Theme

The Judge in "Blood Meridian" is a symbol of evil and death, specifically, the devil

The Judge is excellent at many things, one of the most notable of these being his fiddle abilities

The fiddle has long been associated with the devil by religious leaders, similarly to the violin, an instrument the fiddle is closely related to

The Judge is an ever-present character

His weapon, a silver-chased rifle, is inscribed with the Latin phrase, "Et in Arcadia Ego," which translates to, "Even in Arcadia, I Exist"

• This phrase means that even in the most beautiful of places death is there

• Even in the most beautiful of places the devil, death and corruption persist

One of the Judge's most famous speeches is his sermon on war

• In this speech the Judge declares that war is man's highest calling, that all other jobs are a subset of war, that war is the ultimate game and that war is God

• "It makes no difference what men think of war, said the judge. War endures."

The Judge is also just a horrific child abuser and person overall

The Judge is a prime example of a man who's inner evils have been unleashed

His true evil has been realized and he knows it

"War is the truest form of divination. It is the testing of one’s will and the will of another within the larger will which because it binds them is therefore forced to select. War is the ultimate game because war is at last a forcing of the unity of existence. War is god."

"Only nature can enslave man and only when the existence of each last entity is routed out and made to stand naked before him will he be properly suzerain of the earth."

He has no care for others he is the ruler, the suzerain of his world and he enacts violence as he sees fit