes, or the violence, I can almost hear the judge laughing at me. To me that gives the judge, or what he represents power over people like myself, because if what this book says is true, his thinking exceeds mine. It is a trap. No matter how one feels about the book, the imagery and emotions evoked by Blood Meridian are undeniably the work of a great man of prose. The landscape erupts in starlight, in bleached bones, in phallic sunsets, and all the while the judge sits before the fire, his eyes on the kid, daring him to speak out, to form an opinion, in which case he will squash him like a bug.
Rating:
Summary: Dangers of the Westward Expansion
Review: Dangers of the Westward Expansion This was my first experience with Cormac McCarthy, and my life as a reader has not been the same since. The writing is poetically complex yet incredibly powerful even to the most novice of critical readers. Blood Meridian is a novel that employs a wide spectrum of devices to explore difficult themes drawn from a specific period in our nation's history. A romantic saga of the Wild West this book is not. While there is a driving plot (however brutal), it is secondary to the issues McCarthy is focusing on. Taking place on the western frontier during the westward expansion, a time when the abstract concept of Manifest Destiny saturated American thinking, Blood Meridian presents a world where the ability to use abstract thought, empowers a person over those who think in terms of the specific. Combined with the paradigm of the Witness (if no one saw it, did it even happen?), the world as McCarthy sees it is extremely dangerous for many people. Falling into the company of The Judge, The Kid joins a group of scalp hunters on the hunt for Native American victims. In the interactions between the two prominent characters, as well as with the band of mercenaries, the hierarchy of abstract thought is exposed and made frighteningly real. To further intensify all that is going on the novel, the prose is incredibly original. McCarthy's writing is reminiscent of Faulkner, and Joyce in terms of its uniqueness. He straddles the line between fiction and poetry like no other writer. Style aside, McCarthy carefully chooses the type of language used for certain exposition. The use of specific and abstract words is integral to the thematic development of the novel. The writing is also incredibly subtle. What might be mentioned only once in an early chapter, all of a sudden carries a lot of weight when it is alluded to at the end of the novel. Blood Meridian in not without its fair share of subversion however. The Kid appears to be the main character, yet The Judge gets the majority of attention throughout. The "mapped out" chapter formats are more suited to the Victorian era than to modern day America. Violence is one aspect of the novel that receives the most response from the reader. It will either deter you from immersing yourself in the conflicts, or strangely compel you to dive further in to this alien world where ruthlessness is inherent, second nature. I feel the need to make a disclaimer here: This book is violent; even more it is intensely graphic. I understand that this will discourage potential readers, but I encourage one to read the book anyhow. The brutality of the band of scalp hunters is vital to the story on both dramatic and thematic levels. Blood Meridian is the most important novel I have read since Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. It deals with a period of our history that is usually romanticized by glamorous portrayals on the big screen. The period of Manifest Destiny was a very dangerous time for those who weren't American. The themes are consistent to the setting and the plot has its routes in actual events and characters. This book is not just a literary achievement, but also a courageous feat for any writer. McCarthy deals with themes that most people don't want to acknowledge. Read this book if you can. Its message cannot be ignored.
