Blood Meridian: Judge Holden Character Analysis ft
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- Dive into the depths of darkness with our in-depth character analysis of Judge Holden from Cormac McCarthy's masterpiece, Blood Meridian. Unravel the enigma surrounding this enigmatic figure as we dissect his role, motivations, and the haunting presence he brings to the novel. Join us on a journey into the heart of darkness as we explore the Symphony of Evil that defines the character of Judge Holden. Brace yourself for an insightful exploration of one of literature's most complex and chilling characters.
The voice over was done by @AJPzaworld . Part 2 is on his channel: • Judge Holden and His A...
Stories! It's all about stories. I review fictional stories in books, anime, manga, movies and TV shows. I interpret some stories through animations and I get some of my friends to react to other stories. I am also a writer so I share writing tips. Check out my own story as well. It's called Cradle of chaos.
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#booktube #bookrecommendations #booktuber #horrorstories #philosophy #cormacmccarthy #classicliterature #motiongraphics
Any video on UA-cam about The Judge that exists without my knowledge exists without my consent.
I am glad that with your new knowledge of this video, I have your consent. 😂 Thanks for watching! Like, comment, sub and share.
In many ways, the judge has a point. That's what makes his character so fascinating. Someone who commits so many disgusting acts, but also preaches about so many truthful things.
That's what makes him so fascinating. Thanks for watching!
Sadly there’s a lot of people like that in real life who are right about many things but go to extreme lengths to prove it. Or they just say and do disgusting and cruel acts and use those “truths” to justify them. Andrew Tate is a good example.
I always thought of the Judge as the personification of war. The devil thing didnt even come to mind.
I mean yeah that was my read too but there's definitely some references to the literary satan. he's a great fiddler, a sparkling conversationalist in many tongues, and of course the pseudo-reference to paradise lost with the volcano and gunpowder. but overall my read of holden's similarities to the biblical satan lie in man's attempt to define this great evil. the judge is an ancient personification, older than any holy book, and said books like the bible simply gave mankind a wider vocabulary to describe this great violent force which already existed, long before even mankind existed. any reference to the devil is not a coincidence, it is man futilely grasping toward an understanding of something almost incomprehensible, and the invention of satan and other devils is a symptom of trying to comprehend that great evil.
further than that, I think he represents something more...raw, than war. something more fundamental. wanton violence and hedonism, the raging of one's will against the inevitable eternity, is the lifeblood of the judge. he is imo an agent of entropy, a desire to sow discord and chaos out of order. to reduce the disparate and autonomous parts of the universe back down into their base ingredients. because that's what happens when you kill something - it is in a sense taking something more than the sum of its parts, consciousness, and turning it back into inert atoms. not dissimilar to the very essence of what entropy is.
but that's just my random bullshit thoughts on the matter. i had this little epiphany on acid a couple years back, so there's a good chance I'm just seeing patterns that aren't actually there. even so, it remains my interpretation of the judge, on who and what he is.
@@jays2551holy yapper mc nerdy pants
@@kon.pod1 it's like two paragraphs, if you have such an aversion to reading something that small then why are you even watching this video? because you clearly decided not to read the actual book when you found out that it doesn't have any pictures or coloring sections
I always imagined the judge as a more muscular and well built rather than fat. Since his job consists of running from or towards danger while getting shot at.
He was described as bulbous. He was described as looking like a baby which implies round. He was also described as large and built so I had to balance round and muscular when I was designing his look for this video. Thanks for watching!
@@EpicTalezhe is literally built like kingpin in spiderman into the spiderverse
@@fatcaveman298 it was one of the reference images I used 😂
Strongman build
@@EpicTalezhonestly to me Judge Holden is something of a walking nightmare, possessing features and traits no human let alone a man should have.
as usual superb editing and animation, I got to look into getting some of this holden characters books lol. blood meridian now on my wish list
You’ll probably love his character. All in all, I have to warn you, BM is really dark.
Thanks for watching!
@@EpicTalez good lol i have read the bible, i can handle dark lol
@@DREWSBOOKREVIEWS 😂
He's the dark, bloody heart of the American soul.
He is. I tried not to box him into the limits of my understanding but your description is apt. What a character. Thanks for watching!
Great video but the music was way too loud at parts. I could barely hear you towards the end
Note taken. I am glad you watched it to the end. It’s comments like this that keep me going.
Thanks for watching!
