During the time period that this film was created, many great changes were occurring in the country. Mainly, women were acquiring more civil rights and becoming more prominent members of society. In years before, women were not viewed as prominent members of society. They were seen as the person to raise the family and take care of the house. With women’s movements on the rise, they could now be seen as contributing members of society, just as they were beginning to be shown as in the westerns.
The women in westerns are generally regarded as unimportant characters that do not have a significant role in the films. In the film Rooster Cogburn, women are shown to take a much more important role in the western. Eula Goodnight, the woman in the film, is a strong and independent woman who can fend for herself and is viewed as an equal character to Rooster Cogburn. During a particular fight scene, she is even shown as being a respectable marksman, something normally reserved for male leads, when she saves Cogburn from being shot. Another way Goodnight is shown as having a more important role is she is the one to have a minority sidekick on the journey, not the cowboy as is common in older westerns.
As seen is this and other more modern westerns, women’s roles are evolving. This is based solely on their growing status in the society at that time. With women being looked at as more than just a housewife, they were being portrayed as more than that in the films as well. Rooster Cogburn’s portrayal of women is a great leap forward in showing that women can have a place in the west.
During the time period that this film was created, many great changes were occurring in the country. Mainly, women were acquiring more civil rights and becoming more prominent members of society. In years before, women were not viewed as important aspects of society . They were viewed as the person to raise the family and take care of the house. With women’s movements on the rise, they could become contributing members of society, just as they were beginning to be in the westerns.
ReplyDeleteThe women in westerns are generally regarded as unimportant characters that do not have a significant role in the films. In the film Rooster Cogburn, women take a much more important role in the western. Eula Goodnight, the woman in the film, is a strong and independent woman who can fend for herself and is viewed as an equal character to Rooster Cogburn. During a particular fight scene, it is even discovered that she is a respectable marksman, something normally reserved for male leads, when she saves Cogburn from being shot. Another way Goodnight has a more important role is she is the one to have a minority sidekick on the journey, not the cowboy as is common in older westerns.
As seen is this and other more modern westerns, women’s roles are evolving. This is based solely on their growing status in the society at that time. With women being looked at as more than just a housewife, they were being portrayed as more than that in the films as well. Rooster Cogburn’s portrayal of women is a great leap forward in showing that women can have a place in the west.