The kid looked at the man. His head was strangely narrow and his hair was plastered up with mud in a bizarre and primitive coiffure. On his forehead were burned the letters H T and lower and almost between the eyes the letter F and these markings were splayed and garish as if the iron had been left too long. When he turned to look at the kid the kid could see that he had no ears.
The character described in Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian" is striking and unsettling, presenting a vivid image of an oddly shaped man. His head is narrow, and his hair is caked in mud, giving it a primitive appearance. This bizarre look is further accentuated by markings burned into his forehead that form the letters H and T, along with a lower letter F, which appear exaggerated and crude, suggesting a violent history or branding.
The child's gaze reveals the man's lack of ears, enhancing the sense of abnormality and alienness surrounding him. This encounter is not just about physical appearance but suggests deeper themes of identity and survival in the harsh world McCarthy depicts. The man's physical traits are a reflection of the brutal environment and the characters' struggles within it, emphasizing the brutality and dehumanization present in the narrative.
