The main points Tompkins makes in her chapter on Land and the Landscape surmise the fact that nature “implicitly possesses- power, endurance, rugged majesty” and that “the qualities needed to survive on the land are the qualities the land itself possess- bleakness, mercilessness.” John Wayne’s character Ethan definitely exhibits these characteristics. The qualities of the landscape are similar to the qualities of their search. The trail to find the young girl is relatively bleak, and nearly hopeless for large portions of their lengthy search. The landscape, as Tompkins’ mentions is vast and offers unlimited room to roam. This idea of vastness enhances the storyline and results in finding the girl more difficult task. Ethan, even though he has company, including Martin, mentally he seems in constant solitude similar to descriptions of the landscape.
Tompkins says that “town always threatens to entrap the hero in the very things the genre most wishes to avoid: intimacy… a network of social and emotional responsibilities.” I disagree with this statement when it comes to John Wayne’s character, because the whole reason he is out searching for 5 years is a relative which holds emotional responsibility and even shows intimacy as he holds her at the end of the movie.
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