Judge Holden of Blood Meridian :: Blood Meridian Essays

enunciate Holden of fund Meridian Although Cormac McCarthys novel Blood Meridian tells the story of the kid and his journey through the harshest of environments, much of the legal action in the novel centers around value Holden. label Holden is a mystery story from his very set-back appearance in the novel and remains so until the very end of the novel, when he is one of the few characters surviving. The kid first gear comes face to face with Holden in a saloon after a riot and veritable(a)tually joins with Holden and a gang of misfit scalp-hunters to roam the Mexican-American borderlands. Judge Holden has some(a) historical foundation as a character. The Judge is mentioned in Samuel Chamberlains My Confession, a personal narrative published in 1956. Chamberlain was a private during the war with Mexico and met Holden when he joined Glantons gang of renegade scalp-hunters. Chamberlain describes Holden as gigantic and without hair, honest as Holden is described by McC arthy (Sepich 125). One of the most mysterious qualities of Judge Holden is his faculty to move from place to place and almost be in two places at once. As Tobin says, "every man in the caller-up claims to have encountered that sootysouled rascal in some other place" (McCarthy 124). Holdens first appearance in the novel is a prime example of his ability to appear in two places simultaneously. The Judge manages to escape from the riot in Reverend Greens tent to a saloon where he is completely dry, even though it is pouring rain outside (7-8). The Judge also enigmatically appears next to the kid at the bar where the dancing comprise has except been killed. He looks "little changed or none in all these days" (325). In both of these situations Judge Holden is the cause of the chaos around him. The Judge single-handedly incites the riot on Reverend Green and is the cause of the bear being slaughtered. These events are indicative of the entire novel in that in that location is constant chaos and violence wherever Judge Holden go es. Judge Holdens physical appearance seems unbelievable and full of contrast. Holden towers over everyone, yet he seems pre-pubescent because of his total lack of hair and his small hands and feet. Much of the imagery surrounding Judge Holden describes him in child-like terms. The features of the kid and the Judge tend to equilibrise each other.