In The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, Tom Doniphon and Liberty Valence are unmistakably the two alpha male cowboys, leaving Rance Stoddard in the role of not quite a “man.” In an assessment by Matheson, Tom and Liberty would be characterized as hardboiled, classic cowboys from the noir milieu of the West. They are corrupted individuals, independent of the “spectacle of the law,” as they refer to it in the film, and use their power of intimidation and quick-handedness to achieve high levels of respect in the western culture. This manner of asserting one’s alpha male rank is indicated by Matheson as the only way that men can survive in the West, since “only the fittest, the strongest, and the most ruthless survive in the noir frontier” (Matheson, 891). While Liberty Valence reigned as the most antisocial of them all, having no sense of morality and shooting people as if it were as natural as needing to breathe, Tom Doniphon surfaced as the antihero who stepped up to his obligation to follow the duty-based ethnics, which, according to Matheson, required Tom to give up his personal desires for the good of the town, thus immersing himself even more in the solitariness of Western cowboy life. Matheson would further more claim that Tom plays a “destabilized, alienated figure […], socially marginalized [man] caught in [a] double bind – in short, the modern existentialist antihero” (Matheson, 897). While Tom may be the character whom the audience is hoping will benefit from the events of the story, he does not possess very many admirable qualities, and may very much be considered as depraved a man as Liberty Valence. Ultimately, Matheson suggests that it is the difference in the outcomes that the actions of these two alpha males perform that determines whether they are the “good” guy or the “bad” guy.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Rance Stoddard is nowhere near possibly being considered an alpha male because of his inability to function in the West as a man of the law. As Liberty Valence so explicitly demonstrates at the beginning of the film, the law is just bits of torn pages that have no influence over anyone when it comes to the free range of the West. Matheson illustrates in her article that men who cannot affirm their masculinity through a hardboiled persona are more or less considered feminine, since they are “’naked’ without a gun” (Matheson, 903). This suggestion is supported in the film by the attire that Stoddard must wear, such as an apron, and the fact that he can most easily interact with women, not men. Stoddard’s objective throughout the film – finding a just way to reprimand Liberty Valence for his unlawful behavior – is futile because, as Tom says, “out here a man settles his own problems,” and Stoddard is clearly incapable of having a fighting chance against Liberty if he relies only on his law book for support. Matheson emphasizes that Stoddard must first become a real man in the West, for “until he understands that out West he is his own moral center, he cannot be considered a real man” (Matheson, 903). Stoddard must become completely independent and face his problems exclusively as a man, which is what he is eventually pushed to do. While Stoddard did not actually perform the killing of Liberty Valence as it seemed he had, he was pushed to the point where he had to give into the ways of the West and break his beloved laws that had guided him throughout life until he had found himself in the Wild West.
In relation to the film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, Matheson’s assessment of such characters would be extremely accurate. Her article focuses on the role of the hardboiled cowboy, such as Tom Doniphon and Liberty Valence are, and the affects that not being in this role would have on characters that are not considered hardboiled. She makes a good point when addressing the character of Rance Stoddard and comparing his traits to those of a female, because it highlights the dramatic difference in power of behaving as a man one way to that of another way. Ultimately, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence is a typical example of the kind of hardboiled Western film that Matheson epitomizes in her article.
In The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, Tom Doniphon and Liberty Valence fit the role of the alpha male cowboy according to Matheson. Doniphon and Valence are both hardboiled men, classic cowboys from the noir milieu of the West. Both are corrupted individuals, independent of the “spectacle of the law,” as they refer to it in the film, and they use their power of intimidation and quick-handedness to achieve high levels of respect in the western culture. As a result, they fit into the criteria of the film noir Matheson elaborates on, in which “only the fittest, the strongest, and the most ruthless survive” (Matheson 891). However, Doniphon is clearly distinguished as the antihero, and Valance the sociopath, a distinction made by Matheson that is evident through the cowboys’ level of cleanliness and social interaction. Doniphon is liked by the town, and is looked to as the hero to save them from Liberty Valance’s assaults; while he is morally ambiguous – using his gun and killing men – he follows the “most fundamental value concepts of virtue-ethics: ‘the highest good’” (Matheson 899). On the other hand, Liberty Valance has no morality, and accordingly cannot integrate into the society which he terrorizes. His impeccable attire and almost obsessive need to be clean and flawless looking speaks to his classification as a sociopath in Matheson’s assessment. While Liberty Valence reigns as the most antisocial of them all, having no sense of morality and shooting people as if it were as natural as needing to breathe, Tom Doniphon surfaces as the antihero who steps up to his obligation to follow the duty-based ethnics, which, according to Matheson, require Tom to give up his personal desires for the good of the town, thus immersing himself even more in the solitariness of Western cowboy life.
ReplyDeleteContrary to Doniphon and Valance in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Rance Stoddard does not meet the standards that Matheson sets for being an alpha male cowboy namely because of his inability to function in the West as a man of the law. As Liberty Valance so explicitly demonstrates as the beginning of the film, the law is just bits of torn pages that has no influence over anyone when it comes to the free range of the West. In addition, Stoddard’s separation from guns and association with women challenges his legitimacy as a man. Matheson states in her article that men who cannot affirm their masculinity through a hardboiled persona are more or less considered feminine, since they are “’naked’ without a gun” (Matheson 903). Furthermore, Stoddard is seen wearing an apron and working in the kitchen, which reinforces his relationship with women, not men. The disadvantage of power that is present among men and women and therefore applied to Stoddard, in the context that his use of the law to reprimand Valance is powerless in a society where “out here a man settles his own problems.” Therefore, “until he understands that out West he is his own moral center, he cannot be considered a real man” (Matheson 903). Stoddard accepts this stipulation and faces Valance one on one; his public demonstration of standing up to Valance establishes him as an alpha male within the town, but the reality that Doniphon actually shoots and kills Liberty Valance implies that Stoddard never can become a real alpha male cowboy. Ultimately, in order to prove himself a man, Matheson suggests that Stoddard must give into the ways of the West and break his beloved laws and test his moral capability.