Podcast
Questions and Answers
How did the kid's mother die?
How did the kid's mother die?
childbirth
Who nurses the kid back to health after the Maltese boatswain shoots him?
Who nurses the kid back to health after the Maltese boatswain shoots him?
the tavernkeeper's wife
When did the judge previously encounter Reverend Green in Fort Smith?
When did the judge previously encounter Reverend Green in Fort Smith?
He was never in Fort Smith
With whom does the kid leave his mule in Nacogdoches?
With whom does the kid leave his mule in Nacogdoches?
What is the judge's reaction when he sees the kid leaving Nacogdoches, TX?
What is the judge's reaction when he sees the kid leaving Nacogdoches, TX?
Why does the hermit send the kid to the well?
Why does the hermit send the kid to the well?
What does the hermit show the kid?
What does the hermit show the kid?
When the kid is entering Bexar, what is the first thing he sees?
When the kid is entering Bexar, what is the first thing he sees?
How does the kid kill the bartender in Bexar?
How does the kid kill the bartender in Bexar?
After meeting the herders from Abilene, what does the kid find tied to his saddle?
After meeting the herders from Abilene, what does the kid find tied to his saddle?
What does the kid have to trade to get his new saddle after joining Captain White's filibustering gang?
What does the kid have to trade to get his new saddle after joining Captain White's filibustering gang?
Why does Captain White want to meet the kid?
Why does Captain White want to meet the kid?
What is the name of the 'Mexican' that Captain White hires as his guide?
What is the name of the 'Mexican' that Captain White hires as his guide?
What was worn by the Comanche warriors that attack Captain White's company?
What was worn by the Comanche warriors that attack Captain White's company?
Where does Sproule sustain his injury after the battle with the Comanche warriors?
Where does Sproule sustain his injury after the battle with the Comanche warriors?
Where does Sproule sustain his injury after the battle with the Comanche warriors?
Where does Sproule sustain his injury after the battle with the Comanche warriors?
From which illness does Sproule suffer?
From which illness does Sproule suffer?
What does the kid see in a jar after his capture by the Mexicans?
What does the kid see in a jar after his capture by the Mexicans?
Why does the Georgian think the kid will be whipped?
Why does the Georgian think the kid will be whipped?
What is the chain gang's task in Chihuahua?
What is the chain gang's task in Chihuahua?
Why does Glanton agree to take on Toadvine, the kid, and the veteran?
Why does Glanton agree to take on Toadvine, the kid, and the veteran?
Where is Bathcat originally from?
Where is Bathcat originally from?
Which of the John Jacksons does the juggler single out when he's telling fortunes?
Which of the John Jacksons does the juggler single out when he's telling fortunes?
Who disappears shortly after the veteran does?
Who disappears shortly after the veteran does?
What does the judge lecture Glanton's men about in the compound (presidio)?
What does the judge lecture Glanton's men about in the compound (presidio)?
What age is the kid when he runs away from home?
What age is the kid when he runs away from home?
Who doesn't survive the attack that takes out most of Glanton's gang?
Who doesn't survive the attack that takes out most of Glanton's gang?
Where is the last place we see the kid?
Where is the last place we see the kid?
How does David Brown die?
How does David Brown die?
Who hides from the judge with the kid?
Who hides from the judge with the kid?
Whose head does John Jackson chop off?
Whose head does John Jackson chop off?
Who kills Glanton?
Who kills Glanton?
What happens to Tobin?
What happens to Tobin?
Why does the judge want to kill the kid?
Why does the judge want to kill the kid?
Why does Glanton start up a gang to hunt Apaches?
Why does Glanton start up a gang to hunt Apaches?
What kind of Aboriginal people kills off Glanton's gang?
What kind of Aboriginal people kills off Glanton's gang?
Who does the kid see hanged toward the end of the book?
Who does the kid see hanged toward the end of the book?
What does the kid do to prevent the judge from getting out of the desert easily?
What does the kid do to prevent the judge from getting out of the desert easily?
