They rode in a narrow enfilade along a trail strewn with the dry round turds of goats and they rode with their faces averted from the rock wall and the bakeoven air which it rebated, the slant black shapes of the mounted men stenciled across the stone with a definition austere and implacable like shapes capable of violating their covenant with the flesh that authored them and continuing autonomous across the naked rock without reference to sun or man or god.
In this excerpt from Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian," the riders traverse a narrow trail covered in goat droppings, highlighting their harsh and unforgiving environment. They deliberately turn away from the rock wall and the oppressive heat that radiates from it, suggesting a desire to escape the discomfort and reality around them. The imagery evokes a stark and relentless landscape that seems to consume any semblance of humanity.
The mounted figures are depicted as dark silhouettes against the stone, characterized by a severe and unyielding essence. This description suggests a disconnection from their physical form and a sense of autonomy that transcends human existence, placing them in a realm indifferent to divine or mortal considerations. Their presence is both haunting and powerful, emphasizing the novel's themes of existential struggle and the desolate beauty of the setting.