Name of the second song with the chorus?
ua-cam.com/video/jY1xuEj8jWo/v-deo.html
@@EpicTalez Thanks, I love it. And great video
I like Judge Holden. Cuz he be holden deez 🥜🥜 on his chin.
😂 Thanks for watching!
😂
You're wrong about bringing up Nietzsche in relation to Hitler. Hitler likely never read Nietzsche, and if he did it was very very little. You are carrying on a long tradition of misunderstanding or misrepresenting Nietzsche, my friend. Nietzsche would have hated the fascists who misunderstood and misused his writings. The Nazis literally removed his books from educational institutions, because they knew that giving anyone full knowledge of his work would make it clear they misappropriated it.
Fascist propaganda stands the test of time it seems, from people thinking Nazis built the Autobahn (began construction under the Weimar republic), or that Nazis introduced national healthcare (existed long before even the Weimar republic).
Maybe read about the shit before making a video about it.
What was said on the video is a lot nuanced than the way you talk about it. No one actually knows what Hitler read just the same way you don't know what I ate for breakfast. I never said Hitler read Nietzsche. I also never entirely attributed the the judges character to Nietzche’s work. I am not sure exactly what you are tripping about.
I used Nietzsche to describe a very specific idea and I moved on very quickly. The Judge isn’t a character that you can attribute any one philosophy or idea to. He is a unique combination. Remember that I also used Carl Jung’s theory to explain something else? Try to understand the video before passing judgment. It's ok if you don't understand too.
@@EpicTalez I specifically addressed the part about Nietzsche and Hitler. Never said anything about the rest of your fucking video. People KNOW he either didn't read Nietzsche or only heard passing quotes like most Germans of the time. Again, the Nazis literally banned his books because they lied about what he wrote about and believed and didn't want the population to know about their lies.
Why is he never described in his white suite 😅
Thanks for watching😅
The judge is not fat he reletively fit his not fat
He was described as a “large bulbous man”. Just because he is round doesn’t mean he isn’t fit. Thanks for watching!
*Am I the only one that didn't like the "Meridian" at all? No clear nor interesting Idea, totally pointless violence, superficial characters, purposeless movements in space, Judge's smartass comments, lack of captivating Atmosphere, weak Dialogues, ... Only thing good is author's description of nature. It's probably my sky high Expectations that got me to this Disappointment...*
*Enjoyed these Animations, if they are yours - bravo to you, sir!*
I would say that the pointlessness of the violence is intentional. After you become numb to it, you can analysis it and it's thematic implications without the shock value of it. An objective truth is that pointless violence is within human nature (evidence of this is in colonial and slave history). This book explores it.
I've worked very hard on improving my animations so thanks!
@@EpicTalez *I can not agree - all violence is perfectly on point and intentional and has sense. Here in Balkans we know about violence and I can tell you that it's intentional and for reasons: good, bad or totally idiotic - that's not the point, the point is that it's not pointless nor senseless. Nobody goes around killing others for nothing. Even Judge in the book does it for some reasons but he doesn't go deeply into them. Even maddest people who kill - do it for some Purpose or Reason or Point, however crazy. And here we have literally gangs of people on all sides doing killing "just because"? I also read this Author's "No country for old men" and my opinion is: McCarthy likes that shit (and Omnipotent strange violent characters) and found readers that like it too so he does it. It's OK but I expected so much (because of all Hype around it) and got so little... one thing (beside that your Judge is Fat, I didn't see him that way): where your Animations can be seen? I like them very much, I'd love to see more of them...*
I see your point. The judge was described as bulbous, large and built in the book. In this, he has a belly but those are muscular arms.
I have more animations on my channel.
@@EpicTalez *Yes, but also his body is, as far as I remember, firm and muscular.*
*As a Balkan person, I often hear from Westerners that term "mindless/pointless violence" so maybe that is why I hated the Meridian. As a person from literally "epicenter of mindless violence" (besides Middle East & Africa) and place that is seen as something closest to Blood Meridian I always have to explain to them that there are strong reasons for violence here (terribly drawn borders drawn by outside powers; ethnic differences and hatred; religious conflict; heavy history of ethnic cleansing, extermination, oppression and siding with occupiers; holy sites destruction and occupation; etc) and their insultingly superficial view is based on their ignorance. Meridian in a nutshell: "Guys kill each other all over the place in broad strokes, but let me give you detail description of beautiful leaves on those rocks up there." Fuck you, Cormac. Or maybe my problem is that I went from TSOIAF to Meridian: from deep Characters, superb Dialogues, great Humor, fascinating Story, incredible Idea, etc to Meridian.*
*Now I read only serbian Nobel winner, Ivo Andrić. No wonder he got that Nobel, he really writes Masterpieces - I recommend to you " The Days of the Consuls", "Omer-Pasha Latas", "The Damned Yard", "The Bridge on the Drina", "The Woman from Sarajevo", “The Pasha's Concubine".*
*I thought maybe you have your Site with pics exibited there. OK, I'll surely watch other videos of yours, you are true artist.*
@@IvicaArmanas Wow. Thanks for the recommendations. They are all going on my TBR. I am always looking for great works of literature.
