Unlike the older westerns, in Fred Zinnemann’s High Noon and Maggie Greenwald’s The Ballad of Little Jo we see an increased role of women. Usually, women only play secondary characters, equal to that of Indians in these westerns. In High Noon, however, we see two feminine main characters, Amy and Ms. Ramirez; in Little Jo, we follow Josephine in her adventures as a feminine man. The roles played by the women portray to the viewer that women are talkative, controlling, and demanding. When Cain returns to the town, his wife Amy argues him down, expressing anger freely in her attempt to persuade/command him not to get involved. Tompkins asserts that as a weaker sex, women must use words as their chief weapon (64). With no control over her feelings, Amy expresses her grievance over Cain’s decision to defend the town but to no avail since Cain has already made up his mind and sticks to it, significant of an alpha male cowboy. Ms. Ramirez is also seen as a controlling figure in High Noon. Unlike most women, Ms. Ramirez is in a position of power in the town and has an air of superiority around her. Moreover, in the church scene, a woman stands up and argues that Miller and his gang need to be taken care of the keep the town safe for women and the bringing up of children. In these films, women are more outspoken and on almost equal grounds with the men.
On the other hand, as seen in Amy’s character, these western films are portraying to the world that women need to wake up and step into reality. Tompkins states:
“There are two choices: either you remain in a world of illusions, by which is understood religion, culture, and class distinctions, a world of fancy words and pretty actions…; or you can face life as it really is – blood, death a cold wind blowing, and a gun in the hand” (48).
As Amy learns, reality doesn’t care about religion, fairness, or solving matters in a calm and civilized manner. Putting up a strong front, Amy threatens to leave Cain to his problems because she sees his intent as barbaric and against her religion. Ms. Ramirez on the other hand, sees the reality of what the town is going through. In her conversation with Amy, she tells Amy that if Cain was her husband, she would get a gun and fight alongside him. This conversation helps Amy to realize that the perfect world she desires is just a dream. Amy later shoots and kills one of Miller’s thugs, going against her beliefs in order to save her husband. In her argument, Tompkins states that “the Western turned against organized religion and the whole women’s culture of the nineteenth century and all the sermons and novels that went with them” (66). In these films, women are being prompted to see the world as it really is and to deal with reality in the same fashion as the alpha male cowboy if they want to be considered equal to men.
Unlike the older westerns, in Fred Zinnemann’s High Noon and Maggie Greenwald’s The Ballad of Little Jo we see an increased role of women. Usually, women only play secondary characters, equal to that of Indians in these westerns. In High Noon, however, we see two feminine main characters, Amy and Ms. Ramirez; in Little Jo, we follow Josephine in her adventures as a feminine man. The roles played by the women portray to the viewer that women are talkative, controlling, and demanding. When Cain returns to the town, his wife Amy argues him down, expressing anger freely in her attempt to persuade/command him not to get involved. Tompkins asserts that as a weaker sex, women must use words as their chief weapon (64). With no control over her feelings, Amy expresses her grievance over Cain’s decision to defend the town but to no avail since Cain has already made up his mind and sticks to it, significant of an alpha male cowboy. Ms. Ramirez is also seen as a controlling figure in High Noon. Unlike most women, Ms. Ramirez is in a position of power in the town and has an air of superiority around her. Moreover, in the church scene, a woman stands up and argues that Miller and his gang need to be taken care of the keep the town safe for women and the bringing up of children. In these films, women are more outspoken and on almost equal grounds with the men.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, as seen in Amy’s character, these western films are portraying to the world that women need to wake up and step into reality. Tompkins states:
“There are two choices: either you remain in a world of illusions, by which is understood religion, culture, and class distinctions, a world of fancy words and pretty actions…; or you can face life as it really is – blood, death a cold wind blowing, and a gun in the hand” (48).
As Amy learns, reality doesn’t care about religion, fairness, or solving matters in a calm and civilized manner. Putting up a strong front, Amy threatens to leave Cain to his problems because she sees his intent as barbaric and against her religion. Ms. Ramirez on the other hand, sees the reality of what the town is going through. In her conversation with Amy, she tells Amy that if Cain was her husband, she would get a gun and fight alongside him. This conversation helps Amy to realize that the perfect world she desires is just a dream. Amy later shoots and kills one of Miller’s thugs, going against her beliefs in order to save her husband. In her argument, Tompkins states that “the Western turned against organized religion and the whole women’s culture of the nineteenth century and all the sermons and novels that went with them” (66).
Moreover, Josephine in Little Jo has to take on the characteristics of a man in order to live a peaceful life. Like an alpha male cowboy, Josephine becomes an excellent shot and takes on the cowboy's silent nature. She learns the ways of the alpha male cowboy and executes them perfectly which adds on to her deceit. Like the time period, women have taken the baton from men, becoming just like men and taking on their attributes. More and more women are taking up greater roles in society equal to that of men, especially with them joining the workforce and receiving the same education and work opportunities as men. They're power in society has grown, reflective of Josephine assimilating the gun, a symbol of power in the West. Portrayed in both High Noon and Little Jo, women are being prompted to see the world as it really is and to deal with reality in the same fashion as the alpha male cowboy, taking on the qualities of the alpha male cowboy and so becoming more powerful in society and equal to the alpha male cowboy.