According to Jane Tompkins, the Western film typically utilizes “[f]emale ‘screen’ characters, who are really extensions of the men they are paired with” (40). Tompkins adds that “Western novels and movies…tell stories that stem from the positions men occupy in the social structure, and tell them from the man’s point of view….Westerns pay practically no attention to women’s experience” (40-41). Continuing, Tompkins notes that the alpha male cowboy of the Western speaks as infrequently and as briefly as possible as “[t]he Western man’s silence functions as a script for behavior; it expresses and authorizes a power relation that reaches into the furthest corners of domestic and social life. The impassivity of male silence suggests the inadequacy of female verbalization, establishes male superiority, and silences the one who would engage in conversation” (59). This can be neatly summarized by the following concept: in the Western, “words are…the sign of…all women’s—inferiority” (63). In analyzing Tompkins’ assertions, one can utilize specific Western films in order to determine whether or not these assertions hold true. In utilizing High Noon (1952) and The Ballad of Little Jo (1993), one can determine that over time, the status of women and the attitudes toward women, as portrayed in the Western film, did indeed change.
In High Noon, Amy, the wife of Marshal Will Kane is (obviously) neglected by her new husband as rather than start a new life with her, Will must first risk his life and kill the four outlaws who want him dead. Amy, a Quaker, gives her husband an ultimatum: either leave with her now, or she will leave town without him. Will, being the alpha male cowboy, is bound by his duty to his town and to the townspeople to kill the four outlaws. Thus, Amy’s husband demonstrates to her that his duty is to the town and its people; not to her. When Amy attempts to speak with her husband in order to convince him to leave town with her before Frank Miller arrives, he can barely bring himself to converse with her. As Amy continues to talk to no avail, the inferiority of and the weakness of her character is shown in comparison to that of the alpha male cowboy. However, High Noon does not conform completely to the stereotypical Western as Amy actually saves Will’s life during the gunfight by shooting one of the outlaws. As the film concludes, Amy and Will leave town together to embark on their honeymoon. Clearly, Amy is not a weak character, however, the Western portrays her as such.
In The Ballad of Little Jo, Josephine Monaghan is a dramatically different type of Western female as she is as physically capable as any man. As the film’s titular character, Josephine’s experiences are chronicled as she settles in the West, following her banishment from home as a result of having a child out of wedlock. Josephine’s struggle to survive and her eventual success as a male settler in the West demonstrates that when given the opportunity, women are just as strong and are just as capable as men. Josephine does speak infrequently as she does not want the other settlers to determine that Little Jo is really a female. However, when her identity is discovered by Tinman, she begins a romantic relationship with him and does speak with him in detail. This does not mark her as weak as, emotionally, she grows stronger and more confident when engaging with Tinman. Thus, Jo is portrayed as a strong woman who is capable of surviving in an unforgiving environment. Obviously, the fact that she must disguise herself as a man in order to do so is significant. However, that she can survive is proof of the changing status of and attitude towards women in the Western.
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