Eventually, I'll get a website and put all of my stuff there. With social media, I am just trying to build a community first. Slow and steady.
Love it!! Animation was superb!! The last scene in this book was phenomenal and I still think about it today. I may reread this one soon.
Easily one of the greatest American novels ever in my humble opinion. I was also just thinking about a reread as well. I just know I would love it better on a second read. I can take my time to understand Cormac's metaphors, themes and narratives. Let me know when you are rereading.
@@EpicTalez I'll let ya know. Maybe March if I can swing it.
How did you keep the character consistency, commission or improved AI skills?
Hey this animation you are doing is awesome. What a vast increase of skill and powerful presentation. This is really great Epic, really excited for you. What a gem developing!
Thanks. V6 is very good. With a lot of trial and error it’s possible to get somewhat consistent characters. Thanks for watching!
@@EpicTalez it was awesome to see!
Judge Holden is basically the Pennywise of both McCarthy villains and Western villains
Interesting idea. I can't disagree. Thanks for watching!!
Id say pennywise is fear wheras holden is war.
@@deltram I agree. Thanks for watching!
That is quite the rapid-fire word salad. Saying a lot and yet not really saying anything. Some context from the story itself would have helped.
Thanks for the feedback. Thanks for watching.
My pretentious interpretation of the Judge was that he was the embodiment of the birth of American imperialism. From the many descriptions he is given as pale and hairless, I imagined it being almost infantile (and I felt vindicated when this was brought up in the ending of the book). The book mostly takes place right after the conclusion of the US Mexican War, which even though the US had done awful things to take native land before, this was the first time the US had deliberately and consciously engaged in naked imperialism.
Holden, despite being kind of a baby, is a giant, terrifying baby that everyone is scared of. He is massive and unstoppable, he is extremely cunning and manipulates situations to his advantage. His attitude stems from his desire to possess everything he comes across and the fact that he greatly values proving his will and might stronger than those who oppose him. He has a keen interest and extreme talent for intellectualism, but for the sake of possessing even more than he has, not because he wants progress or because he respects the humanity of those he learns about who are not him and not within his realm of possession. With his intellectualism and extensive skills and talents, he commands a sort of morbid legitimacy despite being such a grotesque monster. With all of his heinous acts, he still calls upon every trapping of legitimacy, of the laws of man, of rights, of everything that would make him the good guy to stand for. And in the end, despite how awful he is, or how much people should look at him in disgust, he always wins and everyone just dances along.
Brilliant.! Thanks for watching!
They should try making that movie in animation form instead of using real actors. It would probably work alot better. Then they can pull off all those weird scenes.
I completely agree. An animation would be much more flexible than if real actors are used. Thanks for watching!
6:23 of you saying absolutely nothing about the man you are talking about... A single concrete or meaningful detail would do wonders to explain the character, but this? What does it tell us about him? What are his beliefs? What is his history? What actions did he take? What motivations does he hold? None of that is listed...
Oh, it's you again! I knew you’d be back. Look, I get it-Judge Holden is a tough nut to crack. He’s too complex to neatly categorize his beliefs, actions, and motivations. That’s what makes him so compelling! The guy is the embodiment of chaos and entropy. Cormac McCarthy wrote him in such a way that any definitive conclusions about him are just speculation. Even literary greats have said so!
In my video, I dove into some deep philosophical waters, touching on Nihilism and the concept of the übermensch, Jungian psychology, and how the collective unconscious lets the Judge manipulate everyone around him. I discussed third-person perspectives, his impact, symbolism, and a whole lot more. But I guess that all flew over your head.
I didn’t make this video for people who need hand-holding through Blood Meridian. This content isn’t for those who need step-by-step guides through philosophical ideas and symbolism. Clearly, my content isn’t for you but thank you for watching it.
