In the movie The Man Who Shot Liberty Vance the two alpha male characters are John Wayne’s character Tom and Liberty Vance. They are both similar in the fact that they do not respect the law of the east but instead follow the law of the west, the law of the gun. Matheson relates these two by saying they are both “highly antisocial and have disordered personalities.” Matheson describes the male cowboy as only having friendships that are “professional friendships.” Liberty Vance has his goons that are just there to help him steal and Tom (John Wayne) has his sidekick Pompey. Both these relationships are purely professional.
Although both these characters are similar where they differ is that Tom Doniphan is the “mean carefully placed between the outlaw (Liberty Vance) and the law.” Without Tom, Liberty Vance would run wild on the town of Shinbone. Although it seems as though Tom protects the town and Ransom Stoddard, Matheson says that he does all this for his own personal interests. She says, “He kills Valance because Hallie wants Stoddard alive. He makes sure that Stoddard runs for office not for the public good, but because Hallie needs a man who can give her ‘something to read and write about.’ He refuses to accept Stoddard’s nomination for political appointment because serving the public would interfere with his personal interests.”
Matheson also analyzes Ransom Stoddard the other main character in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence. She describes Stoddard as being “feminine” and argues that his “masculinity is diminished because he may be considered naked without a gun.” I agree with this analysis because without a gun he can’t protect himself and in westerns males are expected to be able to protect themselves. Also Stoddard’s clothing according to Matheson makes him seem weak in the eyes of the west. Eventually Stoddard adapts to the western lifestyle and starts practicing with a gun to protect himself against Liberty Valance. The west had changed Stoddard from a man who “expected the west to be a place where civilized values are respected” to a man willing to kill Liberty Valance instead of leaving Shinbone.
In the movie The Man Who Shot Liberty Vance the two alpha male characters are John Wayne’s character Tom and Liberty Vance. They are both similar in the fact that they do not respect the law of the east but instead follow the law of the west, the law of the gun. Matheson relates these two by saying they are both “highly antisocial and have disordered personalities.” Matheson describes the male cowboy as only having friendships that are “professional friendships.” Liberty Vance has his goons that are just there to help him steal and Tom (John Wayne) has his sidekick Pompey. Both these relationships are purely professional.
ReplyDeleteAlthough both these characters are similar where they differ is that Tom Doniphan is the “mean carefully placed between the outlaw (Liberty Vance) and the law.” Without Tom, Liberty Vance would not have another alpha male to counter his attitude. Tom is like Liberty Valance is a lot of ways but they differ in that Liberty Valance kills for greed, revenge, and sometimes just to kill. But Tom on the other hand kills out of necessity or to protect someone or something. Tom does protect the town and Ransom Stoddard, but from what Matheson says he does all this for his own personal interests, not because he is some selfless hero. She says, “He kills Valance because Hallie wants Stoddard alive. He makes sure that Stoddard runs for office not for the public good, but because Hallie needs a man who can give her ‘something to read and write about.’ He refuses to accept Stoddard’s nomination for political appointment because serving the public would interfere with his personal interests.” This changes the image of Tom from a selfless hero, just trying to help Ransom Stoddard and the town to a character much like Liberty Valance, who only cares about himself and his needs. When this film was made American culture viewed the cowboy as the perfect male, so directors made him out to be a selfless person who is there to protect the town and its people. But in Matheson’s book (which is more modern than this film) she has a more realistic view of the cowboy and sees him as a human that isn’t perfect. Although he may seem like the perfect male because he protects the town and people, inside he is like every other human with flaws and faults.
Matheson also analyzes Ransom Stoddard the other main character in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence. She describes Stoddard as being “feminine” and argues that his “masculinity is diminished because he may be considered naked without a gun.” I agree with this analysis because without a gun he can’t protect himself and in westerns males are expected to be able to protect themselves. Also Stoddard’s clothing according to Matheson makes him seem weak in the eyes of the west. Eventually Stoddard adapts to the western lifestyle and starts practicing with a gun to protect himself against Liberty Valance. The west had changed Stoddard from a man who “expected the west to be a place where civilized values are respected” to a man willing to kill Liberty Valance instead of leaving Shinbone. You see this change most clearly in the way he is dressed. Matheson says that the way a character is dressed tells a lot about their personality. In the beginning of the movie Ransom Stoddard is dressed in a suit carrying a bunch of books. But at the end of the movie we see Ransom Stoddard dressed in a more western suite, but most importantly he is wearing a hat. The hat in the western symbolizes power and the people who wear these hats are true cowboys. Stoddard’s change in clothes symbolizes his change from an eastern lawman to a western alpha male cowboy.