This is the violent, dark story of "the kid" who joins the army, deserts (I think) and encounters death and savagery everywhere he goes. According to Wikipedia:
The narrative follows a teenage runaway referred to only as "the kid", with the bulk of the text devoted to his experiences with the Glanton gang, a historical group of scalp hunters who massacred Indians and others in the United States–Mexico borderlands in 1849 and 1850. The role of antagonist is gradually filled by Judge Holden, a large, intelligent man depicted as entirely devoid of body hair and emblematic of violence and conflict.
Why is McCarthy telling this story? Why did I get caught up in the imagery in this story? Why does McCarthy throw in Spanish language dialogue with no translation and why does that technique work so well for him? Why did I find "the kid" and "the judge" both fascinating characters even though there is nothing heroic or redeeming about them?
Here's one small example of McCarthy's wonderful way with words:
They saw patched argonauts from the states driving mules through the streets on their way south throught the mountains to the coast. Goldseekers. Itinerant degenerates bleeding westward like some heliotropic plague.
I think I will need to read Mr. McCarthy's bio to try to find out what is going on in his head. I think I will have to read No Country for Old Men and give The Road another chance. I think I will have to find out when the movie of Blood Meridian is due so I can hate that too!
