Violence In Cormac Mccarthy's Blood Meridian

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In Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian, we see multiple themes in play throughout the novel. From the conquering of nature to Manifest Destiny as a means of conquering man, I felt that violence encompassed every theme. Specifically, man's’ capacity for violence with very little or no justification. Whether these men killed for personal gain, God, or country each individual in McCarthy’s novel shows us different manifestations of violence in men. The first character that shows us a very straightforward version of violence in the novel is Captain White. He forms an army to fight the Mexicans for land and honor. He felt that the treaty between the U.S. and Mexico was dishonorable, “Fought and died down there in that desert and then they were sold out by their own country.” (McCarthy 35). In this instance, White views his form of violence as honoring his fallen comrades and a way to rid the world of the “savages”. Also, to defy the government that did not give him justice …show more content…
The Judge thrives on knowledge and credibility. His charismatic personality and ability to sound official shows us a controlled violence like no other in the novel. His charm can be seen when he is seen with an Apache boy, feeding him berries and playing games with him. Soon after Toadvine sees that the Judge has killed and scalped the child. His reaction to this being a smile (170-171). This same emotionless and corruption of innocence can also be seen when the Judge buys two puppies, by force, and quickly throws them off a bridge to drown in the river (201). The Judge is seen as a figure that corrupts innocence through violence. From children and puppies to allies and artifacts, we see his constant need to take the lives of those that are defenseless and weak. He seems to feed off of this type of violence, a molestation of innocence or history. He is the Judge, jury, and executioner and wants to be the overseer of all life and
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