John Ford's film "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" explores the differences between rule of law and rule by law, and in effect the law of the gun. This is exemplified through the opposing characters of Tom Doniphon, Ransom Stoddard, and Liberty Valance. The alpha male cowboy in this film is undoubtedly John Wayne's character Doniphon. Having said that, rather than the sidekick, the character who most closely resembles him is Liberty Valance, the villain. Similar to Matheson's idea of the antihero, Doniphon possesses no qualities of a hero, and yet in the end he comes out in a positive light. Furthermore, he is a killer just like Liberty Valance. Going off the that, the name Liberty Valance is an interesting tag name. The man representing the rule by law, like Doniphon, is named Liberty, similar to freedom.
The most important distinction from the film is the comparison between rule of or by law in the old west. Both sides being represented, rule by law perseveres in the end. The only way Stoddard was able to overcome Valance was by use of force. He resigned the use of his word and law books, and rather took up the gun. Because of this, Ford asserts that the law of the gun is the only true authority in the west. This is comparable to Matheson's view.
John Ford's film "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" explores the differences between rule of law and rule by law, and in effect the law of the gun. This is exemplified through the opposing characters of Tom Doniphon, Ransom Stoddard, and Liberty Valance. The alpha male cowboy in this film is undoubtedly John Wayne's character Doniphon. Having said that, rather than the sidekick, the character who most closely resembles him is Liberty Valance, the villain. Similar to Matheson's idea of the antihero, Doniphon possesses no qualities of a hero, and yet in the end he comes out in a positive light. Furthermore, he is a killer just like Liberty Valance. Both are able to kill without remorse, which Matheson argues is a key trait for an alpha male cowboy, “is unquestionably his own moral center because he can…live with the fact that he cold-bloodedly murdered another human being” (896). Furthermore, because both Doniphon and Valance possess this trait, Matheson would consider them both alpha male cowboys, if Valance had a moral compass. Going off of that, the name Liberty Valance is an interesting tag name. The man representing the rule by law, like Doniphon, is named Liberty, similar to freedom.
ReplyDeleteThe most important distinction from the film is the comparison between rule of or by law in the old west. Both sides being represented, rule by law perseveres in the end. The only way Stoddard was able to overcome Valance was by use of force. He resigned the use of his word and law books, and rather took up the gun. Because of this, Ford asserts that the law of the gun is the only true authority in the west. This is comparable to Matheson's view.