Context, Violence and Leadership in Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian

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Cormac McCarthy’s “Blood Meridian” does a marvelous job of highlighting the violent nature of mankind. The underlying cause of this violent nature can be analyzed from three perspectives, the first being where the occurrence of violence takes place, the second man’s need to be led and the way their leader leads them, and lastly whether violence is truly an innate and inherent characteristic in man. Cormac McCarthy once said, “I think the notion that the species can be improved in some way, that everyone can live in harmony is a really dangerous idea.” (Overview) This quote leaves us with the impression that humanity as a whole is innately violent, and we will explore this idea by examining “Blood Meridian.” This paper consists of three main topics, all of which have subtopics. The first topic explores the Western setting of “Blood Meridian” and its effect on human behavior. Its subtopics are the absence of responsibility, the failure of manifest destiny’s ideals, and seeing the west as an escape from the past and time. The second topic delves deeper into the nature of Cormac McCarthy’s quote; it asks whether humans are inherently violent. The subtopics for this section are racism and hate as a drive, greed as a drive, and the metaphorical significance of two events in the book. The last topic is man’s need to be led and the way their leader leads them. The subtopics for the last section are the parallel between Hitler and Judge Holden, and the Judge’s general philosophy including the way he leads the men. Cormac McCarthy was wise in choosing the Southwest as the setting for a novel of unprecedented bloodshed. No other land would have done McCarthy’s ideas justice, given that only the Southwest harbored such wanton violence. A ... ... middle of paper ... .... Literature Resource Center. Web. 8 May 2014. Schopen, Bernard A. "'They Rode On': Blood Meridian and the Art of Narrative." Western American Literature 30.2 (Summer 1995): 179-194. Rpt. inContemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Jeffrey W. Hunter. Vol. 204. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 8 May 2014. Benson, Josef. "An ironic contention: the kid's heroic failure to rebel against the judge's hypermasculinity in Blood Meridian." Southwestern American Literature 36.3 (2011): 70+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 8 May 2014. Kiefer, Christian. "Unneighborly behavior: Blood Meridian, Lonesome Dove, and the problem of reader sympathy." Southwestern American Literature 33.1 (2007): 39+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 8 May 2014. "Overview of Charles, Jr. Mccarthy." DISCovering Authors. Detroit: Gale, 2003.Student Resources in Context. Web. 8 May 2014.

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