Suffering In Cormac Mccarthy's Blood Meridian

He did not use the flint and steel until the remains of the day were only the fugitive heat in the ground beneath him and a sardonic orange line on the monochrome western horizon. He watched the south patiently, toward the mountains, not hoping or expecting to see the thin straight line of smoke from a new campfire, but merely watching because that was a part of

Frequently, we discover ourselves in necessity of a redeemer to distribute us from the repetitious practices of civilization to autonomy and individuality. We bargain such a savior not merely in Christ, himself, but similarly in Ken Kesey’s notable R.P. McMurphy. Kesey’s constant usage of Biblical allusions in, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, replicates his perceptive remark of civilization’s requirement for radiance that will permit people to halt free of our predisposed lives. Dispersed throughout the novel, Kesey embraces allusions to Hell and its occupants, as well as several Christ-like characters.

     The ending of the Blood Meridian is both abstruse and compelling. The setting when the kid first walks into town (pp.324) seems almost too familiar. This town could be any number of different towns located throughout the Midwest, but it seems strangely related to the town of Nacogdoches. The Kid, once thought to be on some sort of migratory movement to the West, has now completed a full circle and has returned to the place of his birth. Birth not in the physical sense of being delivered from his mother’s womb, but rather the Kid experienced a rebirth in the form of one of the judge’s “great clay voodoo dolls (pp.13).';

Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of this novella has written it very cleverly, with certain techniques used that have a greater impact on the reader and ones that make it more than just any thriller/shocker. Every novella has a purpose to it and so does this story, the purpose of this novella has been made to narrative the reader and it is quite clearly reflecting the genre of the thriller/shocker. As well as this the novella has been made as a shilling shocker which depends on sensationalism and represents an immoral lifestyle that may include violence in extremity.

I had lit a fire on a dark and gloomy night while wandering the wilderness. I hoped that warmth would rejuvenate me and help me continue my journey, but the night sky had become so murky that is seemed impossible to find my way through the dark. Continuing the journey would be hopeless without a source of light to guide me along the way. While warming my cold body by the crackling flames of the fire, I realized that a man was approaching me. He had emerged from the darkness of the forest trees and appeared to be just as cold as I had been before I had lit the fire. He drew closer to the fire and asked me if he would warm himself. I agreed, but asked that he would show me the way to Bronzville. The man claimed that he was also journeying

Many classic story arcs employ what, in ancient Greek dramas, are called instances of “deus ex machina,” or ‘god from the machine.’ In these stories, an unforeseen factor arrives and offers an apparent solution to what would otherwise be an insoluble problem. Toward the end of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the Puritan minister Dimmesdale seems to find such a resolution for the inner torment he has imposed on himself in atonement for his affair with Hester. While Dimmesdale’s emotions escalate toward rapture at the suggestion of leaving his life of outward piety and private shame behind, he remains constrained by his past, both his moral foundation and the sin for which he is yet to take

Beth Alvarado is notably known for her short story “Emily’s Exit”. The use of religion sets the tone, and catches the eye of many readers in the essay. Religion is the belief and worshipping of a preeminent being, while faith is the trust of this preeminent being, not based on truth. Those of a Christian faith, therefore, have a belief in this greater being who is known as God. They believe the claim that life is an endowment from God, and that once we die, we continue to live for evermore in heaven. Through close reading, It was clear that the author, Alvarado, wanted to create a faintly disturbing story full of “tension and anxiety” (Alvarado, n.d.). Religion, often times associated with death and despair, was used in the writing of “Emily’s Exit” to depict a story of dark suffering, “evoke images and emotion…” (Alvarado, n.d.), and force the audience into understanding the seriousness and the severity of the events that happen.

O’Connor takes her main characters through an epiphany in which therefore helps the characters to become aware of their own ignorance. The characters eventually gained knowledge or better yet became self-aware of their attitudes towards others through some form of an unexpected tragedy. O’Connor wants her readers to see how no matter how much you try to cover or justify your ignorant ways whether it be through grace, judgment is still imminent. “In A Good Man is Hard to Find”, O’Connor reveals in this story both grace, redemption and pride. The

Let the Games Begin Reality is broken. Many of those in poor conditions across the world don’t feel like they can do anything to change the situation. Everyday, billions look into the eyes of poverty, hunger, war, hopelessness, and the mindless repetition of their seemingly meaningless lives. I’d bet you know someone who clings to addictive games such as Candy Crush or World of Warcraft. In our virtual worlds made for simplistic games that seem to have no pertinence to our betterment, millions find happiness, a sense of accomplishment, and escape.

Religion and science can be used for the greater good, but when people like Ambrosio or Victor gain power because of it there are often tragic consequences. One of Victor’s last lines perfectly sums up the book’s theme as he advises Wanton to “[seek] happiness in tranquility and avoid

In a postmodern world it is worth contemplating in what we can put our faith. Does culture, religion, or God merit our trust? Or is this a world of mechanical and biological evolutionary processes void of any meaning and purpose? The Sunset Limited, “a novel in dramatic form,” by Cormac McCarthy, is a dialogue between two persons who approach each other from opposite worlds to answer these questions. Black, a born-again believer and ex-con, and White, a nihilistic college professor, attempt to determine whether belief in God is viable in this world and if life is worth living. Despite Black’s efforts to convince him otherwise, White remains a Depressed Self who denies God’s existence, affirms his view of the world as deranged, and leaves to complete his suicide.

When the village of Afrail was first discovered, an enormous stone fell from the heavens. No one knew how or why it had fallen, but it seemed to possess a special power. Over time, the stone split and carved itself into an extraordinary village. This small town grew in power; it succeeded in its conquest of other areas, and advanced in science. The town of Afrail always had a prolific amount of food and goods available, so trade blossomed. Afrail created a powerful empire with a military who had a reputation of being fearless warriors. Throughout the capital extravagant and adoring buildings glimmered in the sunlight; however none were as magnificent as the vast palace of the king. The palace towered over the village, and believed to be the stairway to heaven. The building was made of the same rock as the meteor and its outer edges framed in gold and precious jewels. The palace watched over the City of Afrail, and could spot

Would it be better to kill and end suffering or to save and prolong suffering? This is the dilemma that the speaker faced in William Stafford’s poem “Traveling Through the Dark” when he/she encounters a dead pregnant doe on the side of the road. He/she has to decide whether to kill or to save the unborn fawn still alive inside the mother. Although it may appear cruel to some readers, the speaker's choice to push the dead pregnant doe over the cliff was the best decision because it prevents human casualties and it saved the unborn fawn from unnecessary suffering.

One stormy night a man finds a cave in which he can rest. This man closes his eyes and dreams of a man named Christian. Christian is greatly distressed and carries with him a heavy burden on his back. Wanting to escape these burdens he carries on his back, Christian learns that the city he lives in will soon be destroyed by the fire from heaven. The author states through Christian, “...I have received information that the city in which we live will be burned with fire from Heaven.” (Bunyan, 19-20) Christian tries to convince his family of this, but they do not believe him, instead they laugh. That is when Christian meets a man named Evangelist, who points him in the direction of a narrow gate. He is told that when he reaches this gate he will

Aesop comes to the mouth of a cave with his torch high up in the air. He takes in the scenery, there