Thoughts on Judge Holden

The arguments concerning the validity of Judge Holden’s symbolic status as maybe a representation of science or an incarnation of pure evil are both very viable and agreeable. I think it’s a disheartening to pigeon-hole this dynamic character into one or the other. A more accurate reading of this character is as a combination of both sentiments in relation to Holden’s role in the work -specifically pertaining to the kid. Holden and the kid have clearly established an adversarial type of relationship at this point, and a showdown of sorts is imminent. In examining how the judge functions in McCarthy’s novel, I made up my mind on Holden being a clear antithesis to the kid, but the manner in which he becomes this is done by incorporating both aspects of science and an almost mystic type of innate evil.

From the kid’s first encounter with the Judge we get a glimpse into Holden’s true nature. He lies about the preacher and effectively ruins the revival and dooms the man attempting to do God’s work. Obviously the whole thwarting god thing points to an evil, devil-like persona for the Judge, but what I took notice of was the extreme ease with which Holden persuaded an entire tent of people against a man of god. This is eerily similar to biblical parables which display the devil’s ability to pervert the minds of men to do evil. The judge’s ability to captivate and in turn alter and control men is seen further after the kid joins Glanton’s gang. The stories he tells around are not only a source of entertainment for the men, but they also depict Holden’s desire to impart some type false morality onto the scalpers - again reminiscent of biblical descriptions of the devil.

Holden’s desire for influence over the men in the gang is obvious. Given the historical reference to actual judge, I still  like to think that Holden’s name is even a play on the fact that the judge wants everything in the world to almost be “beholden” to him. To ensure that this does in fact become a reality for the judge, he keeps the notebook to document everything he encounters. The notebook is clearly a source of power for Holden. He seeks to have an intimate understanding of everything, and through this immense understanding he seeks control. This inherently points at the Judge as not being a representation of pure science, but a perversion of it. With comments like, “The freedom of birds is an insult to me. I’d have them all in zoos,” coming from the Judge it seems that he doesn't study the world merely to understand it, but he seeks a sinister sense of control over it and its inhabitants.

The kid doesn't seem to factor into Holden’s plan for the world. His refusal to end Shelby’s pain by killing the him proves that the kid is not one to blindly follow anyone completely. Despite this, the kid still seems to hold the judge in some sort of respectable light. Even after the Yumas attack the ferry, the kid is unable to kill Holden, though he also doesn't trust the judge either. This relationship will prove to yield a very interesting showdown. I honestly cannot wait for the work’s conclusion.

White Noise

Delillo’s White Noise is quite notably one of the most complex and seemingly mundane works I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Jack is character who seems weak and utterly inept, but in this world lacking integrity and originality he seems merely a product of his environment. By highlighting the true lack of originality present through this work, Delillo has also created a world where I constantly question the lack of authority present in the novel.

Jack is as inauthentic as the rest of the world, if not more so. He has a position at his college one would assume garners innate prestige and authority, yet he constantly attempting to live up to this idea of authority. Delillo contrasts Jack with the figure of Adolf Hitler, who at one point in history was the epitome of power and authority. Jack is virtually a shell of the man he’s devoted his career to studying.

This problem of authority seems to span not only his professional life, but also spills over into his personal affairs. Jack has almost no control over his children. Wilder is often missing or just inconsolable. Henrich seems to completely disregard almost everything his father says. Much like his job at the college, he often does and says things simply because he feels that they should be done. He continues to almost play the role of J.A.K. Gladney as opposed to living his life.

Although I’ve been focusing on Jack, this lack of authority in present elsewhere in work. Specifically in the Airborne Toxic event there seems to be no sense of real authority. Jack's choice to stay at home as opposed to evacuating is ultimately undermined, and his family eventually leaves their home. Jack’s conversation with the SIMUVAC man provides no real information or security for the family. It almost felt like the one person who the family encountered during the evacuation that should have known what exactly was going on knew nothing that could really benefit anyone. Even the reports over the radio seemed to only hurt and turn most of Jack’s family into extreme hypochondriacs. This left me at a loss as to exactly was going on.

Then I thought of the simple lack of direction present in work. This event in the book seemed to make me cognizant of this fact. Although the idea of being the head of a departments at a prestigious college seems to comfort Jack, the fact of the matter is that the security he gets from his job is clearly false and merely a crutch to deal with a world that is in fact very dangerous. Jack is simply unequipped to deal with anything that lies outside the realm of his faux sense of control.