In the Image of Lucifer

The image of Judge Holden evokes the image of a sinister seven-foot-tall, completely hairless man, who is the arch-nemesis of humanity. A man of vast erudition, Holden is also the most savage of the lot riding alongside John Joel Glanton. The figure of Judge Holden has drawn comparisons to the character of Captain Ahab and the great white whale, Moby Dick. But Judge Holden also brings to mind the character of Lucifer. Both of them emerge as enemies of humanity and appear awe-inspiring even in their fallen state. It must not be forgotten that they had possibly glorious pasts. But they made choices that led them to become sinister and malevolent characters. Their depravity and fallen state are in stark contrast with their intellectual refinement. Lucifer features prominently across the myths of different cultures. In most representations, he appears as the “bearer of light.” A celestial figure, close to God, Lucifer becomes a damned and fallen figure, the avowed enemy of humanity.


Introduction
With the publication of Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy created a stir. Many found the violence outright revolting. Yet beneath the veneer of the violence was a puzzle, an enigma. The character of Judge Holden baffled readers and critics alike. The enormous presence of the Judge casts an ominous shadow throughout the novel. Despite his sheer horrific acts, the reader cannot look away. Despite the morbid nature of his deeds, the reader is drawn towards the enigmatic character of Judge Holden.
In a physical sense, the Judge appears extraordinary. He is a giant of a man, close to seven feet tall, completely hairless, and he is an albino. His striking physical appearance sets him apart from the rest of humanity. He is "a monstrous, hairless, compellingly astute killer who comes to seem immortal by book's end" (Hage 11). His capacity for evil places him on a similar platform as that of Lucifer. Just like the fallen angel, Judge Holden relentlessly wages war against humanity. He revels in chaos, anarchy, and bloodshed. When the Judge is introduced in Blood Meridian, he is found to be exhorting a mob to lynch a priest. He does it to amuse himself, to satiate his malevolent intentions. As Tobin recounts, the origins of the Judge remain shrouded in mystery. Glanton's gang came across him, perched on a rock in the middle of the vast desert. It appears as if he was waiting for the group. It is a scene that mirrors the events of Book I of Paradise Lost.
In Paradise Lost, once he frees himself from his bonds and gets out of the lake of fire, Lucifer calls upon his fellow angels. He waits for them and the legion of fallen angels throng to him. Paradise Lost as he is reduced to a pale shadow of his former glorious self. This fallen state seems to parallel the condition of Judge Holden.
The huge, pale, hairless man seemed to be beyond the clutches of time. He does not sleep, he does not grow old and, in all likelihood, he will not die. "Judge Holden also inhabits Blood Meridian as a partially supernatural entity. His entry into the Glanton Gang comes after he miraculously appears on the plain, calmly sitting on a lone rock in the middle of nowhere" (Hage 47).Though John Joel Glanton is the leader of the murderous troop, it is the Judge's malevolent will that functions as the guiding agent. Yet in many ways, he is different from the others riding in the gang. "The Judge's uncanny dancing, fiddling, intellectual and lingual capacities set him apart from the other brutal killers in the Glanton Gang" (Hage 54). On a similar note, Judge Holden takes a perverse pleasure in snuffing out lives. He is indifferent to the murders he commits or those that are committed around him. He is the high priest of a ritual that is 300,000 years old. The scalp hunting tradition is at once primitive and at the same time, a reflection of the violence that man has inherited. Evidence of an Indian's death depended on a hunter producing a scalp. "And an Indian's scalp was dearer to him than is immediately obvious." (Speich 6 In his fallen state, Lucifer aligns himself against God. His sole motive is to corrupt God's creation, to cause ruin and anarchy that would bring pain to the Creator. His pursuit of vengeance leads to chaos and anarchy in the creation. He tempts Eve, our 'first mother,' and that leads to the fall of Man. Satan takes a perverse pleasure in depriving Adam and Eve of the glory of Eden. "Satan, we find out, is an emissary from Hell and the Titanic adversary of God attempting to destroy the world and conquer God's new creation, the race of mankind" (Loewenstein 30). He is also responsible for bringing Sin and Death to earth. Humanity, which was born in grace, and glory, becomes the victim of sin, and death. They fall into the clutches of strife, discord, and violence. Michael shows the grim future of humanity-one haunted by disease, plagues, famines and death. Along with that, Michael reveals the horrors of murder and violence. SMART MOVES JOURNAL IJELLH e-ISSN: 2582-3574 p-ISSN: 2582-4406 VOL. 8, ISSUE 8, AUGUST 2020 www.ijellh.com 100

War and Great Ambitions
Lucifer intended to corrupt humanity, to cause pain and misery. And he succeeds in his designs. Satan's evil venture continues with Judge Holden. Time and again, he makes references to a "great dance," and the dance is nothing but war. He is part of a murderous horde whose sole aim is to take as many lives as possible. He revels in anarchy and chaos.
Glanton's gang had set out on a mission to hunt down Indians, but pretty soon, they start murdering one and all. They unleash mayhem in the towns they camp in. Judge Holden's desire is to gain a complete knowledge regarding the creation and to unmake what exists without his consent. Values like compassion and morality hold no meaning for him.

The Great Evil
Cormac McCarthy's creation, Judge Holden, has been regarded as one of the vilest and one of the most villainous characters in literature. He has no qualms in taking the lives of children. He is a Satanic figure who goes to extreme lengths to satiate his evil intentions.
Much like Iago and Lucifer, the Judge has a malevolent will. He desires death and destruction as he is a sworn enemy of life and humanity. He is a reflection of the evil that will never die.
Evil took root in humankind when Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit. Satan was responsible for Man's fallen ways. Judge Holden takes it to new depths. He is a manifestation of the evil that will never die. "He is truly the most degenerate and villainous character in the novel, yet he is the most refined as well" (Hage 48). There is simply no escaping the evil that has assumed the shape of Judge Holden. Years later, when The Kid comes across the Judge, the latter has not changed a bit. Despite confronting the Judge with courage, the Kid is no match for him.
"In McCarthy's dark worldview, the kind of timeless evil that Judge Holden represents must ultimately triumph" (Hage 48 overcome the Judge Holden's evil. "On Holden's rifle is inscribed the Latin saying: "et in Arcadia ego," a saying that translates to "even in Arcadia I am present," which sounds like a platitude issued from the lips of a personified death" (Hage 47). He is the image of Lucifer or Satan who walks across the borderlands of Mexico and America, dealing out death to humanity.