Rating:
Summary: The Lingering Evils of Manifest Destiny
Review: Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian" is one of the finest novels of the last twenty years. On the surface it is a perfect picture painted of the American south, set in the heart of the territory that the war with Mexico was fought over in the 1840s. At that time the population consisted of a volatile mixture of Native Americans, Mexicans, amd Americans, whose common mistrust and hatred led to a grotesque amount of bloodshed and sadness. The kid, the main character of McCarthy's novel, is born in 1833 and travels to Texas during the heat of the conflict. With no direction in life, and an attraction to violence and excitement, the kid falls in with the other most significant character, the judge, who's leading a ragged pack of Americans on an unofficial campaign against indians, paid by Mexican villages per scalp. McCarthy follows the warriors through silent travels and wild parties, blinding heat and blizzard snow, war and campfires. Behind the character of the judge lie Mcarthy's chief thematic concerns, the significance of "Blood Meridian," beyond the beautifully terrifying surface story. The judge is at heart a characterization of manifest destiny. He is a concentration of the American push to expand, control, and take on, and mindset that was so prevalent during the era described in the novel, of which remnants remain today. The judge is a collector, saving everything of worthy consideration, destorying all evidence. He also kills without mercy and may participate in even darker activities. The judge is truly a frightening presense, one guaranteed to haunt the reader long after finishing the novel, especially in the the way he mirrors and epitomizes much of what has been and in some ways still is morally wrong with our society. McCarthy deals with thematic material besides manifest destiny, such as the notion of abstract thought. All the characters of "Blood Meridian," from mules to the kid, fit into a hierarchy of the ability to use abstract thought. The animals, at one end, have very little control, the highest ranking animal being wolves, who men refuse to kill. Normal guys like the kid have some control over their destinies, but are at the mercy of those at the top of the hierarchy, like the judge. He dominates all those below him on the scale, which includes everybody. Other continums come into play besides that of thinking abstractly, such as nature vs. nurture, literal vs. abstract, good vs. evil, and black vs. white. Another vital thematic concern of McCarthy's that is revealed dramtically is the triangular relationship of action, witness, and victim. These three forces often rear their heads in congruency. The reader is made to feel like a fourth party in some scenes, most of which are violent, provided some insight into the thoughts of each party. "Blood Meridian" is such a dense book that one reading seems to merely skim the surface, and entire battles are won and lost in short paragraphs. It contains moments of violence so brutal one tries to wish it away, and descriptions of sunsets so clear that one feels as if they are trailing behind the men on the last horse as they wind through the endless desert. McCarthy has succeeded impressively with this work of literature, as it pulls the reader into an utterly gripping story, all the while warning them of a dangerous evil, one dramatized through the judge. I recommend "Blood Meridian" for its 337 pages of poetry, and the valueable lessons it holds. I only warn that the end result will be closer to revulsion and fright than happiness or pleasure.
Rating:
Summary: This is too horrifying not to be true.
Review: Does a novel whose action fits the genre description "Western," at whose heart lies convicting moral ambiguity and historical "fact," and that reads as densely as poetry sound like a page turner? What if I said that the first 80 pages are like learning a new language? What if, as well, I said that it would be a good idea to read up on what was going on "politically" in North America between the years 1833 and 1878? It is true of Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian that readers looking for a mental rest need not apply, but this novel is worth the time it takes to read, even to read the number of times it takes before it can be fully grasped. (I suggest not expecting to make this a single-read novel.) Nothing in McCarthy's novel can be taken only at face value, not even the "Wild West" convention itself. This is not a novel in which black or white hats distinguish the bad guys from the good guys. This is a novel sunk deeply in history that will make readers question if there are such a things as "good guys" and "bad guys." Readers will likely find themselves, as I did, excusing or ignoring the actions of certain characters just to have someone with whom to side. Ultimately, McCarthy will not allow this, leaving his audience in a stormy sea of characters and actions too horrifying not to be true. Set in the era of Manifest Destiny, Blood Meridian, on a surface level, seems like a story of the slaughter of innocents. Getting below that surface, even innocence becomes questionable. Is it humanity's capability for evil that stratifies us? Or is evil a concept entirely invented by the person writing history? If it is true what has been said, that history is written by the winners, then it seems that evil is an invention of the winners, and something else divides all life into categories. McCarthy's novel gets at what it truly is that divides us, the abstractions of our minds. While the reader's eyes are riveted to the windows of his bloody world, McCarthy is telling us things about ourselves that we do not want to know, and yet we cannot deny. The story begins with the lengthy personal history of one of two key players whom the reader mostly know as "the kid." From the details of the kid's history, it is hard to imagine that we would ever end up rooting for him. Between flashbacks and through sometimes cryptic seeming prose we follow the kid to the true beginning of this saga, where we realize that we have met the other key player, the Judge, many pages before, and likely without realizing it. The reader is well-rewarded not to let McCarthy's thick prose throw him for a loop. This author will slip things by you. That is why I suggest a repeat reading. Blood Meridian requires that the reader be aware of what is not being said as well as what is. Before too long, the reader will find himself a witness to atrocities that implicate him by virtue of his desire to ignore one man's actions while recognizing another's, if only to get some bearings in the tumultuous world of this novel. It is all too easy to forget that everyone is in on the conspiracy in this novel, even the reader. Don't worry, though. McCarthy's meaning totally inaccessible. As the kid and the Judge come closer and closer to their inevitable clash of characters, McCarthy gives the reader a clue from the lips of the kid. "What's he a judge of?" When you know that (and remember that nothing in this novel is only what it seems on the surface), you're truly in McCarthy's world. Give this novel a chance (or several chances) to show you the true darkness of humankind's history. If it seem like it is too frightening, remember that some things are too horrific not to be true. And if you have some extra time check out the historical autobiography section of the nearest major library.