What does the fortune teller tell John Jackson to stay away from?
What does the fortune teller tell John Jackson to stay away from?
What does Toadvine wear around his neck?
What does Toadvine wear around his neck?
How do Toadvine and the kid first meet?
How do Toadvine and the kid first meet?
Where does the judge first show up in this book?
Where does the judge first show up in this book?
What's the judge doing in the final scene of Blood Meridian?
What's the judge doing in the final scene of Blood Meridian?
What does the judge buy from Toadvine after the Yuma attack?
What does the judge buy from Toadvine after the Yuma attack?
Who does the judge travel with after the Yuma attack?
Who does the judge travel with after the Yuma attack?
Where does Glanton's gang first come across the judge?
Where does Glanton's gang first come across the judge?
Where is the kid born?
Where is the kid born?
What year is the kid born in?
What year is the kid born in?
What year does the kid ride into Nacogdoches TX?
What year does the kid ride into Nacogdoches TX?
What town does the kid first meet the Judge in?
What town does the kid first meet the Judge in?
What meteor shower was the kid born in and why was this significant?
What meteor shower was the kid born in and why was this significant?
When did the kid's mother die?
When did the kid's mother die?
Who raised the kid?
Who raised the kid?
What job did his father used to have?
What job did his father used to have?
What problem does the kid's father have?
What problem does the kid's father have?
Does the kid have any siblings?
Does the kid have any siblings?
How old is the kid when he runs away?
How old is the kid when he runs away?
Where is the first place the kid escapes to?
Where is the first place the kid escapes to?
Who shoots the kid and where in New Orleans?
Who shoots the kid and where in New Orleans?
Who nurses the kid back to health when he is shot?
Who nurses the kid back to health when he is shot?
When the kid is healed how does he thank the tavern keeper's wife?
When the kid is healed how does he thank the tavern keeper's wife?
What does the kid do in Galveston Texas?
What does the kid do in Galveston Texas?
What town does the kid murder his father hanged at the crossroads?
What town does the kid murder his father hanged at the crossroads?
Where does the kid earn his mule?
Where does the kid earn his mule?
Where does Reverend Green deliver his sermon?
Where does Reverend Green deliver his sermon?
How does the Judge know that the Reverend is an imposer that sexually assaulted a girl and had sex with a goat?
How does the Judge know that the Reverend is an imposer that sexually assaulted a girl and had sex with a goat?
Where does the kid meet Toadvine?
Where does the kid meet Toadvine?
Why do the kid and Toadvine fight when they first meet?
Why do the kid and Toadvine fight when they first meet?
What word does Toadvine chant when him and the kid are fighting?
What word does Toadvine chant when him and the kid are fighting?
How does the fight between Toadvine and the kid end?
How does the fight between Toadvine and the kid end?
Who is Sidney?
Who is Sidney?
How did the kid find the hermit?
How did the kid find the hermit?
Why does the kid stay the night with the hermit?
Why does the kid stay the night with the hermit?
What does the hermit ask the kid and how does the kid answer?
What does the hermit ask the kid and how does the kid answer?
Who was the hermit?
Who was the hermit?
How much did the hermit pay for the black slave which he has his heart?
How much did the hermit pay for the black slave which he has his heart?
What does the hermit claim?
What does the hermit claim?
What happens after the kid goes to sleep in chapter 2?
What happens after the kid goes to sleep in chapter 2?
In chapter 2 when the kid leaves the hermit who does he hang out with for a little?
In chapter 2 when the kid leaves the hermit who does he hang out with for a little?
In chapter 2 what do the cattle drovers do as a kindness act?
In chapter 2 what do the cattle drovers do as a kindness act?
What does the kid see when he first arrives in Bexar?
What does the kid see when he first arrives in Bexar?
What does the kid have to do to get a drink in chapter 2?
What does the kid have to do to get a drink in chapter 2?
Does the kid get a drink after he sweeps the bar?
