Judge Holden of Blood Meridian Although the novel Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy tells the story of the boy and his journey through the harshest environments, much of the action in the novel is centered around to Judge Holden. Judge Holden is a mystery from his first appearance in the novel and remains so until the end of the novel, when he is one of the few surviving characters. The boy first comes face to face with Holden in a saloon after a riot and eventually joins Holden and a band of misfit scalp hunters to roam the Mexican-American border. Judge Holden has some historical basis as a character. The Judge is mentioned in Samuel Chamberlain's My Confession, a personal account published in 1956. Chamberlain was a private during the Mexican War and met Holden when he joined Glanton's band of renegade scalp hunters. Chamberlain describes Holden as gigantic and hairless, just as Holden is described by McCarthy (Sepich 125). One of Judge Holden's most mysterious qualities is his ability to move from place to place and almost be in two places at once. As Tobin says, “every man in the company claims to have met that sooty-souled scoundrel somewhere else” (McCarthy 124). Holden's first appearance in the novel is a great example of his ability to appear in two places at once. The judge manages to escape from the riot that occurred in Reverend Green's tent to a saloon where it is completely dry, even though it is raining cats and dogs outside (7-8). The judge also mysteriously appears next to the boy in the bar where the dancing bear has just been killed. He seems "little if any changed in all these years" (325). In both of these situations Judge Holden is the cause of the chaos around him. The judge single-handedly incites the revolt against Reverend Green and is the cause of the bear massacre. These events are indicative of the entire novel as there is constant chaos and violence wherever Judge Holden goes, for example Judge Holden's physical appearance seems incredible and full of contrasts. Holden towers above everyone, yet appears pre-pubescent due to his total lack of hair and his small hands and feet. Much of the imagery surrounding Judge Holden depicts him in childish terms. The characteristics of the boy and the judge tend to complement each other.