Blood Meridian Violence Quotes

How we cite our quotes:

Quote #4

"He pointed with his left hand and she turned to follow his hand with her gaze and he put the pistol to her head and fired" (7.177).

Glanton doesn't pick and choose when it comes to killing Aboriginal people. In this scene, he comes across an old, isolated Aboriginal woman and shoots her in the head because he can get money for her scalp. Grandma never even stood a chance.

Quote #5

"Blood, he said. This country is give much blood. This Mexico. This is a thirsty country. The blood of a thousand Christs. Nothing" (8.34).

The old Mexican man in the bar knows that a lot of blood has been shed in Mexico. But at the end of the day, he believes that all of this blood makes any future death seem unimportant. In other words, people are so used to brutal violence that it barely even upsets them anymore. Let's not forget that the old man says this even while his son sits behind him dying from a stab wound.

Quote #6

"The white man looked up drunkenly and the black stepped forward and with a single stroke swapt off his head" (8.81).

John Jackson has had enough of his fellow cowboy's racism. So he just gets up and chops the guy's head off with a single stroke of his knife. That's how you settle a disagreement in this book, apparently.