Blood Meridian Flashcards

Questions and Answers

How did the kid's mother die?

childbirth

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?

He was never in Fort Smith

With whom does the kid leave his mule in Nacogdoches?

a Mexican boarding family Signup and view all the answers

What is the judge's reaction when he sees the kid leaving Nacogdoches, TX?

he smiles Signup and view all the answers

Why does the hermit send the kid to the well?

he doesn't want to share water with the mule Signup and view all the answers

What does the hermit show the kid?

the dried heart of a slave Signup and view all the answers

When the kid is entering Bexar, what is the first thing he sees?

a cart filled with corpses Signup and view all the answers

How does the kid kill the bartender in Bexar?

smashes a bottle over his head Signup and view all the answers

After meeting the herders from Abilene, what does the kid find tied to his saddle?

Beans, peppers, and a new knife Signup and view all the answers

What does the kid have to trade to get his new saddle after joining Captain White's filibustering gang?

his mule Signup and view all the answers

Why does Captain White want to meet the kid?

he killed the bartender Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the 'Mexican' that Captain White hires as his guide?

Candelario Signup and view all the answers

What was worn by the Comanche warriors that attack Captain White's company?

a bloodstained Wedding Veil, a stovepipe hat, pieces of victims' uniforms Signup and view all the answers

Where does Sproule sustain his injury after the battle with the Comanche warriors?

arm Signup and view all the answers

Where does Sproule sustain his injury after the battle with the Comanche warriors?

a bush of dead babies Signup and view all the answers

From which illness does Sproule suffer?

consumption or tuberculosis Signup and view all the answers

What does the kid see in a jar after his capture by the Mexicans?

Captain White's head Signup and view all the answers

Why does the Georgian think the kid will be whipped?

he throws a rock at a child Signup and view all the answers

What is the chain gang's task in Chihuahua?

to pick up garbage Signup and view all the answers

Why does Glanton agree to take on Toadvine, the kid, and the veteran?

3 of his men died in the desert Signup and view all the answers

Where is Bathcat originally from?

wales Signup and view all the answers

Which of the John Jacksons does the juggler single out when he's telling fortunes?

the black John Jackson Signup and view all the answers

Who disappears shortly after the veteran does?

two of the Delawares Signup and view all the answers

What does the judge lecture Glanton's men about in the compound (presidio)?

geology Signup and view all the answers

What age is the kid when he runs away from home?

14 Signup and view all the answers

Who doesn't survive the attack that takes out most of Glanton's gang?

John Jackson Signup and view all the answers

Where is the last place we see the kid?

an outhouse Signup and view all the answers

How does David Brown die?

he is hanged Signup and view all the answers

Who hides from the judge with the kid?

Tobin Signup and view all the answers

Whose head does John Jackson chop off?

The other John Jackson Signup and view all the answers

Who kills Glanton?

the Yumas Signup and view all the answers

What happens to Tobin?

we don't know Signup and view all the answers

Why does the judge want to kill the kid?

the kid has compassion and a shred of humanity Signup and view all the answers

Why does Glanton start up a gang to hunt Apaches?

money Signup and view all the answers

What kind of Aboriginal people kills off Glanton's gang?

Yumas Signup and view all the answers

Who does the kid see hanged toward the end of the book?

Toadvine and David Brown Signup and view all the answers

What does the kid do to prevent the judge from getting out of the desert easily?

he shoots his horses Signup and view all the answers

What does the fortune teller tell John Jackson to stay away from?

Rum Signup and view all the answers

What does Toadvine wear around his neck?

ears Signup and view all the answers

How do Toadvine and the kid first meet?

a fight Signup and view all the answers

Where does the judge first show up in this book?

a preacher's tent Signup and view all the answers

What's the judge doing in the final scene of Blood Meridian?

dancing Signup and view all the answers

What does the judge buy from Toadvine after the Yuma attack?

his hat Signup and view all the answers

Who does the judge travel with after the Yuma attack?

a wild man Signup and view all the answers

Where does Glanton's gang first come across the judge?

a rock in the desert Signup and view all the answers

Where is the kid born?

Tennessee Signup and view all the answers

What year is the kid born in?

1833 Signup and view all the answers

What year does the kid ride into Nacogdoches TX?

1849 Signup and view all the answers

What town does the kid first meet the Judge in?

Nacogdoches, TX Signup and view all the answers

What meteor shower was the kid born in and why was this significant?

The Leonid meteor shower..significant because named after Leo, bloodthirsty lion Signup and view all the answers

When did the kid's mother die?

At birth Signup and view all the answers

Who raised the kid?

his father Signup and view all the answers

What job did his father used to have?

Schoolmaster Signup and view all the answers

What problem does the kid's father have?

he is a drunk Signup and view all the answers

Does the kid have any siblings?

A sister Signup and view all the answers

How old is the kid when he runs away?

14 Signup and view all the answers

Where is the first place the kid escapes to?

