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| “ | Mr. Owens, if you was anything at all other than a goddamn fool you could take one look at these here men and know for a stone fact they ain't a one of 'em goin' to get up from where they're at to go set somewheres else. | „ |
| ~ Glanton to Mr. Owens, his most famous quote |
| “ | His name is Glanton. He's got a contract with Trias. They're to pay him a hundred dollars a head for scalps and a thousand for Gómez's head. | „ |
| ~ Toadvine introducing Glanton |
| “ | Hack away, you mean red n*gger. | „ |
| ~ Glanton's last words |
John Joel Glanton is the secondary antagonist of the late Cormac McCarthy's 1985 historical and anti-Western epic novel Blood Meridian. He is based on the 19th-century scalp hunter of the same name.
Biography[]
Glanton is first mentioned by Toadvine, who is talking to the Kid about a scalp hunting business, led by Glanton, offering one hundred dollars per scalp and one thousand dollars for the head of a man named Gómez. Thanks to Toadvine's recommendation, the Kid is allowed to join the gang.
Glanton makes his first physical appearance with the Judge, examining and testing weapons to purchase. Upon picking up a Colt revolver, Glanton proceeds to eagerly shoot a cat, two birds, and a goat, proving his marksmanship and demonstrating his ruthlessness. He tells the shopkeeper that the revolver is overpriced, causing discord between them, before the Judge holds Glanton back and pays for the weapons himself. Glanton is revealed as the leader of the Glanton Gang, which the Kid joins. Throughout the novel, Glanton will prove to be the main source of muscle for the group, a powerful soldier capable of taking on tens of attackers at once. While the Judge is most likely stronger than him, Glanton takes action more in battles.
Glanton leads the gang through many trials and tribulations throughout the novel, as they battle tribes, rob graves, and commit a multitude of other crimes while both collecting scalps and searching for Gómez. In one instance, they come across a village that Glanton suspects Gomez is in, and so he orders his gang to kill everyone in the village, telling them that they should be whipped if they let even one villager escape alive. Glanton then leads the assault on the village, brutally slaughtering everyone there, even the women and children. While the villagers continue to be slaughtered, Glanton finds a group of Mexican slaves that are kneeling and begging for mercy, as they are not related to the village and are just captives. It is noted that many of the slaves are children. Regardless, Glanton shows them no mercy. He grabs children by their ankles and smashes their heads against the rocks, urging his men to do the same. Eventually, after the entire village is wiped out, it is revealed that Gomez was never at this village, and all the casualties were innocent villagers. Glanton scoffs at this, uncaring, and proceeds to have the villagers scalped regardless to sell them off. After they do so, Glanton's Gang rides off to Chihuahuan.
Upon arrival at Chihuahuan, a celebration is held for Glanton and his men after they sell their collected scalps, but Glanton disrupts the party, despite it being held in his honour, by rudely commenting during the governor's toast, and trashing the town before leaving once again. Glanton comes across more villages, which he raids and burns down without mercy, before eventually coming across a ferry and a band of Yuma Indians. Glanton deceives the Yumas by getting them to attack the ferry while warning the ferry about the Yuma's attack, causing a slaughter that eventually the Yumas win, only for Glanton to turn on them and kill most of them, only having a few escape.
Glanton's brutality is finally put to an end closer to the end of the novel when the Yuma Indians that got away earlier re-group and come back for vengeance, splitting his head open with an axe as he attempts to fight them off, cursing them with his final words.
Personality[]
Glanton is a very ruthless, callous and sadistic person, not carrying at all for his targets, or anyone else beside himself. He is easily angered but is tactical in his attacks, and while he does use rage to his advantage in battle, he does not often let his anger get the better of him, with the exception of his "tantrum" in the novel. He has a dog he tamed by abusing it into a domesticated state, but does not care for it beyond that of a tracker. This is one of the many instances in which Glanton harms animals, other moments including when he silences dogs outside a bar for barking too loud, using innocent animals for target practice, and breaking his dog's leg to tame it.
Appearance[]
Glanton is described as a mysterious man with a large black beard, usually seen wearing a cowboy hat. Some passages imply that he, like the Kid later in the story, would wear a necklace of ears from his victims, as he was known to mutilate the bodies of his victims even after scalping them.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- His name, Glanton, is very similar to the name of another Cormac McCarthy villain, Anton.
- Funnily enough, while also having a similar name, both Glanton and Anton have similar professions; they are both cold-blooded mercenaries.