The Western as Commentary about Decaying Values Essay

In 1939 John Ford masterminded a classical western film by the name of Stagecoach. This film has the integrity of a fine work of art. Being that it could be considered a work of art, the impression left on a viewing audience could differ relying on the audience's demographics. However, it is conceivable to all audiences that Ford delivers a cast of characters that are built on stereotypes and perceptions conjured from 'B' westerns that preceded this film's time. Each character is introduced to the audience in a stereotypical genre, as the film progresses, these stereotypes are broken down and the characters become more humanized. This is apparent with a handful of characters being

John Ford built a standard that many future directors would follow with his classic 1939 film “Stagecoach”. Although there were a plethora of western films made before 1939, the film “Stagecoach” revolutionized the western genre by elevating the genre from a “B” film into a more serious genre. The film challenged not only western stereotypes but also class divisions in society. Utilizing specific aspects of mise-en-scène and cinematography, John Ford displays his views of society.

When they came to a cross way in the road charley thought they would turn left, but he was wrong and they went right. They found themselves in a meadow it’s always going to happen in a meadow he said to himself, at that time he saw the enemy assembling in the trees. This was one of the most horrific battles with multiple hit to the horses and men it got as far as Charley got a ravenous joy from killing.

According to the film critic, Phillip French, “The Western has always been about America rewriting and reinterpreting her own past,” if this is indeed the case, then the two most popular Westerns of the early 1990s reveal that many Americans had rejected the traditional interpretation of the Old West. The critically and commercially successful, Dances with Wolves and Unforgiven, repudiated the patriotic frontier myth that had characterised the Western when it was the preeminent genre in American cinema. Informed by new Western historiography, itself an expression of political concerns that had been moving into the American mainstream since the 1960s, the movies display a complex and nuanced understanding of the frontier experience. Dances with Wolves rejected the traditional narrative of the inherent superiority of the Anglo-American hero conquering both Native Americans and the wilderness, and also focused on the environmental destruction that accompanied the ideology of Manifest Destiny. Unforgiven would similarly reject the frontier myth, replacing the democratic, civilised frontier town, with a brutal regime in which white men’s property rights prevail over any sense of justice. The film is noted for its self-reflexive nature, with a writer documenting and embellishing the tales of the Old West before the viewer’s eyes. This self-reflexion indicates that Americans were re-evaluating the myths of the frontier, and seeing them for what they were, creations by the

When he and his fellow soldiers go marching, searching for Confederate soldiers, Charley wets himself because his heart fills with fear and adrenaline. Marching among an old battlefield, Charley notices how the dead men look. “They were all bloated, pushing out against their uniforms; clouds of flies were planting eggs in the wound openings… the smell was sweet, cloying, the smell of blood… and decaying flesh,” (pg. 36-37). In another battle Charley becomes so angry and distraught he runs to the front of the pack and murderously fights off Southern soldiers.

Charley Quinn is twelve years old the summer after his older brother, Johnny, is killed at Gettysburg. Charley can't wait for the opportunity to avenge Johnny's death by killing off some Rebel soldiers. Meanwhile, he works as an errand boy for his older sister, Noreen. He picks up supplies and hats for her sewing business and delivers them when Noreen is finished with them. Charley is a member of the street gang known as the Bowery Boys. Their arch rivals are the Dead Rabbits. As Charley is returning home one day with a hatbox, he encounters a member of the rival gang and gets into a fight. A police officer breaks it up and takes Charley home. Noreen is angry that he has ruined his good clothes and that he had been fighting. While Charley is changing, he hears Noreen talking with her fiancé. At the end of that conversation, Noreen agrees that if Charley can't stay out of trouble she'll send him to a school for incorrigible boys.

“Your words will tell others what you think. Your actions will tell them what you believe.” This quote said by T.D Jakes shows that your real actions and real words will reveal your true self. The character Daniel Boone learns this after he sees his friend Wolf’s true ego. “The two boys shouted and laughed as they ran through this crooked path. They kept it up until Wolf’s father came”(57). In the beginning of the story, Daniel Boone meets an Indian Quaker named Wolf. Daniel and Wolf played for hours until Wolf’s father came. In this part of the story, Wolf is portrayed as a nice character. After meeting Wolf’s tribe, Daniel began to see that Wolf wasn’t what he imagined he would be. “There wasn’t a friendly smile anywhere, even from Wolf.

