I recently made a post that I started Blood Meridian and felt a bit confused of Cormac’s writing style. I wasn’t new to it per se but I was curious about it. Lots of you provided great insight and I’ve really learned to enjoy this novel immensely.
I just finished chapter ten which features two characters around a campfire, ironically which worked perfectly because many of you told me to read the story as if I was listening to a campfire tale. The expriest named Torbin shares his story of how he met the Judge to the kid.
Not much happens in this chapter, they meet the judge, he joins them, he kind of takes charge and they learn to trust/follow him, and then they have a stand against the savages. But it is so beautifully written, it took me about an hour to read the chapter alone but I was in love with the tale.
The Judge leads them up (I believe) the side of a volcano. Calm and confident as ever despite everyone being so confused, yet they followed. McCarthy does an amazing job portraying the Judge’s effortless confidence that made me admire him, when before this chapter I thought nothing of him.
One of my favorite parts of the chapter, after he finishes mixing the rock and everyone’s piss with his bare hands in order to make gun powder to be used against the approaching savages,
“And the judge, he steps up to the rim and he had with him a good white linen shirt from out of his bag and he waved it to the redskins and he called down to them in Spanish.
Well it would have brought tears to your eyes. All dead save me, he called. Have mercy on me. Todos muertos. Todos. Wavin the shirt. God it set them yappin on the slope like dogs and he turns to us, the judge, with that smile of his and he says: Gentlemen. That was all he said”
Slaughter commenced. Beautifully written.
by SupremeActives