In the following essay, Douglas proposes that N. Scott Momaday's House Made of Dawn and Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian are borne from the need to critically examine the European-American foundational tenets upon which the Southwest was colonized.

In the following essay, Spurgeon suggests that Blood Meridian attempts to bridge the difference between the mythic representations of the old West and the true natural world, particularly through its reworking of the traditional figure of the sacred hunter.

In the following essay, Sepich documents the historical context of Blood Meridian, particularly relying on General Samuel Emery Chamberlain's memoir My Confession.

In the following essay, Donoghue presents several possible readings of Blood Meridian as he outlines several key themes, among them McCarthy's muted narrative response to endless violence and the relationship between Judge Holden and “the kid.”

In the following essay, Sepich argues that Blood Meridian's Judge Holden is in many ways a metaphor for Satan, and that the eventual death of “the kid” is the inevitable result of his association with Holden.

In the following essay, Sepich reviews the potential causes for Judge Holden's murder of the unnamed character “the kid,” through an examination of historical sources, as well as through an exploration of the moral universe as it exists in the novel.

In the following essay, Twomey characterizes Blood Meridian as a battle between the madness of Judge Holden, who converts the Glanton Gang to his irrational mindset, and the resistant kid—a battle in which the judge finally triumphs.

In the following essay comparing Louise Erdrich's Love Medicine and Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, Mitchell argues that, despite the surface dissimilarities between the two books, they are both borne from the myths of the American West which they ultimately refute.

In the following essay, Dow examines Blood Meridian as a topographical study in the tradition of Henry David Thoreau's Walden.

In the following essay, Pitts argues that Blood Meridian's encompassing of historical, cultural, and literary styles enhances its ability to serve as a parable for the American vision of life.

In the following essay, Masters views the ambiguous character of Judge Holden as a trailblazer of the Wild West who seeks to fill the moral vacuum of that space with his own brand of “amoral logos.”

In the following essay, Schopen studies McCarthy's complexly integrated narrative structures in Blood Meridian, deeming that these elements fuse together to form a truthful assessment of the nature of humanity.

In the following essay, Campbell presents Blood Meridian as a re-creation of the traditional Western novel and its archetypal mythos.

In the following essay, Eddins uses the philosophical theories of Arthur Schopenhauer to examine the aesthetics of Blood Meridian.

In the following essay, Longley notes that every major episode in Blood Meridian is based on a real event in history. The critic comments upon the themes evident in every McCarthy novel: the "pervasiveness of evil," the "usurpation of authority," and the "denial of responsibility."

In the following review, O'Brien discusses Blood Meridian within the context of the Western genre, noting differences and similarities between the two.

In the following review, Baines comments briefly on the "cruelty," "inhumanity," and "gore" present in Blood Meridian.

In the following review, Hislop views Blood Meridian as more than a conventional Western, believing it to be a treatise on the interconnection of violence and culture.