Violence and the Weight of "Or" in Blood Meridian
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Date
2014-06
Authors
Smith, Taylor
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
In this thesis, I demonstrate how moments of"or" persist throughout Cormac
McCarthy's novel, Blood Meridian Or the Evening Redness in the West, and argue that
these moments encourage a way of reading and understanding the novel from a
suspended mental state of"unknowing." I analyze moments of"or" in specific
narrative instances, and show how they manifest in diverse ways: through sublime
similes, horrifyingly real violence, and ambiguous dialogue. Next, I contemplate the
"or" as a quality transcending the story of the narrative and functioning at the structural
levels of narration and form of the novel. Finally, I discuss the bizarrely detached
nature of the novel's violence as an "or" in itself that urges us to reflect upon the
historical telling of Western Expansion and our own reactions to the events we witness.
Ultimately, the sense of"unknowing" fostered by the weight of"or" in Blood Meridian
allows for a revolutionary new way of reading and understanding this highly controversial and much debated text.
Description
50 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of English and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Arts, Spring 2014.
Keywords
English, Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy, Unknowing, Violence, Ethics, Reader Witness