Learning from Art: Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian" as a
Critique of Divine DeterminismAuthor(s): Dennis SansomSource:
Journal of Aesthetic Education, Vol. 41, No. 1 (Spring, 2007), pp.
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JSTOR Terms and ConditionsLearning from Art: Cormac McCarthy's
Blood Meridian as a Critique of DivineDeterminism DENNIS SANSOM
Art's Critique of Philosophy We usually thinkthecritic'srole
belongs to philosophy. That is, tounder- stand art's
essentialcharacteristicsand why andhowwe appreciate art, we needa
philosophicalexplanation.Though ourtastesfor art are unique and
personal, we typically thinkthat tounderstandart wemustfirst
explain it. For example, Plato thought hecould explain art as an
emotional inspiration for people, at best,or, at worse, a
distortionof intelligible truths; therefore, according to Plato,
art shouldbe dismissedor censoredina societyseeking social justice
derivedfromthe ideaof justice. Aristotleunderstoodart to be the
imitationof nature; as an imitation, it needsclarification
according to the purposes of nature, and philosophy clarifiesthese
purposes. In either case, art needsto be critiquedby philosophy. It
is customary to hear philosophical critics lectureonart rather than
artistslectureon philosophy. But canart critiquephilosophy? Isit
possible forart to provide ascru- tiny of philosophy that perhaps a
particularphilosophy cannot give itself? I thinkart can provide
this critiquebyusing afeaturethatsome philoso- phers have thought
tobeart's limitationtoclear reasoning-theimagina- tion.
Thoughphilosophers like John Deweyrecognize the importance and
influenceof imagination onourmoralandaestheticalorientationtothe
worldof experience,typically ThomasHobbes'sviewof imaginationpre-
vailsinthe empiricist-leaningphilosophers (for instance,
DavidHumeand Bertrand Russell): the imagination isabout image
recollectionandhence necessary for connecting our ideasto
empiricalexperiences. But for thislat- ter approach, the
imagination doesnotinformusaboutthe world; ratherit
onlybridgesexperience to abstract ideas.What is important, then, is
proper understanding. Forthis approach, themain question is, Canwe
explain theworldbased upon ourclearestaccountoftheroleof
understanding? Dennis Sansom is Professorand Chair of the
Department of Philosophy at Samford University. His professional
interestsinclude the foundation of ethics, medical ethics, and the
relationship between art and philosophy. In 2004 he published
"Tolstoy and the MoralInstructionsof Death"in Philosophy and
Literature. Journalof Aesthetic Education, Vol. 41, No. 1, Spring
2007 @2007Boardof Trusteesof the University of Illinois This
content downloaded from 196.21.233.64 on Wed, 4 Jun 2014 16:13:49
PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions2Sansom Whetherthis
accountrelies upon a psychological modelof the brain'swork- ings,
ascientificmodelofsuccessful theory formation, ora logical model
reflectiveoftruthrelation possibilities, weneed philosophy to
clarify how we gainknowledge, evenin art. Yet, this
approachshortchangesanalysis.Psychology,empirical science, and
logic are notthe onlyways to analyze an idea.If a
philosophypretends to explain our experience ofthe world, thenthe
philosophyopens itselfto this question: Is theideaworth holding
tobetrue according toour experi- encesof the world?A philosophical
claim may be logically consistent, based upongeneralizations of
experience, andbecoherentwith acceptable views of God, the self, or
morality, butifweenvisiontheclaimlivedoutwithin our experience
ofthe world, wouldwewantto accept it? Isitthekindof life
wewouldwant?It takes imagination to answerthese questions, andthe
artist through herorhis uniquetechnique and representation
cantestthe existentialworthof an idea. Hobbes's description ofthe
imaginationrepresentsonly one way toex- plain it. Imagination
ismorethananactof memory andrecollection.It is also reconstruction.
John Dewey's definition highlights this role: "An imagi- native
experience iswhat happens whenvariedmaterialsofsense quality,
emotion, and meaning come together inaunionthatmarksanewbirth
intheworld."' Imagination is always an interpretation
ofwhattheworld couldlooklike.Itnot only mirrorsbut
heightensexperience tofocuson acertain viewpoint aboutthe
possiblemeaning oflife. Bydoing this, the imagination enablesusto
explore whethercertainideasare worth keeping. That is, if wecould
pictureliving this way, wouldwewantto liveit? Because
imaginationoccupies a centralroleinartistic creativity, art pro-
videsausefulmeansof analyzingphilosophical claimsabouttheworld.
Though a philosophermay beableto present anideathatis logically
con- sistent, clearinits categories of
quantity,quality,being,modality, andso on, explicit inallits
assumptions, andeven"clear and distinct," whenthe ideais imagined
inlife situations, itcanloseitsattractivenessfor living. It
canseemabsurdtoournormalmoral experiences. Theartistic imaginative
rendering of an ideacan showthat someunderstandableideasthat
philoso- phers haveofferedare perhaps notworth keeping. Notallart
pretends to critiquephilosophy, butseveralfamousinstances are
evident.Voltaire'sCandide showsthe absurdity ofLeibniz's optimism.
Leibniz's philosophical ideaofGod'sinfinitewisdomand power andofa
sufficientrational explanation for allevents gave him goodlogical
reasons toconcludethatofallthe possible
worldsthatcouldhavebeenthisisthe best.It tookVoltaire's imagination
toshowthatsuchanideacannotsatis- factorilyexplain thehuman
experience of suffering and inexplicable differ- ences among the
differingpeoples of the world.Professor Pangloss's refrain
aftereachsenselessactand painfulexperience that"thisisthebestofall
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16:13:49 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and ConditionsBlood
Meridian, a Critique of Determinism3 possible
worlds"showsthatLeibniz's philosophical ideaneededa critique from
the imagination.Though Leibniz's optimism and theodicy havea logi-
cal appeal, Voltaire'sartistic imagination
showshowabsurdtheideaisin relationto real humanaffairs. Aldous
Huxley's Brave NewWorld gives asimilar critique totheuto- pian
ideaofaclassless society. Marx's philosophical ideaofthematerial
dialectic moving human history towardatimeof justice
inaclasslessso- ciety hasa systematicpersuasiveness. For instance,
ifallhumanaffairsare socioeconomically conditioned, andthe capital
owners exploit andalienate theworkersandeventhemselvestomakea
profit,causing social injustice and suffering,
thentheownerclassneedseliminationsothat justice and
humanfulfillmentcanmaterializeinaclassless society. The
exploitation andalienationoftheworkerscreatethe reaction
oftheworkers against the capital classand propel human history
towardaneliminationofsocial classesand injustices. Theideais simple
anddirectbutabsurdtohuman experience.Huxley'simaginativerendering
ofaclassless society inwhich everyone is happy andfulfilledbecause
they are infantilein their individual responsibilities and drugged
fromlife'suncertaintieswithhedonismshows that utopianism
diminisheshuman dignity and individuality. The idea, which pretends
tooffera way toreachhumanfulfillment byeroding the moralworthof
being a unique individual, isshownto beabsurdto ourlife
experiences. Theartist's imagination,especially in literature,
pictures whatcan hap- pen. Aristotle may be right in saying thatart
imposes anideationalform upon matter, butart
canalsoindicatewhetheran ideationalformshouldbe imposedupon matter.
