This chapter was a filler chapter. In reality, nothing happened. All that happens in this chapter is the Judge goes on one of his rants again and...well...that's pretty much it. Oh and they leave the place they were staying...
The Judge is very suspicious (well we kind of knew this already). The fact that he knows, without a doubt, that there is no other forms of life in the universe is pretty weird. Also, the magic trick with the coin was pretty funny. No one could tell what he did. Again, this adds to the idea of the Judge as a satanic figure is fortified in this chapter, as well as McCarthy's description of the Judge as an intellectual outcast. McCarthy writes, "In the morning some did walk over the ground where the coin had gone but if any man found it he kept it to himself...(McCarthy 246)." This sentence shows how some people still don't believe that the Judge is as mysterious and strange as he makes himself out to be. Another good quote is on page 245. "The arc of circling bodies is determined by the length of their tether. Moons, coins, men." Basically in this sentence, the Judge is saying that men can go as far as his own conscience and self-confidence takes him. Someone who keeps to themselves, doesn't take risks, and is otherwise nonexistant will not "have a long tether" and will be forced to live a close and sheltered life (or a short arc of orbit). However, if one is very outgoing, confident, and morally strong, he will have a good, happy, enjoyful life (aka. a long tether and a large arc or orbit).
Noctambulants- of pertaining to or given to sleepwalking (dictionary.com)
Did anyone noticed how the Judge addressed God in his speech about war. In the last sentence of his ramble, the Judge says, "War is god (McCarthy 249)." The weird part here is that god isn't capitalized. Usually the word God is capitalized because it is determined to be a proper noun, like a name. However, I think that God is not capitalized here to show that the Judge has either no respect for him or that he doesn't believe in him. Actually this makes sense if the Judge is truly a symbol of the Devil.
Nihil Dicit means to say nothing in latin (http://www.famguardian1.org/TaxFreedom/CitesByTopic/NihilDicit.htm)
Good simile on page 251. Actually lots of good similes on this page. "...black volcanic hills lay a lone albino ridge, sand or gypsum, like the back of some pale seabeast surfaced among the dark archipelagos." Click here to see what this reminds me of(http://codeka.com/uk/blog/20051003-nessie.jpg)
"...the idiot clinging to the bars and calling hoarsely after the sun like some queer unruly god abducted from a race of degenerates (McCarthy 251)." I think that McCarthy is talking about the idiot being a god here. This is another sign of irony because the idiot is the least sane of the group.
Lots o' words I didn't know in this chapter...
malabarista-person coming from the coast of India
nacre- mother-of-pearl
aggregate- consisting of a mixture of minerals separable by mechanical means
holothurians- any echinoderm of the class of Holothuroidea, comprising the sea cucumbers
Here is a picture of a sea cucumber(http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/animals/images/primary/sea-cucumber-ga.jpg)
abhorrence- a feeling of extreme repugnance or aversion; utter loathing; abomination
Just to name a few
All definitions come from dictionary.com
"They wont ride at night." "Why wont they?'' "Because it's dark..." Page 242
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Glad you said this is filler because I was worried I'd missed something, since the plot did not seem to advance at all. I'm really enjoying reading your blog entries after each chapter. :)
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