While on Patrol the platoon hears Viet Cong singing resulting in the U.S. opening fire. During the fire fight Lieutenant Carrol was killed. He was hit under the arm. Sergeant Simpson asked Perry to write a letter home to his family informing the family of Carrol death. Captain Stewart liked the letter Perry wrote to Carrols family. Lobel is blaming himself for the death of Lieutenant Carrol. From the fight, they have a Viet Cong in custody from the Second platoon. Peewee receives a letter from Perry’s mom. Peewee didn’t really care to read the letter. The company received a new person named Turner. In another fire fight Perry was responsible for setting up the clay mores. However, when he did place the clay mores he placed them in the wrong direction. The Viet

Cesar Chavez once said “Preservation of one's own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures.” People adapt cultures quickly and don’t think about other cultures. the setting can influences the characters because their cultures shaping them and how high you status is. The setting in Montana 1948, the characters are influenced to act a certain way because that culture is what they are used to living.

The question is whether No Country for Old Men and Stagecoach provide adequate examples of the decline in American moral values. From my perspective of today’s world and my interpretation of No Country for Old Men and Stagecoach, I can see how the argument could be made that they have declined or haven’t changed at all. I see a difference between the relationship of Ringo and Dallas vs other members of their traveling group compared to Sheriff Bell vs Chigurh. These relationships, in my opinion, explains a lot about the development of moral values, or lack of, in the western United States. In this paper, I will describe the moral values that are represented in each movie and I will also try to describe my understanding of why American moral values may have declined between No Country for Old Men and Stagecoach.

Some of which are a more romanticized view of the West, creating a foundational conservative view of Western vision through an illustrious descent. The frontier, the Wild West, and common thought concerning Western industry is really dependent on a perspective of a select population looking to expand. Three main factors are the construct of this written analysis focusing more on the reality of the West as a characteristic national influence. Those addressed are namely, one the geographical aspects of the West as a location and governmental structure; second, the historical influences such as migration, and third the cultural encouragements including social standings, individualism, and Western film that have helped shape this Western

I smile at the thought of Charlie around Cades endless pools of blood. He would faint, and Cade would… Well he’d probably not be alive. Or Mrs. Brenner trying to fit in the vents. I almost snicker at the thought. Then I hear Mr. Brenner shout back, his annoying stuck up voice cutting through my thoughts.“Seriously! We aren’t going to follow a thirteen year-old little girl!” I knew that man would be a problem. Because he doesn't believe that “young individuals are capable of responsibility these days.”

The southwest is a region of the United States that makes our country unique. Without the southwest, we would undoubtedly lack the spirit, hope, beauty, and truth that this vast region brings to the rest of the United States as a whole. The southwest represents many things, such as journeying, racism, violence, the clashing and cooperation of cultures, and spirituality, as well as primitivism and pastoralism. All of these elements that the Southwest is comprised of is perhaps the reason why the rest of the country feels so captivated by it; why the southwest is considered a place to “find yourself” or to “regenerate”; and why literature and film regarding the Southwest has been and continues to be of the most popular genres. The western film was one of the most popular during the first half of the twentieth century. Audiences far and wide were mesmerized by actors such as John Wayne and Roy Rogers, and their roles as heroes who fought to tame the American frontier. This very concept, ‘taming the frontier’, gives way to a larger theme that was prevalent in many western films and literature of the southwest: ubi sunt, or rather “where are those who came before us?”. Director Sam Peckinpah’s The Ballad of Cable Hogue portrays this idea better than any other western film; the concept of ubi sunt is undeniably the film’s overarching theme, clearly seen through its components.

Dunbar knows that the arrival of American troops in the frontiers will only be a matter of time. Soon, he has to make the decision whether he wants to stick to his new friends or go back to his fellow soldiers and fight against the Indians. When Dunbar rides back to his post to get his journal, American soldiers are gathered around his post. They see him coming and shoot his horse. Since Dunbar is wearing a Sioux gown, the troops look at him as a trader and treat him brutally. When the soldiers are on their way to the next village to have Dunbar hanged, the Sioux attack, and rescue their friend, Dunbar. Back at the Indian camp, Dunbar and his wife decide to leave the Sioux. John Dunbar knows that he is a wanted man now.

A. J. Polyzoides, an honorary senior lecturer at Birmingham University, states: “The western world has adopted and developed their discoveries throughout the centuries.” (Polyzoides 1). As the Hellenistic society shifted away from the Classical ideals of perfectionism and idolization of the elites and gods in sculpture, artists began to be fixated on illustrating imperfection of a variety of individuals faced with the ruthless authenticity of their emotional struggles. Whereas, Classical architecture focused on dedicating massive structures to the gods to emphasize their divinity, but Hellenistic architecture used advanced technology to exemplify Alexander the Great’s magnificence. Thus, differences in the architecture can be seen in the sophisticated town of Alexandria with structures such as the lighthouse that show how Alexander the Great influenced town planning that was centralized on the creation of a superior city, likewise, The Altar at Pergamon expresses the loss of focus on the divine through unique sculptural techniques. Change can also be seen in the sculptures of The Boxer and The Old Market Woman as they are depicted to be imperfectly individualistic and in emotional distress.