In keeping withAristotle's terminology, the actuality oftheidea
maypervert or hinderthe potentiality ofthematter. Someideas
donotfulfillthe potentiality ofthehuman experience and they
shouldbe rejected,thoughthey are logical,systematic, andclear.Some
philosophi- calideascannotstandthetestofthe imagination.
Howdoestheartistic imagination test an idea? Theartistic
imagination isnot just afanciful thoughtexperiment ora mirror of
experience. Inthe Critique of Judgement Kant argued thatartistic
imagination hasacreative effect, not just a reproductive one.It
enablesus to imagine whatthe pure reasonof scienceandthe practical
reasonof moral universalizeability
cannotenableustoknow.Asfruitfulfor knowledge as scienceand
moralitymay be, they are limitedto whatis experienced inthe senses,
synthesizedby a prioricategories, oruniversalizedtoadutifulne-
cessity. Becausescienceand morality arerestrictedinwhat they
canknow by theirownmodesof reasoning (thatis, pure and
practical),they lacka creative ability toenvisiona
differentworld.Butart canenvisionaworld in whichthefree
individualcan harmonizeinwillandactionwithnature's purpose. Art's
judgment,according toKant, gives usa new critique ofthe This
content downloaded from 196.21.233.64 on Wed, 4 Jun 2014 16:13:49
PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions4Sansom human
experience: Doourideas really mixwithour experience of purpose
innature?Artcan imagine a purpose to life, whichscienceand morality
cannot explainby their modesof reasoning. Dewey saidart hasa
"totalizing" function. Literary imagination in par- ticular
pictures a wholenessof experience determined by a senseof purpose
that performs the integrating effect.It isa way of experiencing a
purpose withinthe exigencies anduncertaintiesoflife.Aristotle helps
us again in understanding this point. InPoetics (in particular
books VII-XI) hetalks about plotbeing theessentialfeatureofa
tragedy becauseit gives whole- nesstothe story.
Amovementofactioninthecharactersoccursfromthe beginning,
whichdoesnot necessarily follow anything,through the middle,
whichfollowsthe preceding actionandmovesthe story to more effects,
and the end, which naturally followsthe preceding andhas
nothingfollowing it. The particulargenius ofthe artist, inthiscase
literary, comes throughby enabling usto identify
withthismovementbecause throughpity and/or catharsiswe experience a
similar story in our lives. Literary imagination offersa way
totestan idea bypicturing inlifesitu- ationsthemovementofanidea (in
Aristotle's sense). Oncewe artistically rendera philosophical
ideaintoanarrative plot inwhichwecan imagine ourselves experiencing
itsmovement guidedby its teleology, wouldwe wantit?
AlbertWilliamLevi explains thatthis type of critiquerepresents
oneof art's great educationalcontributionsto society: "Whenwe
perceive the arts as'humanities'it is crucialthat we interpret
themas a demandthat we pause, and in their light, reexamineour own
realities,values, and dedica- tions, for the arts not onlypresent
life concretely, stimulatethe imagination, and integrate the
differentculturalelementsof a society or of an epoch,they also
present modelsforourimitationor rejection, visionsand aspirations
which mutely solicitour critical response."2 Ideasneedto be tested,
andart provides a way to evaluatethe life valueof some
philosophical claimsabout the way the worldis or shouldbe.
Asusefuland needfulto our understand- ing as psychology, science,
and logicmay be, a completeanalysisrequires an artistic critique as
well. By using theartistic imagination inthis way, we gain
anothermeansof advancing our analyticalability to evaluatean idea.
I believeCormac McCarthy's 1985 novelBlood Meridian can bereadas an
artistic critique ofa philosophical-theological
idea.Thenovelshowswhat wecan narrativelyimagine to bethelived
experienced ofan idea-ateleol- ogy ofGod's implacable willandhuman
history,especially asitinvolves violenceandwar. Though
thenoveldoesnotusethe phrase, wecancallit the"Theo-Determinist"
philosophy ofhuman destiny. Itis simple, direct, andclear (similar
to Leibniz's optimism): (1) becauseGodis absolutely sov- ereign
over everything, Godistheomni-causal agent of everything; and
(2)every actionthusreflectsGod's holy will.Ofcourse, religious
believ- ers withinTheo-Determinism may relate affectionately and
sincerely tothe This content downloaded from 196.21.233.64 on Wed,
4 Jun 2014 16:13:49 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and
ConditionsBlood Meridian, a Critique of Determinism5 Godofthis
idea, butthereisan absurdity toTheo-Determinism.If weex- amine only
the idea's consistency and comprehensiveness, we may becom- pelled
to assent, but whenwe try to envisiona lifedefined by it, webecome
repulsed.McCarthy'sliteraryimagination reveals why weshould reject
it, andaswasthecaseinCandide andBrave New World, andnowwithBlood
Meridian, wehaveanartistic imaginationcritiquing a
philosophical-theo- logical idea.The following examines aspects of
McCarthy's noveltoshow howa literarycritique revealsthe failureof
an ideain termsof howthe idea could possibly be lived.
NihilismandDivineDeterminisminCormac McCarthy's BloodMeridian I
believe McCarthy's Blood Meridian showsthe absurdity oftheideaofthe
divinedeterminismof human history. Thenovel depicts a history
inwhich
thereisnomoraldifferencebetweennihilismanddivinedeterminism.In
sucha history, wewouldhaveto say thatwarisas holy astheloveofthe
neighbor becauseeach is equally caused by God. We canreadBlood
Meridian inseveral ways: asa story oftheManifest Destiny
oftheUnited States, of theconflictbetween cultures, of humanity's
propensity toward violence, andof great fictional writing.
Itisanartistic analysis oftheTheo-Deterministicclaimandshowsthatthe
claim, though appealing to some, is repulsive inreal
life.Thenovel's plotputs thereader ina quandary ofbeliefs
throughoutbyforcing thereaderto accept a para- doxthatwe
intuitively neverwanttoadmit-inmoral terms, thereisno
differencebetweennihilismanddivine sovereign determinism, foreachis
beyondgood andevil.Whetherwebelievetheworldis completely devoid of
anytrans-subjective moralstandardsorwhetherGoddeterminesallac-
tions by the power of the divine will, in either case, our moral
judgments are without any real meaningbeyond
theuseofthem.Onecanreadthenovel asan imaginative, artistic
critique, whichusesataleofa roaming bandof ruthless scalp hunters
fightingequally ruthlessadversariesto highlight the disturbing
moral consequences oftheideaof Theo-Determinism. BloodMeridian is
terrifying on twolevels. First, it may be the mostviolent
noveleverwritten.The amountand intensity of crueltythroughout the
book shocksthereader. The bookmakesonewince. Second, it depicts
intermsof a dramatic plot just how terrifying Godis if Godis the
sovereign determiner ofall events.Referencesto inevitability,
absolute destiny, andGod'seternal plan interlacethenovel's story
ofa group of scalpers inMexico during the 1860s,
namedaftertheirleader JohnJoel Glanton (who hasactualhistori- cal
roots),3 as they movefromone bloodyepisode tothenext.In themidst
ofthesehorrendouseventsdances (and indeedhedances throughout) the
seven-foot-tall,hairless,albino,sinister,pedophiliac"judge"(small
casein the book), a memberof the mercenarygang of scalpers.