@@EpicTalez Again? What do you mean "again"? Have we talked before? And if so, when and why would you remember? Because it's definitely not ringing any bells for me...
That said, you didn't delve into deep philosophical waters... You just reiterated over and over how great and deep he was with no explanation of why, how or in what way. Even complex characters have explanation... that's what makes them complex.
Frankly, your entire rebuttal seems more like an attempt to hide an absence of insight in the hubris of preying on the insecurities of others. That it flew over my head or I didn't get it would imply that something was laid out to get or that could fly over someone's head. Simply waxing poetic about how profound something is by saying "this is profound" is incomprehensible only in that there is literally just nothing there to comprehend.
Honestly, I'm starting to get the impression this is just edgelord fodder.
@@DiogenesDworkinson Whatever you say man. I don't have energy for pretentious finger waggers. Fit the judge into the box of your subjective understanding and bask in the ecstasy of self approval.
I am humble enough to make honest content about one of my all time favourite books. This video has over 20,000 views, not a lot, but guaranteed to have a few people like you. Create your own content or watch someone else.
@@EpicTalez So it's not again, I'm right, and we're done. Got it. Bye.
Love the animation as usual ❤❤
Thanks for watching!
Good video until you critizised hitler
@@Mohler41 😂 Thanks for watching!
most of the art I see of him he has that creepy menacing smile while in the book he's described as having no emotional expression. I imagine him as Marlon Brando in apocalypse now (but without the thick brows of course as he is described as hairless)
The reason I used the smiling face was because of how charismatic he is described to be. Now that you referenced Marlon Brando, I can’t unsee it. Thanks for watching!
He smiles when he is dancing after violating sm1
Holden is described as smiling a lot in the book
So is Judge Holden Worse than Homelander to the Point he makes Homelander look like a Saint! And Imagine if you gave a Coupound V and Dropped him to the Boys Universe!
If the Judge was given compound V, the world will know evil like it's never conceptualized before. Thanks for watching!!
Judge Holden = Micah Bell from rdr2
RDR2 is one of my favourite games of all time. Thanks for watching!
The Judge is who Micah thinks he is
@@grahamcracker7029 Fact! Thanks for watching!
Micah was a thug. Nothing more, nothing less. He was a sociopath who recognized Dutch's weakness was flattery and making him feel like he was in charge. Micah is just a typical mid-level gangster playing the game of trying to climb to the top, but because he didn't possess the charismatic characteristics of Dutch, he ultimately needed Dutch which is why he didn't go for an all out power grab to take control of the gang.
Judge Holden is a totally different animal. He's not seeking petty power because he has it. He doesn't need Glanton or any man regardless of his social status. The brilliance of the Judge is that he is like the Devil visiting the human world to play in it and enjoy his diplomatic immunity.
@nocapbussin Sooo if Micah is just a mid level Gangster. What does that make the Van Der Lin Gang. He played them like a damn fiddle by the end laughing and joking with the main crew other than Arthur and John. For all Micah Is a mid tier gangster is not it. He played possibly one of the most ruthless gangs of the west. Only dumb thing he did was not gun down Dutch as soon as he showed up years later. A Damn good Anagonist.
Marlon Brando would have killed it as this character.
@@dannypitcherenterprises2414 I completely agree. Thanks for watching.
@EpicTalez very good video btw. Really enjoyed the book despite its violence and challenging prose. I would like to see it as a movie but it would be very hard to pull off. And casting the judge would be very difficult.
@@dannypitcherenterprises2414 my fear with a movie is that’ll ruin it. It would be very difficult to pull off.
@EpicTalez I saw James Franco test footage a couple of years back. Thank god it didn’t become a movie, it looked so bad.
@@dannypitcherenterprises2414 I haven't seen it but I am sure it's terrible.
Take a shot every time the words ‘evil’ or ‘archetype’ are said.
I just got a bottle of rum from Jamaica. I am going to try this. 😂. Thanks for watching.
Where is the art from the thumbnail from? I'd like to save it..
I created it from MidJourney. Thanks for watching
Did everything but told me what he did
I was also waiting to hear what he did that was so horrible.
She holden my judge
😂 Thanks for watching.
The biggest criticism I have of _Blood Meridian_ is the lack of an angel to Judge Holden's devil. Ben Tobin is the closest we're given to anyone who opposes Holden on an ideological level, but he's also a member of the same gang who's committing all the atrocities we're made to witness in the book.
I just think there's a latent hypocrisy in a writer's work who so readily believes in demons but disregards the possibility of angels.
