The 1948 Howard Hawks film Red River features two distinct alpha male cowboys. However, upon closer examination, it becomes apparent that these two alpha male cowboys exist together for only one very brief scene at the film’s conclusion. As one alpha male cowboy experiences a fall from his status, another is ready to quickly step up and take his place. This change in status is understood best by analyzing the two alpha male cowboys using evidence from Sue Matheson and Jane Tompkins.
As Matheson states, “[I]n the west, might is right” (895). The use of might is exactly how Thomas Dunson achieves his role as the first alpha male cowboy in Red River. Dunson uses his might to take over land in Texas, and convince dozens of men to go with him on a cattle drive to Missouri. Another aspect that creates an alpha male cowboy is the element of solidarity. This element is mentioned time and again in Tompkins’s West of Everything. From the opening scene on, one can tell that Dunson is a sort of loner. His leaving the wagon train to pursue land for himself in Texas, one of the most deserted areas of the country only furthers this notion. However, the thing that most notably marks an alpha male cowboy is his guidance by a moral compass. In the beginning of the film, Dunson’s actions seem to be guided by a moral compass. However, as the film progresses he begins to think of himself before anyone, ultimately surrendering his loose hold on alpha male cowboy status. His men are ready to revolt against him and another man is ready to ascend to the alpha male place.
That man is Matthew Garth, Dunson’s adoptive son. It is no surprise that Garth exhibits alpha male cowboy attributes. As Matheson puts it, “If Wayne’s student is a quick study, however, whatever the gender, she or he becomes ‘masculine’” (904). Garth spent fourteen years as Dunson’s understudy on the ranch. It is no surprise that he picked up some of Dunson’s alpha male cowboy qualities like the quick draw, and a moral compass. It is his moral compass that ultimately leads Garth to become the primary alpha male cowboy in the film. For Dunson, “death is merely a matter of balancing the books” (Matheson, 893). It is at this point that Dunson has lost his moral compass, and Garth becomes ready to step into the alpha male cowboy role. By doing what is best for the entire party, Dunson included, he exhibits yet another alpha male cowboy quality referenced frequently in Matheson.
Ultimately, both Thomas Dunson and Matthew Garth are alpha male cowboys in the 1948 film Red River. Both act with a moral compass, exhibit the ability to take the law into their own hands, and always stand solid in their beliefs. As Tompkins so frequently says, they are as solid as the landscape that they rose out of. However, the two are only alpha male cowboys together in the final scene, where they realize their need for each other. For the rest of the film, it is a battle as Garth rises up and replaces Dunson, the man from whom he learned everything, as the alpha male cowboy.
Howard Hawks 1948 film Red River features two distinct alpha male cowboys. However, upon closer examination, it becomes clear that these two alpha male cowboys exist together for only one very brief scene at the film’s conclusion. As one alpha male cowboy experiences a fall from his status, another is ready to quickly step up and take his place. This change in status is understood best by analyzing the two alpha male cowboys using evidence from Sue Matheson and Jane Tompkins.
ReplyDeleteAs Matheson states, “[I]n the west, might is right” (895). The use of might is exactly how Tom Dunson achieves his role as the first alpha male cowboy in Red River. Dunson uses his might to take over land in Texas, and convince dozens of men to go with him on a cattle drive to Missouri. Another aspect that creates an alpha male cowboy is the element of solidarity. This element is mentioned time and again in Tompkins’s West of Everything. From the opening scene, one can tell that Dunson is a sort of loner. His leaving the wagon train to pursue land for himself in Texas, one of the most deserted areas of the country, only furthers this notion. However, the thing that most notably marks an alpha male cowboy is his guidance by a moral compass. In the beginning of the film, Dunson’s actions seem to be guided by a moral compass. However, as the film progresses he begins to think of himself before everyone else, ultimately surrendering his loose hold on alpha male cowboy status. His men are ready to revolt against him and another man is ready to ascend to the alpha male place.
That man is Matthew Garth, Dunson’s adoptive son. It is no surprise that Garth exhibits alpha male cowboy attributes. As Matheson puts it, “If Wayne’s student is a quick study, however, whatever the gender, she or he becomes ‘masculine’” (904). Garth spent fourteen years as Dunson’s understudy on the ranch. It is no surprise that he picked up some of Dunson’s alpha male cowboy qualities like the quick draw, and a moral compass. It is his moral compass that ultimately leads Garth to become the primary alpha male cowboy in the film. For Dunson, “death is merely a matter of balancing the books” (Matheson, 893). It is at this point that Dunson has lost his moral compass, and Garth becomes ready to step into the alpha male cowboy role. By doing what is best for the entire party, Dunson included, he exhibits yet another alpha male cowboy quality referenced frequently in Matheson.
Ultimately, both Thomas Dunson and Matthew Garth are alpha male cowboys in the 1948 film Red River. Both act with a moral compass, exhibit the ability to take the law into their own hands, and always stand solid in their beliefs. As Tompkins so frequently says, they are as solid as the landscape that they rose out of. However, the two are only alpha male cowboys together in the final scene, where they realize their need for each other. For the rest of the film, it is a battle as Garth rises up and replaces Dunson, the man from whom he learned everything, as the alpha male cowboy.