Etchedon hisrifle is This content downloaded from 196.21.233.64 on
Wed, 4 Jun 2014 16:13:49 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and
Conditions6Sansom thenameEt In Arcadia Ego ("Even in Arcadia [that
is, a rural place of peace and simplicity] thereI am, Death").4
Nooneknowshis origins, or why he speaksmanylanguages, or
howheknowsto make gunpowder outof sulfur and urine, andnooneseeshim
sleep. But everyone knowswhathestands for-"Waris God," he
proclaims.5 Whoisthe judge? In drawingparallels withMelville's Moby
Dick, Har- oldBloom says: "I thinkthat McCarthy is warning
hisreaderthat the Judge [sic] is Moby
DickratherthanAhab.Asanotherwhite enigma, thealbino Judge like the
albino whale, cannotbe slain."6 Though carnal, primeval, and
relentlesslikethe whale, McCarthy doesnot pretend that the judge
isGod. The novel displays himas God's prophet. Whatever exists,
hesaid.Whateverincreationexistswithout my knowledge existswithout
my consent. Helookedaboutat the dark forest in which they
werebivouacked. Henoddedtowardthe specimens he'dcollected.These
anonymous creatures, he said, may seemlittleor nothing
intheworld.Yetthe smallestcrumbcandevourus. Any smallest thing
beneath yon rock outofmen's knowing.Only naturecanenslavemanand
only when the existenceof each last entity is routedoutandmadeto
standnaked beforehimwillhe be properly suzerainof theearth. What'sa
suzerain? A keeper. A keeper or overlord. Why not saykeeper then?
Becauseheis a special kindof keeper. A suzerainrulesevenwhere there
are other rulers. His authority countermandslocal judgements.
Toadvine spat. The judgeplaced hishandsonthe ground.
Helookedathisin- quisitor. Thisis my claim, hesaid.And
yeteverywhereupon itare pockets
ofautonomouslife.Autonomous.Inorderforittobemine nothing mustbe
permitted tooccur upon it save bymydispensation. (198-99) The
judgekeeps a ledger ofhis zoological andbotanical findings. When
heseesanunknownanimalor plant, herecordsandthenkillsit.Itsvalue
liesnotin its autonomy and integrity butin being underthe judge's
control. Killing theanimalsand plants isnot peripheral totheir
place intheworld. To dieislife'sreal goal, andlife's
highestexpression isthewarofhumans against humans:"War
isthetruestformofdivination. It isthe testing of one's
willandthewillofanotherwithinthat larger willwhichbecauseit
bindsthemisthereforeforcedtoselect.War istheultimate game because
warisat lasta forcing ofthe unity ofexistence.War is god" (249).
Andthe judge is a ruthless, calculating, and sovereignkilling
animal.He epitomizes a world's purpose that haswaras its
divinewill. Wedonotfindan explicitexplanation
inthebookforthenovel'stitle. Yet thetitle (Blood Meridian, orthe
Evening Redness in the West) pictorially expresses the
tale'sthemeof preordainedcruelty. A meridianis botha circle This
content downloaded from 196.21.233.64 on Wed, 4 Jun 2014 16:13:49
PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and ConditionsBlood Meridian, a
Critique of Determinism7 through the globalpoles andthe
highestpoint ofa development. From north to south, the
highestexpression of humanevolutionin the novelisthe bloodshedof
war-henceblood meridian. War takesall the accomplishments
ofcultureandusesthemnot only toshedenormousamountsofbloodbut alsoto
justify war's mayhem. A bloodmeridianiswarinallitsformsand its
justifications, whether theological, national, or cultural; itisthe
pinna-
cleofaculture'ssuccessanddominance.War'slevelofviolencedecreases
therelative importance ofall
othersocietalachievementsbecauseoncehu-
manconflictreachesthelevelof war, it becomestheultimate expression
of human intention, successand defeat, and purpose. The
metaphysicallyhighestjustification forwaristoclaimGodusesit
toworkoutadivine plan. And, consequently, ifGodasthe all-powerful,
perfect being can determinewarto be good, then people can also
justifyany actionas good. And, ifwaris divinely ordained, thenmoral
categories be- come empty. If thedestructionandterror ofwarare
goodby divine decree, thenwhatcanbebadactions?Ifwarisdetermined by
God, thenweare indeed beyondgood and evil.With sucha
theological-metaphysicalsystem, wedonothaveto worry
aboutthedifferencebetweena just warandan unjust one.In a
bloodmeridianthereisa metaphysicalplan, butthereare
nomoraldistinctionsbecauseif Godordainswarbased upon the authority
of God's will, thenwhetherwethinkit is just or
notmakesnodifferenceto its place withinthedivine plan. Thus, wecan
say thenovel'sbloodmerid- ian is a world beyondgood and evil, a
moral nihilism, in whichit is possible that
warisboththecruelestandmostdivine activitypossible for humans.
Furthermore, the judge incarnatesthe bloodmeridian. In 1878, after
not seeing the"kid" for twenty-eightyears, the judgerapes
andkillshiminafoulouthouseintheTexasPanhandletownofGriffin.
Togethertheyfought and scalped inGlanton's gang.They meet by chance
inabar.Yearsearlierthekidhad escaped the judge's murderousintent
toward him; hedidnotkillthe judge whenhehadthe opportunity.Aveng-
ing Yuma IndiansneartheColoradoRiverhad split Glanton'sheaddown to
the thrapple, burnedhis body, paraded hisheadona paling, androasted
the remaininggang. The kidandthe ex-priest Tobin, another gang
member, fledthe revenging Yumas, but they alsoranfromthe judge,
whohades- caped the Yumas as wellandnow sought to killthe kid.
Wewould expect the judge andkid'sreunionafter twenty-eightyears
tobeatleast cordial, for they didsharethesame destiny as scalpers,
but from thefirst weknowthe judgeyearns tokillhim. Why? Years
earlierina Mexican prison the judge toldthe kid: Dont [sic] be
afraid, hesaid.I'll speaksoftly. It'snotfortheworld's ears butfor
yoursonly. Let mesee you. Dont [sic] you knowthat I'd haveloved you
likea son? This content downloaded from 196.21.233.64 on Wed, 4 Jun
2014 16:13:49 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and
Conditions8Sansom Hereached through thebars.Come here,
hesaid.Letmetouch you. The kidstoodwithhis backto the wall.
