In the Film Red River, there are two men who show qualities of the alpha male cowboy, yet also have flaws that contradict this persona. The first being Tom Dunson who appears to be past his prime as a cowboy and the second being Matthew Garth, Dunson’s adopted son whose alpha male qualities increase over the course of the film.
In the beginning, John Wayne’s character Tom Dunson leaves the wagon train he was travelling West with and the woman he loves to build his own cattle herd in Texas with only his friend Groot Nadine and one bull. Dunson’s desire to not follow other peoples’ directions and leave behind the woman he loves shows his true masculine “loner” personality (Matheson 891). When Dunson and Garth arrive to their desired location in Texas, they are approached by two men who tell them that the land they have travelled to is already spoken for. Dunson, being a “man of few words who expresses himself through physical action” and lives by the law of the gun, simply tells the men that the land is now his, and shoots one man off his horse to show his masculinity and undeniable power (Tomkins 39). But, Dunson shows weakness when buring the men he kills. He recites a verse from the Bible stating that “the lord giveth and the lord taketh away”. This directly contradicts the secular ideals commonly shown by cowboys who live “in a world without god” (Tomkins 37). Dunson’s alpha male persona also starts to fade when he becomes too concerned with accomplishing his goal of moving the cattle to Missouri that he becomes a tyrannical leader, who his pack of cowboys no longer have respect for. Some of his men attempt to escape as a result of his “follow or die” mindset, which causes Matthew Garth to overpower Dunson and take the lead of the cattle train.
Before Garth stands up to Dunson and assumes the role as leader of the cattle train, he does not show all the qualities of a cowboy. He often appears to be intimidated of Dunson, seen when other cowboys’ cattle had become mixed in with their herd and Garth gives instructions to set them free, but without hesitation follows Dunson’s overruling orders to brand them. Garth does not have the dominance of an alpha male cowboy and is said to have a “soft heart”. After he finally embraces his inner alpha male takes the place as leader of the pack, Garth uses all the knowledge that Dunson had taught him, such as his unbeatable marksmanship, and increasingly becomes more of a cowboy. Along his travels, Garth meets a woman by the name of Tess Mallay, who he falls in love with. But in his experiences with her, he both follows and contradicts the traits of a cowboy. In one scene he opens up to her, exposing a feminine emotional side, “blunting his purpose and diminishing his strength”, the antithesis of how a true cowboy would act (Tompkins 31). But later he is seen saying nothing at all as Tess continues to ramble on until Garth kisses her, the way in which a cowboy is suppose to interact with a woman. At the end of the film, Dunson adds an “M” to the brand, because Garth had “earned it”. This symbolizes the passing of the torch from a fading alpha male cowboy to the new, green alpha male. Therefore, there are indeed two alpha males in this film, one who has built a legacy and another who is just beginning his reign.
In the Film Red River, there are two men who show qualities of the alpha male cowboy, yet also have flaws that contradict this persona. The first is Tom Dunson who appears to be past his prime as a cowboy and the second is Matthew Garth, Dunson’s adopted son whose alpha male qualities increase over the course of the film.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning, John Wayne’s character Tom Dunson leaves the wagon train he was travelling West with and the woman he loves to build his own cattle herd in Texas with only his friend Groot Nadine and one single bull. Dunson’s desire to not follow other peoples’ directions and leave behind the woman he loves shows his true masculine “loner” personality (Matheson 891). Also, his confidence and ability to create his own successful herd with only one other man and a single bull illustrates his alpha male capabilities. When Dunson and Garth arrive to their desired location in Texas, they are approached by two men who tell them that the land they have travelled to has already been spoken for. Dunson, being a “man of few words who expresses himself through physical action” and lives by the law of the gun, simply tells the men that the land is now his, and shoots one man off his horse to show his masculinity, undeniable power and allegiance to the law of the gun (Tomkins 39). Dunson also exhibits alpha male characteristics as he dismisses religion when he buries the men he kills. He cynically recites a verse from the Bible stating that “the lord giveth and the lord taketh away”. This directly relates to the secular ideals commonly shown by cowboys who live “in a world without god” (Tompkins 37). Dunson’s alpha male persona starts to fade when he becomes too concerned with accomplishing his goal of moving the cattle to Missouri, and he becomes a tyrannical leader. His pack of cowboys no longer has respect for him, which is contrary to the respect that men generally show towards the alpha male. Some of these men attempt to escape as a result of his “follow or die” mindset, which causes Matthew Garth to overpower Dunson and take the lead of the cattle train.
Before Garth stands up to Dunson and assumes the role as leader of the cattle train, he does not show enough qualities to be considered a cowboy. He often appears to be intimidated by Dunson, seen when other cowboys’ cattle becomes mixed in with their herd. Garth gives instructions to set them free, but without hesitation, contradicts himself to follow Dunson’s overruling orders to brand them as their own. At this point in the film, Garth does not have the confidence or dominance worthy of an alpha male cowboy and is said to have a “soft heart”. After he finally embraces his inner alpha male and replaces Dunson as leader of the pack, Garth uses all the knowledge that he had taught him, such as his unbeatable marksmanship, and increasingly becomes more characteristic of a cowboy. Along his travels, Garth meets a woman by the name of Tess Mallay, with whom he falls in love with. But in his experiences with her, he both follows and contradicts the traits of a cowboy. In one scene he opens up to her, exposing a feminine emotional side, “blunting his purpose and diminishing his strength”, the antithesis of how a true cowboy would act (Tompkins 31). But later he is seen saying nothing at all as Tess continues to ramble on until Garth kisses her, the way in which a cowboy is suppose to interact with a woman. Garth also admits to being “green” and new to the idea of being in control when negotiating with the business man who buys his cattle. An alpha male would never admit to having weakness. This shows that Garth is still learning, but is on his way to becoming a fully fledged alpha male. At the end of the film, Dunson adds an “M” to the brand, because Garth had “earned it”. This symbolizes the passing of the torch from a fading alpha male cowboy to the new, green alpha male. Therefore, there are indeed two alpha males in this film, one who has built a legacy and another who is just beginning his reign.
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