In the film Red River the two roles of Tom Dunson and Matt Garth can be compared to the alpha male cowboy, but in the end both prove that they in fact do not fit the description of the alpha male cowboy. Dunson is overtaken by a younger Matt Garth which is very uncharacteristic of an alpha male cowboy. Later on Matt opens up to Miss Millay and shows us his "soft" spot that Cherry mentions. Both men show signs of a hard nosed fierce cowboy, but by the end of the movie prove that neither of them fit the model of alpha male cowboy.
Tom Dunson had a dream to create a massive cattle farm on the land he settled on in Texas. Throughout the movie we see Dunson kill men without any compassion other than the comment "bury him and I will read over him in the morning". He leaves his love in the beginning of the movie to fulfill what he feels his duty. These are things very characteristic of the alpha male cowboy Tompkins talks about. Surpisingly as the movie progresses Dunson becomes portrayed as washed up and is no longer looked up to by his men. Instead of a man who "settles his own problems" (Matheson 897) Dunson loses his crew and his job of leading the herd to the younger cowboy Matt Garth.
Matt Garth was raised by Dunson and learned everything he knew from the teachings of Dunson. His expertise with a handgun all the way down to his love for the cattle drive come from Dunson. When the herd starts toward Missouri we see Matt as somewhat of an assistant to Dunson who is there to try and smooth the rough edges of Tom in order to try to keep the crew happy. Cherry calls Matt "soft". We can see this side of him in instances such as when he shoots the man at fault for the stampede in the knee before Dunson can shoot him in the head.
Both Garth and Dunson are effected by the presence of a woman as well. Matt continues to show his "soft" side when he opens up to Miss Millay while on watch. Tompkins would argue that Matt feminizes himself when he subjects to Miss Millays plead for him to tell her all about himself because "women are inferior beings because in submitting, they open themselves up" (Tompkins 56). Matheson believes that woman are ignored when it comes to the issues of duty for the alpha male cowboy. Dunson shows that he has lost his alpha male cowboy code of ethics when he lets Miss Millay join his chase for Matt.
In Red River Tom Dunson and Matt Garth are not examples of the classic alpha male cowboy we have seen in characters such as Ethan Edwards and Tom Doniphan. Instead, Dunson and Garth show signs of weak character and subject themselves to a woman.
In the film Red River the roles of Tom Dunson and Matt Garth can be compared to the alpha male cowboy, but in the end both prove that they in fact do not fit the description of the alpha male cowboy. Dunson is overtaken by a younger Matt Garth which is very uncharacteristic of an alpha male cowboy. Later on Matt opens up to Miss Millay and shows us his "soft" spot that Cherry mentions. Both men show signs of a hard nosed fierce cowboy, but by the end of the film they prove that neither of them fit the model of alpha male cowboy.
ReplyDeleteTom Dunson had a dream to create a massive cattle farm on the land he settled on in Texas. Throughout the movie we see Dunson kill men without any compassion other than the comment "bury him and I will read over him in the morning". He leaves his love in the beginning of the movie to fulfill what he feels his duty. These are things very characteristic of the alpha male cowboy Tompkins talks about. Surpisingly as the movie progresses Dunson becomes portrayed as washed up and is no longer looked up to by his men. Instead of a man who "settles his own problems" (Matheson 897) Dunson loses his crew and his job of leading the herd to the younger cowboy Matt Garth.
Matt Garth was raised by Dunson and learned everything he knew from the teachings of Dunson. His expertise with a handgun all the way down to his love for the cattle drive come from Dunson. When the herd starts toward Missouri we see Matt as somewhat of an assistant to Dunson who is there to try and smooth the rough edges of Tom in order to try to keep the crew happy. Cherry calls Matt "soft". We can see this side of him in instances such as when he shoots the man at fault for the stampede in the limb before Dunson can shoot him in the head.
Both Garth and Dunson are effected by the presence of a woman as well. Matt continues to show his "soft" side when he opens up to Miss Millay while on watch. Tompkins would argue that Matt feminizes himself when he subjects to Miss Millays plead for him to tell her all about himself because "women are inferior beings because in submitting, they open themselves up" (Tompkins 56). Matheson believes that woman are ignored when it comes to the issues of duty for the alpha male cowboy. Dunson shows that he has lost his alpha male cowboy code of ethics when he lets Miss Millay join his chase for Matt.
In Red River Tom Dunson and Matt Garth are not examples of the classic alpha male cowboy we have seen in characters such as Ethan Edwards and Tom Doniphan. Instead, Dunson and Garth show signs of weak character and subject themselves to a woman.
In the film Red River the roles of Tom Dunson and Matt Garth can be compared to the alpha male cowboy, but in the end both prove that they in fact do not fit the description of the alpha male cowboy. Dunson is overtaken by a younger Matt Garth which is very uncharacteristic of an alpha male cowboy. Later on Matt opens up to Miss Millay and shows us his "soft" spot that Cherry mentions. Both men show signs of a hard nosed fierce cowboy, but by the end of the movie prove that neither of them fit the model of alpha male cowboy.
ReplyDeleteTom Dunson had a dream to create a massive cattle farm on the land he settled on in Texas. Throughout the movie we see Dunson kill men without any compassion other than the comment "bury him and I will read over him in the morning". He leaves his love in the beginning of the movie to fulfill what he feels his duty. These are things very characteristic of the alpha male cowboy Tompkins talks about. Surpisingly as the film progresses Dunson becomes portrayed as washed up and is no longer looked up to by his men. Instead of a man who "settles his own problems" (Matheson 897) Dunson loses his crew and his job of leading the herd to the younger cowboy Matt Garth.
Matt Garth was raised by Dunson and learned everything he knew from the teachings of Dunson. His expertise with a handgun all the way down to his love for the cattle drive come from Dunson. When the herd starts toward Missouri we see Matt as somewhat of an assistant to Dunson who is there to try and smooth the rough edges of Tom in order to try to keep the crew happy. Cherry calls Matt "soft". We can see this side of him in instances such as when he shoots the man at fault for the stampede in the limb before Dunson can shoot him in the head.
Both Garth and Dunson are effected by the presence of a woman as well. Matt continues to show his "soft" side when he opens up to Miss Millay while on watch. Tompkins would argue that Matt feminizes himself when he subjects to Miss Millays plead for him to tell her all about himself because "women are inferior beings because in submitting, they open themselves up" (Tompkins 56). Matheson believes that woman are ignored when it comes to the issues of duty for the alpha male cowboy. Dunson shows that he has lost his alpha male cowboy code of ethics when he lets Miss Millay join his chase for Matt.
ReplyDeleteIn Red River Tom Dunson and Matt Garth are not examples of the classic alpha male cowboy we have seen in characters such as Ethan Edwards and Tom Doniphan. Instead, Dunson and Garth show signs of weak character and subject themselves to a woman.