Comehere if you are not afraid, whispered the judge. I aint [sic]
afraid of you. The judge smiled.He spokesoftly
intothedimmudcubicle.You came forward, he said, totake part
inawork.But you wereawit- ness againstyourself. You satin judgement
on your owndeeds.You putyour ownallowancesbeforethe judgements of
history and you brokewiththe body of which you were pledged a part
and poisoned it in all its enterprise. Hear me, man.I spoke
inthedesertfor you and youonly and you turnedadeafeartome.If
warisnot holy manis nothing butantic clay. (306-7) Andwhen they
meet again, the judge in King James languagesays tothe kid:"Drink
up, hesaid.Drink up. This nightthy soul may be required of thee"
(327). Why isthe kid'ssoul required and why is the judge his Judge?
In a world governedby the implacable willof a Godwhodetermineswar
aswellas life, any formof pacifism or moral questioning
ofwarhastobe eliminated.The judge knowsthat the kid, though an
expert killer himself, is not totally committedto the war against
the Indians.Hedoesnot praise the Manifest Destiny of
AmericancultureovertheSouthwestAmerindians.He
doesnotseetheresolutewillofGodinthedestructionofinnocentYumas
andMexicans.The kid subconsciouslykeepspart of hissoul's
passionaway fromthedestructionofwar. The judge,being the power
ofnot only death butofGodinsucha violent world, cannotenduresuch
heresy. Becausehe thinksheshouldresisteveninhismodest way the
mayhem and slaughter ofthe blood meridian, thekidisa heretic.The
book'stitle symbolically de- picts a worldordered by a
Godwhouseswarto workhiswill.At the zenith of the day,
humanliveshaveto be spent to workoutthe morally inscrutable mystery
ofa sovereign will.It doesnotmatterwhetherit isthe raping, cas-
trating,disemboweling, and scalpingby theComanchesofthekid'sfirst
gang of filibusters, or thesenselessand deceptivekillings and
scalpings of the Apachesby theGlanton gang, orthebutcheredsevenor
eight babies hungupthrough their jaws on mesquite hooks by the
Apaches, or the bust- ing oftheMexicanbabies'heads by theDelaware
Indians, or themassacre ofGlanton's gangby theYuma. Everyone
isviolent.TheheinousGlanton gang isnoworseorbetterthanthose
theyscalp. War isthecommonde- nominator among all people. It
servesGod's purpose, andsincewaristhe mostextremeform of human
cruelty andit can be used by a Sovereign Lord tomove providence,
thenwaristhemeridianofGod's sovereignways in the world, the
activity whereheavenandearthmeet.SuchaviewofGod and providence is
terrifying to our moralsensitivities. IntheworldofBlood Meridian,
thekid blasphemes andthushastobe dominated,likethe bugs the
judgeputs in his ledger.According to Kenneth Millard: This content
downloaded from 196.21.233.64 on Wed, 4 Jun 2014 16:13:49 PMAll use
subject to JSTOR Terms and ConditionsBlood Meridian, a Critique of
Determinism9 [The judge] toois subordinateto the larger forcesofthe
text, forcesto
whichheisalertandwhichhealoneseekstounderstandhimselfin the
contextof: "Our animositieswereformedand waiting beforeever
wetwomet" (307). The judge understandsthe largerparameters of
theviolent struggles ofblood meridian andhis project of putting ev-
erything in his bookis part of hiswillto power whichnecessitatesthe
subordinationofthekid.This isall part oftheritualofthedancethat the
judgeexpounds as helamentsthe passing oftheoldWest andthe
"sanctityof blood"that it consistedof(331). In the
bloodmeridianthere cannotbea place for doubtingprovidence, and the
judge isthe bloodmeridian's grandinquisitor. We
donotknowfromwherethe judge comesortowherehe goes. He never sleeps,
andheknowsscientificandhistoricalfactsthat hisfellowrid- ers only
blinkat incredulously. Heisunrealinanormal world, butinthe
bloodmeridianheisthe epitome ofwhatisreal-that is, theholinessof
war. Hencethe judge isan imaginativepicturing ofa worlddefined by
di- vineomni-causaldeterminism.Healsoshowshowabsurdsuchanideais and
why it shouldbe rejected. Afterthe judgerapes andmurdersthe kid,8
heisseen dancing naked onthebarsurrounded by
drunkenadmirersandlustfulwhores.Itisnot thefirst timethe judge
dances.Years earlierhe adopted ahomelessMexi- can boy and plays
withhimfor several days. In the night he rapes the boy, breakshis
neck, and hangs him visibly froma pole. As they ride out, the gang
seesthe judgedancing, silhouettedona rock ledge, naked, as though
inanecstatic frenzy. The judge's danceisnot only an expression of
spon- taneous joy.
Itistheembodimentofabloodmeridian.Itistheoutburst ofasoul caughtup
inthedivinewillwhowieldswarand cruelty toef- fect an intransigent
will. John Emil Sepichsays thesame thing: "The world
McCarthy'sJudge definesisa worldofinflexibleoutcome.Theexerciseof
willcannotovercome'destined ends."'9 Thusthe judge's danceis notan
act of gratitude towarda benevolent deity butthebloodlustofa
shamanwho worships a Godthat uses cruelty as easily and purposively
as compassion. McCarthy's useofdance parallels
thedanceofZarathustrainFriedrich Nietzsche'sThus Spake Zarathustra:
Into youreyes Ilooked recently,O life:Isaw goldblinking in your
night-eye;my heart stopped in delight: a golden boatI saw blinking
onnocturnal waters, a goldenrocking-boat,sinking,drinking, and
winkingagain. At my foot, frantic to dance, you cast a glance, a
laugh- ing,questioning,meltingrocking-glance:...My heels twitched,
then my toeshearkenedtounderstand you, androse:forthedancerhas his
ears in histoes....I danceafter you, I followwherever your traces
linger. Whereare you? Giveme your hand!Or only one finger.10
ZarathustrakillsGodandaffirmslife.Heownshis destiny andleaves
behind good andevil.Hefacesthestillesthouroftotal despair (inwhat
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16:13:49 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions10Sansom
Nietzschecallsthe"doctrine oftheeternal recurrence") andlearnsto
dance to the momentof life hehas. Though Nietzsche'sZarathustrahas
many levels (pilgrim, social critic, atheist, andtesterof spirits),
hisdanceishisfreedomasa fully self-con- scious person ina
worldwithout providence andGodandinwhich only hecanmake meaning.
Untilhe rejects God, providence,categories of good and evil,
andeven reason, heisenslavedtoheteronormativeforces.To be
arealadult (or asNietzschewould say, areborn "Child"), hemust pro-
claimthedeathof Godandall relatedbeliefsthat rest on religious
faith (for example, even concepts of grammar and truth, sothinks
Nietzsche). The removalof theseshacklesunleashesinstinctive
energies of human will, and
thusZarathustradances.Hedancesbecauseheisa nihilist.
Butthebloodmeridianisnota metaphysical nihilism, andthe judge's
danceinit is notthedanceof humanfreedom opposing God's sovereignty.
Certainly, the worldof the bloodmeridianis lawless, andthe
distinctionbe- tween good and badis
irrelevant.Kindnesshasnomoreeffectin thelivesof people than terror.
