In Sue Matheson’s article The West-Hardboiled: Adaptations of Film Noir Elements, Existentialism, and Ethics in John Wayne’s Westerns, Matheson makes a number of different points relating John Wayne’s movies to the adventures of characters from hardboiled detective films and novels.
The first point that Matheson makes relating John Wayne to these characters is that often, John Wayne’s character will neglect his wife and children, although the audience knows that he does love them very much. This is exactly the kind emotion that the director is trying to pull from the audience. John Wayne’s character may not be a great or even a good person, but the audience feels empathy for him because of the kernel of goodness that shines through his darker exterior.
Another point that she makes is that antagonists in John Wayne’s Westerns, or Westerns in general, will often disregard people’s personal property and well being, while protagonists will often be clean shaven and have great moral value. John Wayne’s characters usually do not fall into either of these categories. He will, on occasion, harm another person, but never without provocation, but at the same time he is almost never clean shaven and is morally questionable at best. This rough-facedness perfectly matches the interior of Wayne’s characters. He is too rough on the inside to be considered a good guy, but not rough enough to be considered a bad guy.
Matheson also brings up the idea of existentialism in this article. Existentialism can often be compared to libertarianism where it comes to philosophical issues. They believe that people may do as they choose, but they will have to deal with the consequences of their actions. This matches the law of the Western perfectly. The rule by law mentality and vigilantism displayed in the Western allows the anti-hero, such as Wayne’s characters, to fit in perfectly as a main character of a story.
Another different type of character that John Wayne portrays is Rooster Cogburn in the movies True Grit and Rooster Cogburn. This character is just as morally despicable as any of the other characters Wayne portrays because he is not just after one man. Instead he wants to “slaughter Lucky Ned Pepper and his men one by one.” (Matheson, 898) However, Cogburn, like Wayne’s other characters does reach redemption. In a cathartic experience, Rooster mourns death of his horse while looking into the bottom of a cup. This goes to show that even the most immoral human beings can care about something, even if it is not another human being.
The final point Matheson makes is that “John Wayne(‘s character) appears to be as much in need of redemption as the sociopaths he brings to justice.” (Matheson, 906) This is the exact definition of an anti-hero. Wayne’s characters may be as morally absurd as the antagonist of the movie, but there is always a redeeming quality that appeals to the masses. This is the very essence of the hard-boiled detective, of film-noir, and of John Wayne’s Westerns.
In Sue Matheson’s article The West-Hardboiled: Adaptations of Film Noir Elements, Existentialism, and Ethics in John Wayne’s Westerns, Matheson makes a number of different points relating John Wayne’s movies to the adventures of characters from hardboiled detective films and novels.
ReplyDeleteThe first point that Matheson makes relating John Wayne to these characters is that often, John Wayne’s character will neglect his wife and children, although the audience knows that he does love them very much. This is exactly the kind emotion that the director is trying to pull from the audience. John Wayne’s character may not be a great or even a good person, but the audience feels empathy for him because of the kernel of goodness that shines through his darker exterior.
Another point that she makes is that antagonists in John Wayne’s Westerns, or Westerns in general, will often disregard people’s personal property and well being, while protagonists will often be clean shaven and have great moral value. John Wayne’s characters usually do not fall into either of these categories. He will, on occasion, harm another person, but never without provocation, but at the same time he is almost never clean shaven and is morally questionable at best. This rough-facedness perfectly matches the interior of Wayne’s characters. He is too rough on the inside to be considered a good guy, but not rough enough to be considered a bad guy.
Matheson also brings up the idea of existentialism in this article. Existentialism can often be compared to libertarianism where it comes to philosophical issues. They believe that people may do as they choose, but they will have to deal with the consequences of their actions. This matches the law of the Western perfectly. The rule by law mentality and vigilantism displayed in the Western allows the anti-hero, such as Wayne’s characters, to fit in perfectly as a main character of a story.
Another different type of character that John Wayne portrays is Rooster Cogburn in the movies True Grit and Rooster Cogburn. This character is just as morally despicable as any of the other characters Wayne portrays because he is not just after one man. Instead he wants to “slaughter Lucky Ned Pepper and his men one by one.” (Matheson, 898) However, Cogburn, like Wayne’s other characters do reach redemption. In a cathartic experience, Rooster mourns death of his horse while looking into the bottom of a cup. This goes to show that even the most immoral human beings can care about something, even if it is not another human being.
The final point Matheson makes is that “John Wayne(‘s character) appears to be as much in need of redemption as the sociopaths he brings to justice.” (Matheson, 906) This is the exact definition of an anti-hero. Wayne’s characters may be as morally absurd as the antagonist of the movie, but there is always a redeeming quality that appeals to the masses. This is the very essence of the hard-boiled detective, of film-noir, and of John Wayne’s Westerns.