Does the kid get a drink after he sweeps the bar?
What happens between the bartender and the kid during their fight in chapter 2?
What happens between the bartender and the kid during their fight in chapter 2?
Where does the kid wake up after the fight with the bartender in chapter 2?
Where does the kid wake up after the fight with the bartender in chapter 2?
What does the kid do when he first wakes up in the ruined church in chapter 2?
What does the kid do when he first wakes up in the ruined church in chapter 2?
Where does the kid find his mule at the end of chapter 2?
Where does the kid find his mule at the end of chapter 2?
In the beginning of chapter 3 who approaches the kid and what does he want?
In the beginning of chapter 3 who approaches the kid and what does he want?
Why does the kid agree to meet Captain White in chapter 3?
Why does the kid agree to meet Captain White in chapter 3?
What did Captain White promise the kid in chapter 3 that makes him join his army?
What did Captain White promise the kid in chapter 3 that makes him join his army?
Where does the kid, Earl, and the Texan encounter the Mennonite and what does he say?
Where does the kid, Earl, and the Texan encounter the Mennonite and what does he say?
What do the kid and his 2 companions do to the Mennonite?
What do the kid and his 2 companions do to the Mennonite?
The morning after the three meet the Mennonite in chapter 3 what happens to Earl?
The morning after the three meet the Mennonite in chapter 3 what happens to Earl?
Who takes Earl's horse after he dies?
Who takes Earl's horse after he dies?
Who is Candelario?
Who is Candelario?
What does Captain White see in chapter 4?
What does Captain White see in chapter 4?
What is special about the horses that White's gang sees in chapter 4?
What is special about the horses that White's gang sees in chapter 4?
What happens to White's gang in chapter 4?
What happens to White's gang in chapter 4?
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Study Notes
Characters and Relationships
- The kid's mother died during childbirth, leaving him raised solely by his father.
- The tavernkeeper’s wife nurses the kid back to health after he is shot by a Maltese boatswain.
- Reverend Green is falsely accused of impropriety by the judge, underlining the judge’s manipulative and evil nature.
- Toadvine first meets the kid in a bar in Nacogdoches, TX, where they get into a fight, emphasizing their violent worlds.
Key Events
- The kid ran away from home at age 14, escaping to places like New Orleans and Galveston, where he engages in violent encounters.
- The kid earns a mule in Galveston after his father is hanged, which showcases the grim realities of survival.
- Captain White promises the kid rewards for joining his irregular army against the Mexicans, including a horse and rifle.
- The judge first appears at a preacher's tent, establishing his manipulative and controlling presence early in the story.
Violence and Death
- A cart filled with corpses is one of the first sights the kid encounters upon entering Bexar, highlighting the story's brutal atmosphere.
- The kid kills a bartender in Bexar using a broken bottle, which sets him on a path of violence and fugitivity.
- Glanton's gang is nearly annihilated by the Yumas, a significant turning point that illustrates the dangers they face.
Symbolism and Themes
- The Leonoid meteor shower coincides with the kid's birth, symbolizing bloodshed and violence throughout his life.
- The hermit shows the kid the dried heart of a slave, confronting the kid with themes of mortality and cruelty.
- The judge represents a fundamental evil, desiring to eradicate the kid’s compassion and humanity.
Survival and Morality
- The chain gang in Chihuahua is tasked with picking up garbage, emphasizing the dehumanizing experiences of the characters.
- The kid's encounter with Sproule, who suffers from tuberculosis, underscores the physical toll of their journey.
- The kid’s final act to prevent the judge from escaping the desert entails shooting his horses, highlighting his struggle against the judge's immoral influence.
Other Notable Points
- Candelario serves as a translator for Captain White's army, providing insights into the cross-cultural tensions.
- The fortune teller warns John Jackson to avoid rum, hinting at the destructive paths some characters follow.
- The mysterious fate of characters like Tobin and the judge’s dance in the final scene leaves a haunting ambiguity regarding morality and life choices.
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