In a Vision of the Night: Job, Cormac McCarthy, and the Challenge of Chaos

by Philip S Thomas

How is life possible in a world of evil, suffering, and chaos? Christians have historically been inept at offering adequate answers as to why people’s lives are derailed by sudden chaos and, even worse, at equipping people to live in the throes, or aftermath, of that same chaos. Underlying this confusion is an assumption that evil is a formidable chink in the armor of God’s creation. The book of Job challenges such thinking, but its meaning often remains hidden because of a long-standing belief in Christian hermeneutics that the book is about why bad things happen to good people, or about why suffering happens. This is not the case. With In a Vision of the Night Philip Thomas offers a fresh perspective into the book of Job by reading it alongside the fiction of Cormac McCarthy. While some critics have previously identified Joban overtones in McCarthy’s work, Thomas argues for something far a recurrent Joban resonance throughout McCarthy’s works. McCarthy’s rejection of philosophical theodicy, his anti-anthropocentric vision of the world, his assumed presence of chaotic figures, and the quietly persistent note of hope that runs throughout his books reveal the Joban influence. Thomas contends that knowledge of the book of Job gives insight into McCarthy’s literary output; conversely, reading Job through a McCarthyite lens enables proper apprehension of the scriptural text. Through a thematically based theological reading of McCarthy and Job, In a Vision of the Night draws out often overlooked aspects of the book of Job. Further, it reveals that McCarthy, like the Joban author, constructs a theodicy that both rejects the easy stance of a detached and generalized answer to the question of why chaos comes and advances the more pressing question of how life continues in the face of chaos.

247 pages, Hardcover

Published November 1, 2021

Reviews

[Preston Scott Blakeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enriching and enlightening. Perhaps one of my favorite books of criticism I have read. Thomas uses the work of Cormac McCarthy to sketch a theology of the Book of Job. This theological framework—if I can call it a framework—follows Christian existentialists such as Kierkegaard and Barth insofar as it posits the universe, from the human perspective, as irrational and non-anthropocentric. I appreciated the first few chapters that discuss the fruitlessness of philosophical theodicy and the decentering of the human subject. I found that these themes not only fit nicely into both texts but also, in terms of my own experience, contextualize some of the frustration I have felt over current churchly sentiments that follow the Enlightenment, Promethean-esque elevation of humanity over creation. The book is rich in its exploration of these themes and also timely for my own thinking. Regardless of the fifth chapter which attempts to read the conclusion of Blood Meridian and The Road through the “Possibility of Hope,” which is perhaps a futile quest in putting a square peg in a round hole (less so for The Road), I really appreciated this book, and I will most certainly plan on returning once again.

[Jon Coutts · Rating 5 out of 5]

"One cannot wait until the world conforms to a better fantasy of it before one dare take the risk of living.... Simple kindnesses ricochet through people's lives" (153-4).

[Scott Bielinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arguing for a re-reading of McCarthy and the Book of Job, Thomas skillfully mines the depths at the intersection of literature and theology. This is a deeply enjoyable and rewarding read. It is a perfect demonstration of literature and theology's fecund relationship.

"The chaos of Behemoth and Leviathan exists in creation, and this must be acknowledged in order to be able to live in its shadowy light, carrying the fire onward, both for oneself and for others." (159).

[Luke Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is Cormac also among the prophets?

In this book, Philip S. Thomas argues that Cormac McCarthy’s fiction and the book of Job can mutually inform each other, leaving the reader with a better outlook on these texts and on life. While reading this book, I found myself constantly wanting to return to Cormac’s fiction and to re-read his classics. Thomas is not only a wonderful writer and deep thinker himself, but he also gave me a deeper appreciation for Cormac’s writing and storytelling.

This is an excellent book for anyone who has read a handful of Cormac’s books and who loves the Bible and theology.