New Orleans Signup and view all the answers

Who shoots the kid and where in New Orleans?

A Maltese boatswain during a tavern brawl first in the back then in the heart Signup and view all the answers

Who nurses the kid back to health when he is shot?

the tavern keeper's wife Signup and view all the answers

When the kid is healed how does he thank the tavern keeper's wife?

He doesn't-- he slips away at night Signup and view all the answers

What does the kid do in Galveston Texas?

Earns money and wanders through nearby marshlands Signup and view all the answers

What town does the kid murder his father hanged at the crossroads?

Galveston, TX Signup and view all the answers

Where does the kid earn his mule?

Galveston, TX Signup and view all the answers

Where does Reverend Green deliver his sermon?

Nacogdoches, TX Signup and view all the answers

How does the Judge know that the Reverend is an imposer that sexually assaulted a girl and had sex with a goat?

The Judge did not, he made it up out of pure evil Signup and view all the answers

Where does the kid meet Toadvine?

In a bar in Nacogdoches, TX Signup and view all the answers

Why do the kid and Toadvine fight when they first meet?

They cross paths near an outhouse Signup and view all the answers

What word does Toadvine chant when him and the kid are fighting?

"kill" Signup and view all the answers

How does the fight between Toadvine and the kid end?

Another man approaches and strikes the kid with a club, the kid falls facedown in the mud Signup and view all the answers

Who is Sidney?

the man that Toadvine and the kid kill by lighting the hotel on fire Signup and view all the answers

How did the kid find the hermit?

He sees smoke rising from the hills and rides toward it Signup and view all the answers

Why does the kid stay the night with the hermit?

The hermit tells the kid that a storm is coming Signup and view all the answers

What does the hermit ask the kid and how does the kid answer?

If he "lost his way" and the kid says yes Signup and view all the answers

Who was the hermit?

A slave owner/dealer in Mississippi Signup and view all the answers

How much did the hermit pay for the black slave which he has his heart?

$200 Signup and view all the answers

What does the hermit claim?

That we are fundamentally evil Signup and view all the answers

What happens after the kid goes to sleep in chapter 2?

He wakes to find the hermit looking over him. Signup and view all the answers

In chapter 2 when the kid leaves the hermit who does he hang out with for a little?

cattle drovers whom he tells stories with Signup and view all the answers

In chapter 2 what do the cattle drovers do as a kindness act?

The drovers tied a bag containing food and a knife to the mule's neck, a gift for the kid Signup and view all the answers

What does the kid see when he first arrives in Bexar?

A cart loaded with human corpses Signup and view all the answers

What does the kid have to do to get a drink in chapter 2?

Sweep the bar Signup and view all the answers

Does the kid get a drink after he sweeps the bar?

No Signup and view all the answers

What happens between the bartender and the kid during their fight in chapter 2?

The kid breaks 2 bottles over the bartender's head then stabs his eye with a glass shard. He steals another full bottle of liquor as well. Signup and view all the answers

Where does the kid wake up after the fight with the bartender in chapter 2?

A ruined church Signup and view all the answers

What does the kid do when he first wakes up in the ruined church in chapter 2?

Drinks more Signup and view all the answers

Where does the kid find his mule at the end of chapter 2?

Along the river Signup and view all the answers

In the beginning of chapter 3 who approaches the kid and what does he want?

Sergeant Trammel and on Captain White's orders he wants the kid to join the army of irregulars going to war against the Mexicans Signup and view all the answers

Why does the kid agree to meet Captain White in chapter 3?

Because Sergeant Trammel explains to the kid how he used to be a poor drunk until he met Captain White Signup and view all the answers

What did Captain White promise the kid in chapter 3 that makes him join his army?

He promises the kid a horse, a rifle, a saddle, and some clothes Signup and view all the answers

Where does the kid, Earl, and the Texan encounter the Mennonite and what does he say?

At a cantina in Bexar after he joins Captain White's army. The Mennonite tells the 3 recruits to pray to be jailed Signup and view all the answers

What do the kid and his 2 companions do to the Mennonite?

The 3 criticize the Mennonite until he moves away Signup and view all the answers

The morning after the three meet the Mennonite in chapter 3 what happens to Earl?

Earl is found dead in a courtyard with a bashed skull Signup and view all the answers

Who takes Earl's horse after he dies?

The kid Signup and view all the answers

Who is Candelario?

The translator in Captain White's army Signup and view all the answers

What does Captain White see in chapter 4?

A large herd of horses Signup and view all the answers

What is special about the horses that White's gang sees in chapter 4?

The ponies are painted with chevrons, hands, suns, and other devices Signup and view all the answers

What happens to White's gang in chapter 4?

Thousands of Comanche Indians attack the gang Signup and view all the answers

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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Test your knowledge of 'Blood Meridian' by Cormac McCarthy with these flashcards. Each card presents key questions and answers related to the narrative and characters. Perfect for both studying and reviewing important details of the novel.