I admit it would have been great if there was someone that could ideologically match the Judge.
I understand that the grand idea behind a character like the judge is an entity that transcends all through violence and evil but being both an unstoppable force and unmovable object left all the other character feeling very basic in comparison.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Cormac Mccathy was the type of guy that believed in pain and suffering as divine. The way he embellishes the Judge as absolute in every realm was done brilliantly. It is difficult to argue with the Judges logic. I don’t agree with all of his ideas but from objective perspective it’s hard to argue.
To create a character that could go against him on equal footing would have been tremendously difficult.
Thanks for watching. It’s comments like yours that keeps me going on UA-cam.
@@EpicTalez I'm flattered to be of service, although there are times when I think McCarthy makes the Judge a little TOO powerful. Honestly, why in the hell would anyone at that religious revival take the Judge's words over the preacher's, considering he looks like a straight-up monster?
The Kid is the ideological opposition to the Judge due to his change away from the depravity of the gang, but with the twist that he ultimately fails to do so because he fears Holden too much. A "evil wins when good men do nothing" moment
@@watching7721 Great point! The kid could be another video all together. There is so much to analyse about him.
Thanks for watching!
They came across a few angels during their travels (the men in the fort who had looked after the kid, the women who care for the invalid by the ferry, the woman who nursed the kid to health at the beginning of the book). But there are no angels within the gang (which makes perfect sense).
Big boy spat.
2:22 wut is da music called?
It’s a Gregorian Chant. I’ll get back to you with the name.
@@EpicTalez thanks brother
ua-cam.com/video/jY1xuEj8jWo/v-deo.html
Can you just tell what did he do?
@@mememanbehindtheshadows546 I don't want any youtube violations. Its also not just what he did but how he did it and why. I would also hate to spoil it for you
@@EpicTalez i love your narration but i am a type of person who doesn't care about being spoiled. So it's fine
@@EpicTalez i am fine if you tell me or atleast gave us a warning about how unforgivable this character was that youtube would strike your video rather than saying nonsense. Our minutes and time will never back.
@@EpicTalez kinda disappointed if you know how bad this person was.
@@mememanbehindtheshadows546 I understand. Here is a spoiler discussion of Blood Meridian ua-cam.com/users/liveK1ppGUsgPv4?feature=share.
music too loud mate
Thanks for the feedback. The next one will be better. Thanks for watching!
@@EpicTalez otherwise liked it. keep up the good stuff
@yepisyeniturkiye thanks!
Where did you get this artwork? It looks dope in this video.
I used Midjourney. Thanks for watching!
@@EpicTalez • Well, it was absolutely amazing video, bro.
Awesome/Accurate Judge Holden video
@@damianstarks3338 thanks for watching!
His face is all wrong here. McCarthy describes him as an enormous infant.
@@lennarthagen8730 That’s fair. Some people also complain that he should be muscular but McCathy describes him as bulbous.
The beauty of books is that everyone will imagine it differently but I see your point. Thanks for watching!
What's the original source of all those illustrations?
@@j85grim4 I used AI. Midjourney. Thanks for watching!
@@EpicTalez They looked good. Someone should make this book into an uncensored animated movie like that.
@@j85grim4 That would be so dope. If you like stuff like this, I did a character analysis on Paul from Dune. Check it out! I plan to do a whole lot more.
@@EpicTalez Alright. I had to ask the source as there are so many UA-cam videos that are reactions to other videos or reactions to reactions of reactions now it becomes rare for anyone to make anything themselves. Even using a.i. to make something themselves is fairly rare haha.
Fun fact the judge is not supposed to be fat its never stated in the book that his fat
@@tasneemsk5961 Fun fact: The book describes him as large and bulbous.
not supernatural - post-moral. holden is ubermensch
Yes he is!
A lot of $50 words for nothing. A contusion is a bruise, brah.
Oh really?! 🤯😲. Do you know what a metaphor is?
@@EpicTalez Do you know what a narcissist is, and how they’re always trying to appear smarter than they are? Heard of the term “word salad”?
@@lastwarning1 Do you know what projection is and how your perception of me is a reflection of you? Just because you don't understand doesn't mean .... (I trust you can fill in the blank.)
@@lastwarning1 👍
@@lastwarning1 I am not the special one. You are. To presume that you are in a position to “choose” me proves my point. You could have ignored the video, even disliked it but you decided to troll. Which again proves my point. You continue to project.