The judge acts without compunction or regret. Heseems to
makehisownlawsof behavior just ashedoeshisown metaphysical in-
terpretations of divine purpose andhumandestinies.His freedom,
though, is onlyapparent, as may be the apparentmetaphysical
nihilismin the blood meridian.Divine destiny rules every human
interaction, whethersmallor great, andthe greatest
ofallhumanactions-that is, thatwhich possesses human destiny onceit
is unleashed-iswar. There is a metaphysicalpurpose to everything.
In a bloodmeridianwaristheinstrumentused by Godtoworkoutan
implacable willand plan, a willthat showshuman autonomy andhencehu-
manmoral responsibility are merely nominalat bestand illusory at
worse. The bloodmeridianis nihilistic, butitisanihilism resulting
fromthedic- tatesofa Sovereign Lord controlling humanlives.
McCarthy's Blood Merid- ian
showsthatintermsofmoraldistinctionsandmoral accountability, the
moral differencebetweendivinedeterminismandmoral nihilismis a
differ- encewithouta real
distinctionbecauseintermsofhowwewouldevaluate life, metaphysical
determinism requires moralnihilism. We may
thinkthattheconnectionofmoralnihilismanddivinedeter-
minismcontradictsitself-that is, aworldwithadivine sovereign deter-
mining humanaffairs is ontologically differentthana
nihilisticworld.This istrueasfar astheexistenceofa supremebeing is
concerned, butitisnot true asfar as moral judgments
andhumanaffairsare concerned.Thenihil- ismofthe bloodmeridianis
nota metaphysical nihilismbecauseGodisthe
ultimatefoundationanddeterminerof reality. Theworldhasa plan, but
becauseGodordainswarwiththesame purpose asGodordains life, then the
nihilismisa moralnihilism.Theworldis beyond themoraldistinction
between good andevil.Ina morally nihilisticworldthehorrorsdone by
the Glanton gang are nodifferentthanthehorrorsdone by theComanches
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16:13:49 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and ConditionsBlood
Meridian, a Critique of Determinism11 and Apaches. Ina divinely
determinedworldinwhichGodistheomni- causal agent ofallactionsand
things, the differing horrors play thesame important role withinthe
divinewilland plan. In a morally nihilistic world, the
judgemetaphysically understandstheworldbetterthanother people
becauseheis his own master, recording lifein his ledger and
conquering the hereticalkid.In a divinely
determinedworldinwhichthereisnorealhu- man autonomy, the
judge'srape, torture, slaughter, murder, anddiabolical
deviousnessare nomore innately evilthat thekid'sreluctanceto
rejoice in thedeathofIndiansand Mexicans, andhis rejection ofthe
divinity ofwar isan indicationof a morally badconscience.Neitheris
really free to dooth- erwise.Inthebloodmeridianthere may bea
SupremeBeingdictating the world's events, buttheworldis voidof
moral meaning. If waris God, then not only arewe beyondgood and
evil, butGodisalso beyondgood and evil.Divine sovereigntyspills
overintomoralnihilismandback again in a bloodmeridian.It takesa
literaryimagination like McCarthy's to picture this strangelooping.
Socratesonce posed a question to Euthryphro, asrecordedinPlato's
Euthryphro: Ifthatwhichis holy isthesameasthatwhichisloved by the
gods andthatwhichis holy islovedbecauseitis holy, thenthatwhichis
loved by the gods wouldhavebeenlovedbecauseitisloved by the gods;
butifwhatisloved by the gods isloved by thembecauseitis loved by
them, thenthat whichis holy wouldhavebeen holy because it isloved
by them.But now you seethatthereverseisthe case, and that they are
quite differentfromoneanother.Theoneislovedbe- causeit is
initiallyworthy of love, theotheris worthy of lovebecause it is
initially loved.11 We cancallthistheSocraticdilemma.In option A, if
x, y, andzare inher- entlyholy, then holinessis a moralfeature
separate from God.In option B, if x, y, andz are holyonly
becauseGoddeterminesthemto be holy, thenGod candeclarethem unholy
aswell.With option A, byseparating the concept ofholinessfromGod's
reality, weareledtoa theological incoherence.We canbe holy, thatis
godlike,separate fromGod.Butifholinessis godlike, then God, who by
definitionwouldbe holy, mustmake x, y, andz holy; but thisis what
option A rejects. With option B, byequating
holinesswithwhateverGoddictatesand determines, weare ledtoa
moralincoherence.God may declare x, y, and ztobe unholyalthough
hehad previously declaredthemtobe holy, but
wecannotknowwhatinherentfeatures x, y, andz may havethatwould
indicatetheir holiness.We cannotmakeconsistentmoralclaims.Dueto
this limitation, weneverknowwhether something is trulyholy or
notbecause God may havedeclareditone way
oranother,andwedonotknowthe declaration. This content downloaded
from 196.21.233.64 on Wed, 4 Jun 2014 16:13:49 PMAll use subject to
JSTOR Terms and Conditions12Sansom Thusthe Socratic
dilemmameansthat in trying to relate holinessto God,
weareleftwitheither theological incoherenceormoralincoherence.The
story of McCarthy's BloodMeridian rulesout takingoption A (that is,
wecan separate holinessfrom God) becauseoneofthe book'sthemesisthat
all life isdetermined by God, even war,
andthuswecanandshoulddeclarethat "war is holy."
Inabloodmeridianweknowthe reality ofGodinthere- alitieswe
experience. There is no mystery to Godbecause nothinghappens
mysteriously. Allis divinely
determined.God'swilliscoherentinthefated destiny of
everylivingthing. There is no theological incoherence. But
becausethe bloodmeridianaffirms option B, weare leftwitha pro-
foundmoralincoherenceaboutthefated destiny of everylivingthing. Be-
causeGoddictatesall things, eventhe savagery of war, thenwarand
peace are not morally different.We maypreferpeace, butifthe holy
Goddeter- mineseachto be equallypart of thedivine plan,
wecannotdiscerna funda- mentalmoraldifferencebetween peace andwar.
If ethicalreflectioncannot ascertainconsistentmoral principlesby
whichto guide and judge our lives, thenitisincoherentto apply the
concept ofholinesstohumanaffairsand alsotodivineaffairs. In the
bloodmeridianwedonotknowwhatholiness means.It iswhatever
happensaccording tothedivine dictates, andweare left
affirmingopposites (war and peace) to be both holy. Consequently,
becausewedonotunderstandthe concept of holiness, itwouldnotmake any
senseto apply the concept ofholinesstoGod.It wouldbeincoherentto
equate GodandGod'sdeterministic plan withholi-
nessbecausewedonotunderstandthe meaning ofholiness.In fact, inthe
bloodmeridianto say Godis holy is actually a simpletautology--God
is God.We wouldneedtounderstandholiness separate fromGodtobeable to
predicate holinessto God, butthisiswhatthebloodmeridian rejects.
