Chapter 8

This chapter was pretty quick, and also slow, but it did go into detail of some of the characters.

Again, McCarthy refers to most of these new characters as the man or some generic noun. But the old man that walks to Toadvine and the others at the cantina is interesting. He seems like the guy that has done all this before and provides advice for the newcomers. He also seems like he's made a mistake or lost someone important, because he has a drunken and depressing feeling about him. He knows a little too much, and goes crazy a little bit, while another man was moaning off in the corner. A cool quote is where he's saying on page 102, "This Mexico. This is a thirsty country. The blood of a thousand Christs. Nothing." I think this means that no matter how many people die in Mexico, over all the different religions, doesn't mean anthing because Mexico is still thirsty for blood and the people that died are seem like nothing. It's weird that the guy in the corner is just moaning for being knifed, and he doesn't even go to the doctor, or the 1849 equivalent to one. It just goes to show how bad Mexico was, that a man would rather just remain in the place where they just got knifed.

Pretty weird that the veteran just took off like he did. I thought he'd at least let the kid know, but it wasn't surprising he left.

I thought the confrontation between Black Jackson and White Jackson was just awesome. I liked the thing that White Jack told Black Jack on page 106, "Here beyond men's judgements all covenants were brittle." A covenant pretty much an agreement to do or not do something specified. (dictionary.com) So it just means that if Black Jackson comes near him, their agreement will be over, and White Jackson will kill him. Look how that turned out. "Two thick ropes of dark blood and two slender rose like snakes from the stump of his neck and arched hissing into the fire." This is an amazing simile describing the fountainesque appearance of White Jackson's decapitated body. I suppose this could also be an example of personification since blood can't hiss. Even better, "The neck bubbled gently like a stew." I gotta say, McCarthy sure wants people to see this headless man, and even lose their lunch over it.