Child of God

How does Cormac McCarthy’s use of the motif of the Gothic double in Child of God differ from its use in works of classic Gothic fiction? Consider comparisons to The Castle of Otranto, Jane Eyre, or The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Scholar of Gothic literature Alison Milbank writes that the darkness of the Gothic double self, the coexistence of good and evil within us “is our hope and not our despair” (Milbank, Alison. “Gothic Fiction Tells Us the Truth About Our Divided Nature.” The Guardian, 27 Nov. 2011). Is there a hint of salvation in what Lester Ballard’s story tells us about humanity?

McCarthy draws on the history of organized vigilantism in Sevier County, Tennessee, to provide a contrast to Lester’s solitary violence. Compare how different characters view vigilantism; what role does it play in the county with regard to justice and morality?

Published in 1973, Child of God expresses the cultural anxieties about societal breakdown and serial killing of the 1960s and ’70s. What current cultural anxieties does the novel address?

McCarthy’s narration is notable for staying almost entirely outside the heads of his main characters. What effect does this have on how characters are portrayed?

In distinctive style, McCarthy mixes colloquial dialogue with poetic narration. What effect does this have bifurcated style have on how the story is told?

What are the differences in the novel between just and unjust violence? What are the similarities?

Southern Gothic literature often has a distinct sense of place. What role does setting play in the plot of Child of God? What devices does McCarthy use to describe the Appalachian landscape?