Tom Doniphon within the film is the alpha male cowboy antihero. Matheson would describe Tom Doniphon as the "destabilize alienated figures, socially marginalized men caught in double blinds-in short the modern existential antihero."(897). Within the film, you notice that Tom Doniphon alienates himself from the local town of Shinbone. While the majority of the characters in the film live within the downtown district of Shinbone, Tom Doniphon lives outside of the town border. Tom's home is at the edge of the frontier and he mostly comes into town to fulfill his need for social interaction. The need is limited towards his love towards Hallie (Vera Miles). From watching the film, the addition to Tom's house appeared to be a symbol for his attempt at joining into settled society. Throughout the film it appeared that Tom's intentions were to give up the law of the gun, and to settle down with Hallie. But as the film progressed it appeared harder for Tom to finish the house because of his socially marginalized characteristics.
Tom Doniphon according to Matheson is "like all film noir antiheroes, Doniphon is caught in an existential double-blind....Doniphon could have secured his relationship with Hallie by standing aside and letting Valance kill Stoddard, or by standing aside and allowing Stoddard to return East, but he does not. Instead. Doniphon destroys his personal happiness by acting in good faith."(897). Tom lacks the ability to go against him what is fundamentally ethical. Most alpha male cowboys attempt to "live the 'good life; fulfill not only their full human potential but also the full human potential of their communities by living within the perimeters"(899). Tom's double blind exists within his own ethical code and because of this flaw Tom's character become the infamous antihero.
Liberty Valance is another alpha male cowboy within the film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. The main difference between him and Tom Doniphon is that Liberty Valance exhibits sociopathic behaviors. Liberty Valance lacks the general concept of morality and is unaware of his lacking of morality. Liberty Valance is as Matheson would descibe a " severely disabled psychopaths. They are manipulative, callous, remorseless, parasitic, pathological liars with poor behavior controls. Ironically, their disordered personalities, which disable them socially, enable them professionally" (892). When your are first introduced to Liberty Valance within the film you gain a measure for his lack of remorse while he beats Ransom Stoddard with a whip. The only thing that halts Liberty from beating Stoddard to death is the intervention from one of his henchmen. Liberty's sociopathic behaviors also correlate to the job he has as a hired gun for the cattle ranchers. Liberty is not afraid to use force and even kill to protect the interests of the cattle ranchers because he cannot see the cognitive difference between right and wrong. To Liberty the gun is how a man settles all of his issues.
Matheson points out that while Liberty Valance "beats Random Stoddard and snarls 'I'll teach you law-Western Law. As Valance demonstrates, in the West, might is right"(895). This law of the gun however can be found in all alpha male heroes in the film. The films appears to place Tom Doniphon as the "law" figure of the town. The town sheriff is portrayed as an incompetent older man that is afraid of any interaction with Liberty Valance the main villian of the film. "Stoddard points out, there really is very little difference between Doniphon and Liberty Valance. Both men settle their problems in the same fashion. In Shinbone the individual does not enforce the law: he is the law"(896). However Stoddard who appears to be the educated male lawyer from the east is eventually sucked into this law of the gun ideology.
Stoddard appears to be one of the weaker characters within the film mostly because of his upbringing in "civilized" society. Stoddard is at first an outcast within Shinbone because of his belief that the law of the book is greater than the law of the land. His expertise in legal consoling stand out from the generally lawless west. Thus his characters existence at the beginning of the novel is a paradox to your traditional western. However as Matheson points out" Stoddard becomes just like Shinbone's residents. He too has to settle his problems with Valance like 'a man.' In doing so, like Valance, he places himself outside the law"(896).
Revisions Part 1
ReplyDeleteUsing the two alpha male cowboys and the character Stoddard in the film, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Sue Matheson's article, The West-Hardboiled: Adaption’s of Film Noir Elements, Existentialism, and Ethics in John Wayne's Westerns, assesses each characters role within a Western. Tom Doniphon (John Wayne) and Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) are the two alpha males within the film, and Ransom Stoddard (Jimmy Stewart) is the educated new guy in town.
