Maybe this book is up to some interpretation but I think the judge represents the worst of man’s desires and the logic used to justify those desires along with the greatest of man’s strengths whit artistry etc. When he says he’ll never die perhaps he’s saying that man’s desire for the dance or warfare will never die. Shoot a step further thinking about this maybe the judge is just the kids shadow self he’s been trying to avoid for all that time. This is just my interpretation. “Before man was war awaited him, the ultimate trade before it’s ultimate practitioner”

if you need to rewrite whole paragraphs of any literary work just to understand it, maybe the book is kinda shit

The kid has big hands not the judge …. He runs away after taping & killing his sister…. You misread the judge . Cormac is laughing at his fans

nice music to say "the judge raped the man" and "lets start with the rape"

I wonder if the epilogue is talking about somebody looking for gold or oil and that's why the holes justify each other

As soon as you described it i immediately knew he got his butt taken and by the peoples reaction who walked into the outhouse it was pretty clear the judge mutilated him and the judge being the sick fuck he is delighted in the act dancing to it, was not that hard figuring it out surprised there was speculation on it for years lol

I think the judge failed at having the kid relinquish his spirit voluntarily so he took it by force.

Could the holes with fire be the bombs that were set when the railroad was laid through mountain passes? Railroads were put in methodically with people one right after another down the line during construction. Laying the “bones” of transportation throughout the US.

Man this shit gay

That was a damn good explanation

Life is much like the plains upon which we wander. Each of us, like that man, using our own tools and methods to move forward through the world. The wanderers represent the ones who seek purpose, like the gatherers seeking bones. Some of them, however, search in vain and do not find what they seek, for their understanding of the world is incomplete. The man forging holes represents the search for meaning and creation amidst the chaos of existence. The repetition of their actions speaks to the search for meaning in a seemingly purposeless universe. The validation of sequence and causality reflects the human desire to understand and make sense of existence. To see patterns and reasons where there may not be. In the end, we all progress, just as the track of holes moves onward, towards the rim of the visible ground. The bones and those who do not gather symbolize the diverse aspects and mysteries of life, some understood, some not. The striking of fire in the hole and bringing forth the steel represents the spark of inspiration and knowledge within each of us. Together, the wanderers, the bone gatherers, and the man forging holes reflect the human journey of making sense of existence and striving to find meaning amidst the uncertainties of life. That was how I saw it, back then...

I'm actually just about to read the book, any warnings?

I think the judge is Satan himself. He always wanted the boy but I believe God didn’t allow him to have him until he killed that kid in the dessert.

I think the judge is Satan

The thumbnail is a spoiler. Cmon man.

Have you ever read the gap series by Stephen Donaldson?

90% of the video is just the creator of the video taking things out of his ass.

Speaking of great books, I love the books of Larry McMurtry. Lonesome Dove will probably always be my favorite. Go check it out! Also, check out No Country For Old Men (or is it NMFOC?) it's fabulous, a great thriller and barn burner of a book you won't be mad. I believe much of Cormac's books are meant to be read aloud (or orated in the mind at least lol). That darkly meated heart stuff is pure metal. I love it, but I understand everyone has different tastes. I always imagined it orated by some old bard to hundreds of warriors before their deaths lol. Of course, there would pretty much have to be some metal guitar guy noodling in the background wearing a horned helmet 🤘🤘.

🤍

Interesting theories abound in this comment section with regards to the final scene. Here's mine. The Judge hugged the kid/man and they parted ways. The horrifying sight the two men who looked inside the jake saw was infact a burrito and whisky infused excremental explosion left by Holden who was, don't forget, a sizable man. His subsequent dancing was partly in celebration of getting rid of such a restrictive load. You're welcome.

I feel terrible for anybody who has this as their introduction to blood meridian

This book draws contrast to the Book of Revelation, when God almighty, by way of his Son Christ Jesus will put an end to all evil and judge the enemy to destruction. The judge is a demon, speaking sadly about the end of their reign on earth, the end of their time to wreak havoc among men, they know they day of judgment is nigh , it's upon them and while for the righteous this means salvation and everlasting life, for the wicked, like the Judge it means an end to them.

I think they’re hitting flint stones which spark when hit by the metal, releasing the fire that God put there.

Excellent summary of ending of a difficult book. Too controversial / too violent/ too taboo to be successfully turned into a movie.

Insane title card

This guys an apostle

"He speaks dutch." That's too much evil.

He didn't "'find a whole", - she found him. I think that's important in this story. Think about it. The whore says something like "I always choose the one I want". Maybe the whore was sent by the judge...? Just say'n

"the kid doesn't like it, but he participates". This is a small line in this video, but I think it has big connotations, and it's incorrect. We are never explicitly told how The Kid feels about everything that occurs, we also don't know the degree to which he participated. Scenes depicting The Kid killing anyone are few and far between though there are maybe 1 or 2 (excluding the one at the end). Whenever the book describes the Glanton gang going on a massacre of an Apache camp, or a Mexican town, The Kid is never explicitly named as one of the participants and his actions during the slaughters that take place are never really detailed. We only even know he was there at all implicitly. All we know about The Kid and the Glanton gang is that he was in the gang, and he was present when they did what they did. The Kid seldom shares his feelings on anything that occurs and when he does he is vague. The beauty is that everyone who reads Blood Meridian has a different idea of The Kid in their head. Was he an eagerly involved psychopath? A reluctant youth who knew no better? Or had he known he'd made a mistake and was just stuck in his circumstances? The answer is yes, to all of them.

I think the people saw him doing the deed

I wish McCarthy hadn't also made the Judge a pedophile. That made him so much more reprehensible than all the murdering he did.

Who killed the bear?

... What the hell

It's like the ending to the Sopranos. Whatever you think happened, happened.

The Judge is the devil and his craft is war, a game against life which God created

I've been reading this on and on for two days.. That's why I'm here.

11:30 Thought those were penis statues for a split second...

anything that exists without my knowledge exits without my consent

I finished Blood Meridian today. I have really enjoyed listening to your videos. I appreciate your insight. Thanks for producing these!

I dont get it…what am i supposed to get out of this?

I didn't like the book because I didn't understand the basic dialogue or how books for adults work

The Judge along with the evil protagonist in No Country For Old Men are as evil as they get in literature. They rose up out of Cormick McCarthy’s deep sinister mind 😂😂😂😂

I was reading this book while camping out in west Texas. The whole scenario, the cold west Texas starlit sky, the howl of wolves in the distance, the shooting stars, along with this mysterious book made my life plummet into a deep contemplative about life.

People like to say this is the most graphic book there is but they are nowhere near right lol. This book is mild.

"Extremely thorough" millions of survivors

TY for mentioning Faulkner’s influence and specifically“A Rose for Emily” - one of the greatest short stories with a wonderful payoff at the end.

I don't even think the Judge killing the Man had any sexual connotations or was done for sexual gratification. He just represented death and sin catching up to the Kid. After leaving the gang he spends decads living a normal life, and the final thing he does before meeting the Judge is shooting a 15 year old boy dead. The Judge was naked to represent his pure state, and he crushes him to death in a bear hug, leaving his body broken and crushed like Oberyn Martell after the fight against the Mountain

I found the book to be so bloody and sad. I could barely make it through the first half. I had to quit multiple times to get the nerve to begin reading it again

😭

And no protagonist