3 Review(s)

Blood Meridian, written by Cormac McCarthy, is considered as one among the greatest American novels in the last 25 years. The story of The Kid and his exploits with the Glanton Gang has been vividly portrayed. Summary Of The Book Blood Meridian chronicles the adventures of the protagonist known simply as The Kid. His penchant for violence leads him into the path of one of the most ruthless gangs in American history, the Glanton Gang. After escaping from an abusive household, The Kid encounters Judge Holden, an influential character in the story. The kid then encounters several violent instances, one of which makes him end up in jail. Once released, The Kid joins the Glanton Gang who are hired to be scalphunters. Much of the novel is devoted to the exploits of the gang as they massacre native Indians. Through their adventures, the splendour and cruelty of the great outback is portrayed by the author. Judge Holden is portrayed as the antagonist, a hairless man who is seemingly invincible hinting at the supernatural. Throughout the story, Holden appears to taunt and torment The Kid. Blood Meridian portrays the harsh lives in the American West in a time of great turbulence. Violence is a major theme of the story as almost all the characters are ruthless in their outlook. Brutality, bloodshed and cruelty is explicitly detailed throughout the novel. An undercurrent of gnosticism and nihilism is seen throughout the novel as the characters perceive the world as a violent playground with gruesome conquests being the pinnacle of achievement. The novel has been widely acclaimed as an American masterpiece. About Cormac McCarthy Cormac McCarthy is an American Pulitzer prize winning novelist. His novels include The Road, No Country for Old Men, All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, Cities of the Plain, Child of God, and Outer Dark among others. His short fiction works include Wake for Susan and A Drowning Incident. His plays include The Stonemason and The Sunset Limited. The Gardener’s Son, and The Counselor. Cormac McCarthy was born in Providence in 1933. He has won many awards, including the Guggenheim Fellowship, National Book Award for Fiction, MacArthur Fellowship, and National Book Critics Circle Award. All the Pretty Horses was adapted into a film in 2000 and No Country for Old Men was also made into a movie in 2007. The Road was adapted into a film in 2009. He has been married thrice and has two children.