The bloodmeridian's major premise-divine determinismandholinessare
inseparable-leads ustomoralincoherenceabout holiness, which
prevents usfrom meaningfullyapplying the concept
ofholinesstohumanaffairs aswellasdivineaffairs.This consequently
leadsustoseethe vapidity of equating
divinedeterminismwithholiness.Theconclusioncontradictsthe major
premise. We donotunderstandthecontradiction's
poignancybyonlyexamining the logic ofTheo-Determinismbecause
according toits logic, if Godissov- ereign anddetermines
everything, andGodis holy, thenallhumanaffairs reflect God's holy
will.There is nocontradiction.But byimagining theidea put intoa
narrativeaboutthe judge, the scalpings, the kid, andthesense-
lessactsof cruelty, all supposedly determined by God, as McCarthy
doesin Blood Meridian, wesee the moral absurdity of the logic of
Theo-Determinism. Denis Donoghuerightly observesthatoneofthemost
glaring features oftheBlood Meridianis McCarthy's refusalto pass
moral judgment on anything: "But themain difficulty ofthe book..,.
is McCarthy'sapparent This content downloaded from 196.21.233.64 on
Wed, 4 Jun 2014 16:13:49 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and
ConditionsBlood Meridian, a Critique of Determinism13 refusalto
adjudicate; or rather, hisrefusaltoallowanimmediate judgment
tobeelicited byany deed.Thenarrative style-'neuterausterity'-makes
ethical judgment seemnaiveto itselfandtherefore willing
tobesubsumed in ostensiblylarger considerations."12The larger
considerationisthatina worldinwhichthere is noreal
moraldifferencebetweenthe horrorsofhu- manaffairsandthe eternal
decree, ethical judgments are outof place.They are naive,
theresultofthosewhothinkthe deliberatingagent is actually freefrom
anymetaphysical force dictating the grand schemeofallevents intoa
plan ordainedfromthe foundationsofthe world.In the bloodmerid- ian
only the inexperienced and unseasoned, likethe kid, suppose amoral
conscienceshouldcauseour repulsion to the slaughter of
childrenandother innocents. Only the naivethinkthere is
holinessandthat wecan willit. The judge refutessuch naivete, andhis
proto-Neitzschean dance, whichcomes from the energy of living in a
world beyondgood and evil, is the eradication of any theodicy
concern.We donothaveto ask howthere can be a holy God
andevilbecausewedonothaveto believein holiness. Whenwe begin to
imagine aworldas McCarthy has narrated, wefind thisconclusionto
beintolerable.For Godtowill holiness, thelinkbetween divine
sovereignty and moralnihilismmustbe brokenandthe bloodmerid- ian
refuted.Godandthe worldcannotbe beyondgood andevilif weare to have
any coherentsenseofGod willing holinessandhumans actually do- ing
holiness.If thebloodmeridian's wedding ofmoralnihilismanddivine
determinismis wrong, thena moraldifferenceexistsbetweenthe
scalpers, Indians, innocent babies, andmurderedMexicans.If weare
facedwiththe realitiesof good and evil, thenthe judge is
fundamentally differentthanthe boy he rapes andkills.Thekid's
guilty conscience requires thatGoddoes notdictateit.If
Goddeterminesthekidtowinceatthesenseless slaugh- ter of Indians,
thenmoralnihilism reigns intheworldunderthebannerof the implacable,
ineluctable, irresistiblebutamoralwillofGod.If Godisthe omni-causal
agency of this world, thenmoraldistinctionsare not only irrel-
evantbut an obstacleto the "dance" (that is, the celebrationof
livingbeyond good and evil). In the blood meridian, "We all end up
likethe kid, violated andsmotheredinthe shithouse;
buthowcanwedaretoattacha unique significance eventothis?Forweare
granted nomarksof distinction, no specialdispensation, but only
theever-renewedimmanenceofthe dance, embodiedinthe
grotesquelypirouettingfigure ofthe judge,"says Steven Shaviro.13
Andifwedonotend up likethe kid, weend up inthebloodmeridian
dispassionate and despaired observersofacruel world, realizing
thatwe cannot change itsineluctableforcesof hostility and
brutality. Thisfatalism permeates the blood meridian, andthe novel
graphicallydepicts it in many ways but noneclearer than inthe
following event: This content downloaded from 196.21.233.64 on Wed,
4 Jun 2014 16:13:49 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and
Conditions14Sansom Ona rise at the western edge ofthe
playatheypassed a crudewood- encrosswhere Maricopas hadcrucifiedan
Apache. Themummied corpsehung fromthecrosstreewithitsmouth gaped
inaraw hole, a thing ofleatherandbonescoured by the pumice
windsoffthelake andthe pale tree oftheribs showingthrough the
scraps ofhidethat hung fromthebreast. They rodeon.Thehorses
trudgedsullenly the alien ground andthe roundearth
rolledbeneaththem silentlymilling the greater voidwherein they
werecontained.Intheneuter austerity [emphasis added]
ofthatterrainall phenomena were bequeathed a strangeequality
andnoone thing nor spider norstonenorbladeof grass could put
forthclaimto precedence....[N]othing morelumi-
nousthananother...all preference ismadewhimsicalandaman anda rock
becomeendowedwith unguessedkinships. (247) If wethink that
Godordains everything, even war, thena "neuter austerity"
deadensour sensitivity to the suffering of the innocent, the horror
of human evil, andwelosethe ability to beshocked by
moralatrocities.In losing the ability to be shocked by senseless
suffering, wefail to recognize the uneven- nessofmoral choices,
thatthereisamoraldifferencebetweenabladeof grass anda person. But
in a bloodmeridianwecannotfindethical reasons,
whichwouldbeindicativeof a moral teleology, to denouncethe hanging
of an Apache ona Christian symbol of redemption because, in fact,
weknow thatthe unguessedkinship ofalllifeisGod's implacable
andinscrutable will. However, if there are choicesfor moral
realities, whichare good and evil, then all is not divinely
determined.Godacts in holyways andwecan make moralchoices only if
holinessand good andevildeedsare understandable to us, without
relyingupon the sovereign willofGod determining thatwe
makethemoralchoices.Thisconclusiondoesnot require usto postulate
that moralrealitiesare unrelatedto God.It is conceivablethat
Godcouldbe intimately involvedwithhumanaffairs (for example, aswith
mysticism or Godasthe ground of being itself) and people
stillmakereal moralchoices. Insucha case, wewouldneedtorethink
sovereignty ina way thatdis- tinguishes itfromdeterminism.That may
be conceivable, butwhatisnot
conceivableistoclaimthatwearemoralandhence morallyresponsible
becauseit wasdetermined by Godto bethat way. We couldask
whatdifferenceit makestohowwelive intentionally and critically
intheworldwhetherwebelieve everything isdictated by God or that
people choosemoralrealitiesthemselves.In eachcasethereare the same
wars, judges, and strugglesagainst deathand misery. A perplexing
episode inBlood Meridian suggests ananswer.NeartheCasasGrandesRiv-
er the scalpers meeta juggler whousestarot cardstoreveala certain
gang member'sfate. [Thekid] tookone.He'dnotseensuchcardsbefore,yet
theonehe heldseemedfamiliarto him.Heturnedit upside downand