Rating:
Summary: If McCarthy doesn't kill you, he will make you stronger. . .
Review: In the midst of the beautifully terrifying landscapes of the borderlands just after the Mexican-American War, in the midst of slaughter after slaughter after slaughter of innocents and killers alike, McCarthy draws together the forces of abstraction and of unabstract or specific thought, setting them up to do battle and watching which way the bodies fall in the bloodshed. This is a novel about how the concept of Manifest Destiny, an ultimately abstract creation, allows those who know how to wield it to decide the fate of those who do not. Those who can control the abstractions can rationalize, and reassign meaning, and they can control the comprehension those who cannot think abstractly have of their situation. The idea of control leads into the idea of agency and the placing of blame-if the soldier follows the general's orders, is he no longer killing, but rather defending his nation? even if he has been ordered to raze a village of women and children? or what if he is killing soldiers who have attacked him, is he justified then? The most terrifying aspect of Blood Meridian is that this happened, all of it-and I don't mean that simply in the sense that this is historical fiction and that this physical carnage happened, but more along the lines of that this is how people were (and still are) able to use abstract thought to rationalize their actions and control their entire worlds, including the animals, the men, and the truth and history to be presented to the ages. This novel is the closest that I believe we 21st-century Americans can come to understanding the thought processes of the people of this time period. If we read this book and solely stand there judging the morality of the actions that McCarthy's characters take, we are missing one of the greatest gifts this book has to offer-an insight into how those who are different from us are thinking. The closest that one can come to such an experience today is to travel abroad; if you go to another culture and immerse yourself until you have an understanding of how that culture is fundamentally different from your own, and then you return home and after much introspection realize just how imbedded in your own culture you yourself are, then you are as close as one might ever come to an understanding of that other culture. And this is just the service McCarthy has so brilliantly (and generously) provided for us-he is allowing us to connect with the American mindset of 1849. If you read this book trying to understand why these people act as they do, and then step back from the book and look as objectively as possible at what value judgments you have been fighting and why you have been fighting them, then you are going to be many times closer to understanding McCarthy's goal with his novel than you would be if you spent all 337 pages trying just to "see it from their point of view," or worse, viewing it solely through your own. To me, the greatest lessons of this novel are not final moral judgments on the outcomes of the character's lives and choices, but rather the questions that the novel raises and leaves unanswered within the reader him/herself. Should I be horrified by all this? Were they wrong to do this? Do I have any right to judge, being who I am, where I am, when I am? These questions are not just limited to the book-they can be applied to every judgment that we make cross-culturally, when we condemn or praise the actions of this tribe or that government based on our own cultural standards. This book is brilliant, a work of genius. Never was there a devil in man walking the earth as strode Judge Holden across the desert, and nothing strips away the comfortable distance a novel usually affords between subject and reader than to realize that everything he says and does is the basis of the society in which we live today, and that we are for the most part completely oblivious to that fact. I ask you to read Blood Meridian, and give it your all. It is a very challenging text dealing with a challenging subject matter, but it is one of the most profound books that I have ever encountered in my life. And if you manage to take even half as much as I did from the book the first time around, swallow that bit down and go after it again-it is worth it, I swear to you. It is worth it.
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