BE High Noon/Little Jo

In many Westerns, women are portrayed as quiet, fragile, and inferior to the strong, capable, and superior alpha male cowboys. Tompkins hints at the difference between men and women by stating, “Westerns are full of contrasts between people who spout words and people who act”. But, in the Western films, High Noon, by Fred Zinnemann and, The Ballad of Little Jo, by Maggie Greenwald, the status of women and the attitude shown toward them shifts closer to equality.
In, The Ballard of Little Jo, the role of women is almost completely reversed and changed into the role alpha male cowboys’ play. Josephine Monaghan is proof that women can tackle the harshness of the West just as men do. After being exiled from her home, her new life resembles the life of a male cowboy while still staying true to the norm women represent in Westerns. She is a woman among men so it is important for her to keep her true identity to herself which causes her to be quiet. This reflects the normal role of women but most of Josephine’s actions separate her from this standard. Westerns try to inhibit women, “Because the genre is in revolt against a Victorian culture where the ability to manipulate language confers power, the Western equates power with not-language. And not-language it equates with being male.” She is forced to conform to the standards of men: silent, rugged and willing to live off the land. She survives and succeeds as a male in the West demonstrating the shift from inferior to superior. In this film, women are shown just as physically capable, confident and emotionally strong as men through the hardships she faces and conquers. She earns the respect of the men, not because of her feminine qualities, but because she stood toe to toe with them. A woman earning the respect of men by acting as one, although they are unaware of her true identity, is extremely rare in Westerns and Josephine defies the standards and proves the attitude toward women is changing.
High Noon, by Fred Zinnemann, concentrates on the changing status of women. The relationship between Will and Amy begins no different from any past Western film. Will, the alpha male cowboy, chooses the life of the West over the women he married. Will’s behavior is predictable but Amy’s is not. At first, she is portrayed as the typical Western women, always longing for male support and not being able to do anything about what her husband decides to do. Will’s lack of communication with Amy leaves her speechless and dumbfounded when he decides to stay in town to defend himself and the town against the outlaws. Will’s silence corresponds to Tompkins idea, “For a man to speak of his inner feelings not only admits parity with the person he is talking to, but it jeopardizes his status as potent being.” But unlike many women, Amy understands Will’s inability to express his feelings. Unlike Tompkins’ theory that,” Women feel ashamed of their need to talk, blaming themselves and making excuses for the silence of men,” Amy convinces her husband to stay through action and not words. The transformation of the role of women changes when Amy boldly saves Will during the shootout with the outlaws when Amy shoots one of the outlaws. This brave and courageous act is reminiscent of Tom Doniphon, the alpha male cowboy, returning to shot Liberty Valance and save Stoddard. Women are rarely portrayed in Westerns as anything close to an alpha male cowboy but Amy use of the gun changes the norm for women in Westerns.