I just started reading Blood Meridan for the first time and I was kinda shocked to see the casual use of one of the worst slurs in the English language. I’m just wondering if this is a Huckleberry Finn thing and “justified” in some way? Or more like a Pulp Fiction situation where Tarantino seemed to throw it in there just because he could? Because honestly, I know this is close to being a modern-day classic but there are a lot of amazing books out there I’ve not yet read and I don’t know if it’s worth it to pollute my brain like that or just move on to something else.
All the main characters are members of a murderous band of racist scalp hunters. They kill people and animals on whims. It’s set in the US/Mexico border area in the late 1840s to early 1850s. The use of the N word is accurate to the characters and the time period unfortunately.