Ryan L Matheson Article

Sue Matheson's article The West-Hardboiled examines western films through the figurehead John Wayne. Being the icon of American rugged individualism, John Wayne's films come from times surrounded by war and general anguish. Bearing this in mind, Matheson recognizes aspects from many of Wayne's films.

Matheson determines that the appearance of the man allows one to discern their character. For instance, Matheson argues that the heroes cannot be dirty, and that it is reserved for the villains, "Heroes may be dusty not dirty...cleanliness and dirt register how normal or abnormal a character's psychology is. One can usually determine how aberrant characters are by their layers of grime" (892). The dust demonstrates hard work, whereas grime represents lack of values. Should a character look to clean however, they may also be a villain, "characters who appear to be civilized men may actually be savages" (895). This stems from the idea that those who are well dressed are wealthy capitalists and not to be trusted. Around the time these films were created, the government was not trusted or respected and as such, capitalists in a sense were scorned.

More importantly, Matheson argues that westerns justify completing their duty, through any means necessary. She poses this question at the end of her article after it has already been answered, "Do the means used to satisfy one's desires or to regulate the desires of others ever really justify their ends?" (907). Throughout her article, Matheson recognizes that cowboys are not "chivalric", they are the "antiheroes", and they will do illegal things in order to produce a just result. Matheson contrasts the cowboys virtues and their duties, "On the frontier where vices become virtues...virtues have turned into liabilities" (902). This is her main argument. The Wayne cowboy is forced to complete his duty regardless of the consequences. She opposes the idea that the cowboy is the picture of American virtuism, and rather she supports the belief that all cowboys even the heroes, are willing to forsake their beliefs and morals, if they ever existed, in order to accomplish what they believe to be just.