J.O. Main Points of Matheson Article

Matheson, in her article The West– Harboiled, focuses on the "revised vision" of the American West brought on by Wayne's Westerns (891). She quotes that "from Western films, we can learn precious little about the historic American West, but often a great deal about the time and attitudes when a particular film was made" (894). Most of Wayne's movies were made during the 1950s and 60s, during a time plagued with wars and turbulence, and so they "reflect postwar disillusionment and realism characteristic of the twentieth century" (891). For this reason, Wayne's West differs from the traditional Western in a way that it is concerned with the savage nature of man rather than man's ability to habituate nature and create civilized living (891). In my view, this impart is reflective of the inhumane bombings during World War 2 that highlighted the darkness in humanity.

"In Wayne's Westerns, however, dandyism is often not a matter of display, but a means of concealment. In short, characters who appear to be civilized men may actually be savages" (895). Matheson makes a point here that looks, as well as actions, are deceiving and only used as a veil to hide one's true nature. She further states that "when dirt does not signify a predator, clothing does" (894). To me, this reflects on the postwar disillusionment that America, although claimed to be a civilized nation, with its advances in technology and standards of living at that point in time, showed its true self during the wars.

Matheson further points to the change in virtues. In traditional westerns, courage, wisdom, self-control, and fairness were considered virtues; however, in Wayne movies, "character traits generally considered elsewhere to be vices become virtues" (900). Lying, a vice turned virtue on the frontier, is the example Matheson gives to show the reflecting of postwar disillusionment in Wayne films. She quotes from Hondo, "Once in a while a fellah has to lie if it'll make it easier on someone else" (900). The shifting nature of what is considered moral behavior on the frontier reflects the same shifting nature in reality during the turbulent times of the 20th century (901).

Wayne's characters do not reflect heroes, rather they are "anti-heroes" (906). Matheson claims they illustrate and reinforce "how human nature and man's place in the universe changed dramatically after the tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki" (906). In all, Wayne's West reflects not the history of the western, but new insight to human nature. As Matheson infers, "the American West is the modern notion that in America, the time for heroes and heroism ended long ago" and that it "appears to be as much in need of redemption as the sociopaths [it] brings to justice" (906).