J.O. Red River

Howard Hawks’ 1948 film, Red River, depicts the decline of an alpha male cowboy whose status is succeeded by another alpha male cowboy. Tompkins in The West of Everything describes an alpha male cowboy as one who "imitates the desert's fierceness in his hard struggle to survive, its loneliness in his solitary existence, and its silence in his frugal way with language" (84). This description matches none other than Thomas Dunson who is rugged like the land and well-trained in survival out in the West. His ability to overcome the challenges of the desert enables him to claim land for himself in the deserted parts of Texas. As Matheson states, "Only the fittest, the strongest, and the most ruthless survive" and Dunson shows he is one of these candidates when he confronts the men about ownership of the land and claims the land as his prize (891). Furthermore, we also notice that Dunson, like most alpha male cowboys, is a loner. In the film, Dunson leaves the woman he loved for a life out on the frontier. A recurring idea of Tompkins, the alpha male cowboy cannot settle down and live the way most civilians live; he seeks the challenges of life, and the desert gives it to him. Additionally, Dunson displays moral code that is characteristic of an alpha male cowboy. Instead of leaving the boy (Garth) to fend on his own, he takes pity on him, takes him in and raises him as his own. Still, as the film progresses, Dunson becomes more and more destabilized, beginning to think solely for himself and lose the trust of his party, especially Garth. Dunson, although a true description of an alpha male cowboy, gradually declines, leaving his position and status to Matthew Garth.

Unlike Dunson, Garth at first is not an alpha male cowboy. Garth was found by Dunson and raised like his son. As Garth grew older, he became more and more like Dunson, inevitably becoming an alpha male cowboy himself. The time spent under Dunson's teachings, as Matheson states, helped him become more "masculine" (904). However, as the film progressed, we see that Garth finally becomes a man when he takes charge by standing up to Dunson and ending Dunson's tyrannical rule over the cattle drive. Matheson says that "the process of becoming a man emphasizes the modern preoccupation with individuality. Decision making becomes increasingly a matter for the individual rather than the collective conscience" (904). Garth makes a decision to stop following Dunson's orders and doing so gains leadership over the cattle drive. At this point in the film, Dunson loses his status while Garth picks it up and becomes an alpha male cowboy. Like Dunson, Garth has become hardened by the desert and takes on the moral code by doing what he believes is his duty for the rest of the party. In order to ensure the safety of the rest of the party, Garth had to stop Dunson and assume leadership in his place. Garth, having become like Dunson, soon became an alpha male cowboy; however, his becoming an alpha male cowboy only resulted after he rose up and took the place of his instructor, Dunson.