regarded it andheturnedit back. This content downloaded from
196.21.233.64 on Wed, 4 Jun 2014 16:13:49 PMAll use subject to
JSTOR Terms and ConditionsBlood Meridian, a Critique of
Determinism15 The juggler tookthe boy's handin
hisownandturnedthecard so hecouldsee.Then hetookthe card andheldit
up. Cuatrode copas, hecalled out.... The judge was
laughingsilently. (94) The judgelaughs, becausethe card confirmshis
suspicions ofthekid.Card readers interpret theCuatro de Copas (the
Fourof Cups) inseveral ways. The card depicts a man sitting
underneatha tree, contemplating three cups whileoblivioustoa fourth
cup offeredtohim.Is the reclining manindeci-
sive,conflicted,unaware, ordoubtful?He contemplates and weighs what
he sees.The picture indicatesan intenseinner struggle, for
whateverreason. The kid, in turn, is internallystruggling
withtheblood meridian, whileall alongparticipating initswar. Heis
incongruent withthebloodmeridian's force of lifeanddeath.Like
theFour of Cups, his subjectivity isoutof sync withthe objectivity
ofthebloodmeridian.His internally troubledstateis the first step
toward finallyrejecting the bloodmeridian.Hiseventualbreak begins
in his contemplation of human cruelty. It is becausewehavethe sub-
jectiveexperience of contemplating moral obligations thatweknowwedo
notliveina worldcontrolled by an intractabledivinewill. Throughout
the novel, wewitness mayhem anddeathbutweneverhear anyonecry or
show pain. It is as though there is no subjectivity inthe blood
meridian, andindeedthe inner worldof contemplation, emotional
conflicts, pain, andsorrowareincoherentinaworld completely
determinedtobe whatitis.If every eventand person
areordainedtofollowanimmutable law, thenthere is no subjective
life. We may call somethingsubjective, butit is a
vapiddesignation.People are bornanddiein bloodmeridianand they
mayphysically feelcutsand shots, but they cannotknow compassion,
won- der,sorrow, or regret. Theseinteriorstates require
anautonomous being whohasa subjective stateinwhichonecan
contemplate, reflect,evaluate, and judge the moral qualities of
experience.Contemplation, reflection, eval- uation, and judgment
occurinthe personal realmoftheindividual. They
cannotoccurinadetermined plan, whethernaturalor supernatural. The
personal realm,then, mustbe separate fromthedivine plan,
andforthere to bemoralrealitiesaboutwhichwe decide, this separation
is required. In knowing thatmoralchoicesare livelyoptions
forusbecause theypresent obligations indicativeofa
teleologicalplace inthe world, weknowthat we existas
individualsincontrasttoa determined plan inwhichall things are
thesame by fiat.We canbeaccountableand responsible toadivine plan,
butthe plan cannotbe theirresistiblecauseof our personal realm.
After displaying a prehistoric femurbonetothe gang's new recruits,
the judge recordsit in his "ledger of life" andthen says to them:
There isno mystery to it, hesaid. The recruitsblinked dully. Your
heart'sdesireistobetoldsome mystery. The mystery isthat there isno
mystery.(252) This content downloaded from 196.21.233.64 on Wed, 4
Jun 2014 16:13:49 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and
Conditions16Sansom Thereason why thereisno mystery isthat
everything isdetermined.We may be ignorant inthebloodmeridianof why
Godcausestheworldtobe the way it is, butthereis nothingultimately
inscrutableaboutitbecause Godis the omni-causal reality of
everything, eventhe judge andwar. A mysteryrequires morethan
ignorance onour part.LudwigWittgen- stein's "Big Book"
thoughtexperimenthelpsexplain thenatureof mystery: "Suppose oneof
you werean omniscient person andthereforeknewallthe
movementsofallthebodiesintheworlddeadoraliveandthathealso knewall
the statesof mindof all human beings that ever lived, and suppose
this manwroteall he knewin a big book, thenthis wouldcontainthe
whole description ofthe world; andwhatI wantto say is,
thatthisbookwould contain nothing that wewouldcallanethical
judgment."14 Evenifwedis- coverthat all the facts in the Big Book
are caused by God, westill cannotcall any ofthemmoralrealities.The
compelling natureofmoralchoicesaffects our personal realm,
nottherealminwhich deterministic, causal explana-
tionssucceed.Withinourdeliberationsaboutwhatis good or bad, right
or wrong, virtueor vice, wedonot stop our investigations at
naturalor meta- physical causes, though these types of causes may
be helpful in determining whereweare
intheworldofnaturalforceswithourmoral judgments. In ethical
reflection, we investigate ourselvesas beings whohavea personal
realmandmoral agency.Morality is alwaysself-reflecting,
self-conscious, and self-evaluating, andthiscannotbe put intoa
deterministic plan. There is mystery in the worldbecausemoral
judgments are made, butthiscannot beinbloodmeridian.Thisis why the
judgerejectsanymystery. Thereis only the ineluctableand
non-challengeable divinewill.
Doesadeterminedworldlookdifferentthanaworldwithmoral mys- tery
init? Is a worldfilledwith autonomous, moral beings, whocan recog-
nizeandmakemoral choices, really differentthantheworldoftheblood
meridian?War existsin both; judgesrape andkillinboth.Arethereclues
thatwouldindicateaworldof good andevil?Ifitwere possible tolook
attwo worlds, eachwiththesameactivitiesbutonewith autonomous, moral
beings andtheother following thedictatesofan all-governingplan,
beyondgood and evil, couldwedeterminethedifference?The posing of
the questiongives the answer-in deliberating betweenthe two worlds,
we are contemplating (like the figure intheCuatro de Copas), hence
showing evidencethat wecannotevenenvisiona worldwithoutthe personal
realm. Though theeventsare the same, the only worldwecan recognize
isonein whichwemakemoralchoices.Wehavetoassumeamoralworldtorec-
ognize it, andthatassumeswecan recognize amoralchoice.Itis impos-
siblefor ustothinkourchoicefor a moralworldisdetermined by a world
beyondgood andevil. Contemplationrequires a separation betweenour
agency toreflectand judge fromthat upon whichwe contemplate, butthe
logic ofdeterminismmakesthis separationmetaphysicallyimpossible. In
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16:13:49 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and ConditionsBlood
Meridian, a Critique of Determinism17 truth,however, contemplation
comesfromthe capacities ofour personal realm. We can identify a
worldthat hasa personal realm with wishes, inten- tions,
andself-reflectionbecausewehavea personal realm ourselves, which
thereby settlesthe question. Yes, wecandeterminewhichworldwelive
in, and it is a worldwith good and evil, nota bloodmeridian.In
fact, wecannot recognize
aworldinwhichallisdeterminedbecausesuchaworldwould preclude the
personal realm, whichisa cognitivenecessity to recognizing that
theworldis beyondgood andevil.We havetoknow good andevilto
conjecture a world beyond them.Butsuchaworldisnotourworld.Blood
Meridian forcesustoadmitthattheTheo-Deteministicideacannot actually
explainanyimaginable worldin whichwecouldlive.
