A member of Glanton’s gang and presumably a medical doctor at one time, Irving refuses to help David Brown when he takes an arrow to the thigh, knowing that if he doesn’t get the arrow out cleanly Brown will kill him. He also claims, in disagreement with the Judge, that might doesn’t make right.
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Doc Irving Character Timeline in Blood Meridian
The timeline below shows where the character Doc Irving appears in Blood Meridian. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 12
...arrow to the thigh during the massacre and asks for help, but none, not even Doc Irving , will help him—none save the kid. The kid succeeds in removing the arrow’s point...
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Chapter 17
Davy Brown studies Judge Holden and dismisses him as crazy. Another gang member, Doc Irving , says that might doesn’t make right. The Judge responds that the weak invented morality...
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