Throughout the novel, blood is associated with violence and injury. Like the central paradox in the novel’s title, blood has a duality to it—simultaneously a life-giving substance and a visible indicator of harm suffered. Abigail Abernathy is spattered with blood at the fight where she meets Travis Maddox; she has pushed forward to see better, suggesting that, despite wearing cashmere to seem like a “good” girl, Abby seeks out action and danger. She is “mesmerized by the trail of red from […] [Travis’s] chest to […] [his] waist” (4), suggesting she is attracted by violence and foreshadowing her fascination with Travis. Travis observes that the sweater looks good on her, suggesting that he recognizes she has been marked by the violence he committed, and instead of distancing herself from it, she’s come close enough to be spattered. This signals her fitness as Travis’s romantic interest.

On other occasions, when Travis beats an opponent or antagonist to a “bloody pulp,” Abby expresses satisfaction that he has committed violence in her defense or on her behalf. In these moments, blood becomes evidence of his affection, whereas in another instance, when Travis puts Abby in physical danger—causing her to fall by hitting a man who has ahold of her—Abby expresses anger at Travis’s violence, and the man’s blood on her hands represents Travis’s shortcoming, his failure to prioritize her safety first.