ButtheTheo-Deterministadherent may haveonelastdefense-acon-
trollingsovereign Godisneededto guarantee moral meaning intheworld
andavoidmoraland metaphysical nihilism.But in fact, as shown above,
the opposite occursinthebloodmeridian.WhenGodcauses everything and
evenwarandthe judge are instrumentsofthedivine will, thentheworld
welivein is beyondgood andevil.The rejection of the
bloodmeridiandoes notlessentheholinessofGod.In fact, affirming
determinismmakesitim- possible toclaimGodis holy. Also, the
rejection doesnotthrow humanity intoa moralvoid. Rather, to avoida
morally void world, wehavetorefute determinism.If wewantto
believein a holy Godandreal moral judgments andlive accordingly,
thenwehavetodismissTheo-Determinism.Vereen Bell's point is similar:
To enterthoseworldsandmovearoundthem effectively wearere- quired
tosurrenderallCartesian predispositions andrediscover some primal
stateofconsciousness prior toits becoming identified with
thinkingonly. Thereisa powerfulpressure of meaning inMc- Carthy's
novels, butthe experience of signification doesnottrans-
lateintocommunicableabstractionsof significance. In McCarthy's
world, existenceseemsbothto precede and preclude essence, andit
paradoxically derivesits importance fromthisfactalone.. ..Ethi- cal
categories donotruleinthis environment, or even pertain. Moral
considerationsseemnottoaffect outcomes; actionsandeventsseem
determined whollybycapricious and incomprehensible fates.15 If
ethical categories donot rule, thenwecannotmakesenseofthisworld or
ofa Godwhousesa bloodmeridianfor divine purposes. EdwinArnold says,
"The worldis a wild place in McCarthy's fiction, andits Godis a
wild andoften savage and mostly unknowable God, buta Godwhose
presence certainly beckons."16 Yet, in
bloodmeridianGoddoesnotbeckon.Godcon- trols absolutely, andfor usto
postulate an all-controllingdeity, weshould stopcalling God holy
andalso stopthinking wehavea personal realm.But
metaphysicallydenying our personal realmisincoherent.Furthermore,if
holinessmeansthemoral quality of beinggodlike, thenGodcannotnotbe
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16:13:49 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions18Sansom
holy. Andif morality entailsan obligation todo good,
thenwecannotnot havea personal realm andmoral agency. Conclusion
Therefore, thebloodmeridianisthemoral contradiction, and McCarthy's
imaginativetelling ofthe story showsthe absurdity ofthe
philosophical ideabehindthe plot. In theworldofhuman
experience,people are indeed guilty, the judge is diabolical,
andwarishell. Scalping is wrong andkill- ing babiesissinful.The
argument that behindallhuman activity isanim- placable divinewillis
actually not only incoherentbutsinisteritself.Itis
incoherentbecauseit takesa personal realmtomakesucha claim, andit
is sinisterbecauseit excusesthe hellof warandhuman
crueltybysayingthey are necessaryparts ofanoveralldivine plan.
Buttomaintainthata holy Godordainsthe brutality
andviciousnessofwarandhuman cruelty isa contradiction.Godcannotbe
holy andalsothe cause, inwhatever way, of every human event,
especially war.Thebloodmeridianisanabsurdform of reasoning about
Godand human affairs, andone way to read McCarthy's Blood Meridian
isto seeit as a novelistic thoughtexperiment ona particular
ideaaboutdivine sovereignty,showing the logicalabsurdity
andmoralin- coherenceof the ideaof the divinedeterminismof all
human events, includ- ing war.
McCarthy'sliteraryimaginationcritiques the philosophical idea of
Theo-Determinism, revealing itsunattractiveness.Inthiscasefor sure,
wecanbecomebetter philosophers and theologiansbylearning fromthe
artist. NOTES 1. John Dewey, Art as Experience (New York:
Minton,Balch and Company, 1934), 267. 2.AlbertWilliamLeviand Ralph
A. Smith, Art Education:A Critical Necessity: Dis- ciplines in Art
Education:Contexts of Understanding(Urbana and Chicago: Univer-
sity of Illinois Press,1991), 180. 3.See John Emil Sepich, "'What
kindof Indianswasthem?' SomeHistoricalSourc- esin Cormac McCarthy's
Blood Meridian," Southern Quarterly 30, no.4 (Summer 1992): 93-110.
4.Leo Daughertysays thisabouttherifle'sname:"I would argue
thatthename suggests the judge's awareness of,
andhisenthusiasticendorsement of, there- ality thattheworldhasbeena
place ofmurdereversincethefirstvictorious taking ofa humanlife by
anotherhuman.The judge's nameEt inArcadia Ego standsnotfor his gun
and notfor himself, butrather for murderousmankindon this very real
killingplanet"("Gravers False andTrue: Blood Meridian as Gnostic
Tragedy," Southern Quarterly 30, no.4 [Summer 1992]: 127). 5.Cormac
McCarthy, BloodMeridian (New York: Random House,1985), 249.Here-
after, page referencesto quotes from Blood Meridian willbe
givenparenthetically inthetext. 6.Harold Bloom, HowtoRead and Why
(New York: Scribner,2000), 259.Bloom contendsthat McCarthy is
oneofthefour bestAmericanwriters. This content downloaded from
196.21.233.64 on Wed, 4 Jun 2014 16:13:49 PMAll use subject to
JSTOR Terms and ConditionsBlood Meridian, a Critique of Determinism
19 7.Kenneth Millard, Contemporary AmericanFiction:AnIntroductionto
American Fiction since 1970 (Oxford: Oxford University Press,
2000), 86. 8. Though the rape andmurderare not explicitly detailed,
they are suggestedby the text.Patrick W. Shaw agrees withthis
explanation of pages 333-35.See"The Kid's Fate, the Judge's
Guilt:RamificationsofClosureinCormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian,"
Southern LiteraryJournal 30, no.1 (Fall 1997): 116-19. 9. John Emil
Sepich, "The Danceof History in Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian,"
Southern LiteraryJournal 24 (Fall 1991): 28. 10.Thus Spake
Zarathustra, inThe Portable Nietzsche, trans.Walter Kaufmann (New
York: Viking Press,1968), 337. 11. Chrisopher Biffle, A GuidedTour
of Five Works by Platowith Complete Translations of
Euthyphro,Apology, Crito, Phaedo(DeathScene), and Allegoryof
theCave (Mountain View, CA: MayfieldPublishingCompany,1988), 17.
12.Denis Donoghue, The Practice of Reading (NewHaven, CN: Yale
University Press, 1998), 267. 13.Steven Shaviro, "'The Very
LifeofDarkness':A Reading ofBlood Meridian," Southern Quarterly 30,
no.4 (Summer1992): 120. 14. LudwigWittgenstein, "Lecture on
Ethics," in The Wittgenstein Reader, ed. Anthony Kenny(Cambridge:
Blackwell,1994), 290. 15.VereenM. Bell, "The Ambiguous
NihilismofCormac McCarthy," Southern LiteraryJournal 15 (Spring
1983): 31-32. 16.EdwinT. Arnold, "BloodandGrace:TheFictionofCormac
McCarthy," Commonweal, November 4,1994, 15. This content downloaded
from 196.21.233.64 on Wed, 4 Jun 2014 16:13:49 PMAll use subject to
JSTOR Terms and Conditions