Tom Doniphon within the film is the alpha male cowboy and the antihero. Matheson would describe Tom Doniphon as the "destabilize alienated figures, socially marginalized men caught in double blinds-in short the modern existential antihero."(897). Within the film, you notice that Tom Doniphon alienates himself from the local town of Shinbone. While the majority of the characters in the film live within the downtown district of Shinbone, Tom Doniphon lives outside of the town border. Tom's home is at the edge of the frontier and he mostly comes into town to fulfill his need for social interaction. The need is limited towards his love towards Hallie (Vera Miles). From watching the film, the addition to Tom's house appeared to be a symbol for his attempt at joining into settled society. Throughout the film it appeared that Tom's intentions were to give up the law of the gun, and to settle down with Hallie. But as the film progressed it appeared harder for Tom to finish the house because of his socially marginalized characteristics.
Tom Doniphon according to Matheson is "like all film noir antiheroes, Doniphon is caught in an existential double-blind....Doniphon could have secured his relationship with Hallie by standing aside and letting Valance kill Stoddard, or by standing aside and allowing Stoddard to return East, but he does not. Instead, Doniphon destroys his personal happiness by acting in good faith."(897). Tom lacks the ability to go against what is fundamentally ethical. Most alpha male cowboys attempt to "live the 'good life; fulfill not only their full human potential but also the full human potential of their communities by living within the perimeters"(899). Tom's double blind exists within his own ethical code and because of this flaw Tom's character becomes the infamous antihero.
Revisions Part 2
ReplyDeleteLiberty Valance is another alpha male cowboy within the film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. The main difference between him and Tom Doniphon is that Liberty Valance exhibits sociopathic behaviors. Liberty Valance lacks the general concept of morality and is unaware of his lacking of morality. Liberty Valance is as Matheson would describe a "severely disabled psychopaths. They are manipulative, callous, remorseless, parasitic, pathological liars with poor behavior controls. Ironically, their disordered personalities, which disable them socially, enable them professionally" (892). When you are first introduced to Liberty Valance within the film you gain a measure for his lack of remorse while he beats Ransom Stoddard with a whip. The only thing that halts Liberty from beating Stoddard to death is the intervention from one of his henchmen. Liberty's sociopathic behaviors also correlate to the job he has as a hired gun for the cattle ranchers. Liberty is not afraid to use force and even kill to protect the interests of the cattle ranchers because he cannot see the cognitive difference between right and wrong. To Liberty the gun is how a man settles all of his issues.
Matheson points out that while Liberty Valance "beats Ransom Stoddard and snarls 'I'll teach you law-Western Law. As Valance demonstrates, in the West, might is right"(895). This law of the gun however can be found in all alpha male heroes in the film. The film appears to place Tom Doniphon as the "law" figure of the town. The town sheriff is portrayed as an incompetent older man that is afraid of any interaction with Liberty Valance the main villain of the film. "Stoddard points out; there really is very little difference between Doniphon and Liberty Valance. Both men settle their problems in the same fashion. In Shinbone the individual does not enforce the law: he is the law"(896). However Stoddard who appears to be the educated male lawyer from the east is eventually sucked into this law of the gun ideology.
Stoddard appears to be one of the physically weaker characters within the film mostly because of his upbringing in "civilized" society. Stoddard is at first an outcast within Shinbone because of his belief that the law of the book is greater than the law of the land. Stoddard’s expertise in legal consoling makes him stand out from the generally lawless west. Thus his characters existence at the beginning of the novel is a paradox to your traditional western. However as Matheson points out" Stoddard becomes just like Shinbone's residents. He too has to settle his problems with Valance like 'a man.' In doing so, like Valance, he places himself outside the law"(896).
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