I think that the stereotypical thought of what the sidekick in the Western film is actually a misconception. When considering the role of the sidekick, there generally is a conclusion drawn that there is some sort of recognized role of the sidekick being the main character's minion and not having any sort of alpha male qualities and independence of is own. I think that this is a misconception that we generally make. Therefore, I do feel that Doc is very much a sidekick to Wyatt; Holliday does not have to listen to everything Wyatt says or be in a perfect relationship with Wyatt to be a Western sidekick.
The reason why I feel this way is because I think that in general, when looking for a sidekick, there is too much of a clear-cut subordinate friend of the main character. In any of the Westerns we have viewed thus far, if we are looking for this idealized "sidekick", we would not find any. I disagree with the notion that there was not a single character that played the role of a sidekick in any of the films that we have viewed. The Western is known for the strong alpha male; the fact is, the alpha male's sidekick is, in many ways, as rugged, independent, and, as Matheson puts it, "hardboiled" as the alpha male.
A sidekick in the Western really needs new standards that reflect more of the alpha-maleness of the sidekick. I think that Doc is a sidekick because he really has a continuous exchange with Wyatt that really reflects his own qualifications of strength, while at the same time helping out (and at times being helped by) Wyatt. Also it should be considered how Doc decides to go with Wyatt, something a sidekick would do. Similar to the relationship of Doc and Wyatt is those relationships of Matt and Tom in Red River, as well as Ethan and Martin in The Searchers. These relationships are clearly between the alpha male and sidekick because even though they are not the idealized subordinate "sidekick", each relationship features a strong support by another fellow alpha-male-esque character.
I think that the stereotypical thought of what the sidekick in the Western film is actually a misconception. When considering the role of the sidekick, there generally is a conclusion drawn that there is some sort of recognized role of the sidekick being the main character's minion and not having any sort of alpha male qualities and independence of is own. I think that this is a misconception that we generally make. Therefore, I do feel that Doc is very much a sidekick to Wyatt; Holliday does not have to listen to everything Wyatt says or be in a perfect relationship with Wyatt to be a Western sidekick.
ReplyDeleteThe reason why I feel this way is because I think that in general, when looking for a sidekick, there is too much of search for a clear-cut subordinate-friend of the main character. In any of the Westerns we have viewed thus far, if we are looking for this idealized "sidekick", we would not find any. I disagree with the notion that there were no characters that played the role of a sidekick in any of the films that we have viewed. The Western is known for the strong alpha male; the fact is, the alpha male's sidekick is, in many ways, as rugged, independent, and, as Matheson puts it, "hardboiled" as the alpha male.
A sidekick in the Western really needs new standards that reflect more of the alpha-maleness of the sidekick. I think that Doc is a sidekick because he really has a continuous exchange with Wyatt that really reflects his own qualifications of strength, while at the same time helping out (and at times being helped by) Wyatt. Also it should be considered how Doc decides to go with Wyatt, something a sidekick would do. Similar to the relationship of Doc and Wyatt is those relationships of Matt and Tom in Red River, as well as Ethan and Martin in The Searchers. These relationships are clearly between the alpha male and sidekick because even though they are not the idealized subordinate "sidekick", each relationship features a strong support by another fellow alpha-male-esque character.