When one first is able to see all three of the main male characters in The Man who Shot Liberty Valance, their appearances as Matheson points out distinguishes who they are and what they represent throughout the film. When considering first the two alpha cowboys, their appearances are immediately able to let the audience know which of the two is the so called “bad” guy and who the “good” guy is. She proclaims how “In Wayne’s movies, cleanliness and dirt register how normal or abnormal a character’s psychology is” (892). Tom Doniphon who is played by Wayne, always appears in town as being clean. His always looks freshly shaven and his clothes rarely even look dusty. Liberty Vance on the other hand always appears to be covered with greasy grime. His face and clothes are always covered with dirt and look as if he carried and unfavorable odor with him. These appearances alone are able to let the audience know who is considered the good and bad cowboy. Then there is Rance Stoddard who comes to Shinbone dressed a three piece suit that leads him to stick out amongst the residents. The audience is able to sense that Stoddard isn’t from Shinbone. But Stoddard’s look isn’t that of a “look of concealment” that Matheson says often shows up in Wayne’s westerns (895). Stoddard’s dandy look is rather showing that he’s an educated man in an area were education doesn’t exist. There is nothing to conceal in Stoddard for he is out to use his education to try to improve the lives of those in Shinbone rather than to deceive them.
Another interesting observation that Matheson observes about the two alpha cowboys is how little things actually vary between the two men. She tells how “both men settle their problems in the same fashion…exhibit a highly antisocial and disordered personality” and are “callous, remorseless, and manipulative” (896). These qualities in their personalities may exist but they are minor to the overall qualities that define the two. Valance unlike Doniphon lives I life of a criminal. The random acts of theft and violence by Valance amongst innocent people demonstrate his lack of morality. Doniphon on the other hand is not out to shoot and steal. As he tells Stoddard, he better start packing a handgun because the gun is the only thing that can enforce in the west. The gun and the pain and death that it potentially inflicts are the only things that can stop those who use the gun for criminal purposes. Laws will not stop a person like Valance who lives in a community where he is more powerfully than them. The paper even prints how Valance has killed two homesteaders but yet he still is able to walk freely into town because people fear his gun. In his case, the use of the gun is necessary by Stoddard or as it turns out Doniphon to stop Valance. So while Doniphon may appear to be like Valance, Doniphon and later Stoddard actions are driven by Valance’s immoral actions. Stoddard and Doniphon’s actions are justified as they are acting as an enforcer to someone who acts as a criminal. While Valance is out to make trouble, Doniphon is simply keeping things in order because he has the tools to do it against someone like Valance.
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When we first see all three of the main male characters in The Man who Shot Liberty Valance, their appearances, as Matheson points out, distinguishes who they are and what they represent throughout the film. When considering first the two alpha cowboys, their appearances are immediately able to let the audience know which of the two is the so called “bad” guy and who the “good” guy is. She proclaims how “In Wayne’s movies, cleanliness and dirt register how normal or abnormal a character’s psychology is” (892). Tom Doniphon who is played by Wayne, always appears in town as being clean. His always looks freshly shaven and his clothes rarely ever have dust on them. Liberty Valance on the other hand always appears to be covered with greasy grime. His face and clothes are always covered with dirt and look as if he carried and unfavorable odor with him. These appearances alone are able to let the audience know who is considered the good and bad cowboy. Then there is Rance Stoddard who comes to Shinbone dressed in a three piece suit that makes him stick out amongst the residents. The audience is able to sense that Stoddard isn’t from Shinbone. But Stoddard’s look isn’t that of a “look of concealment” that Matheson says often shows up in Wayne’s westerns (895). Stoddard’s dandy look is rather showing that he’s an educated man in an area were education doesn’t exist. There is nothing to conceal in Stoddard for he is out to use his education to try to improve the lives of those in Shinbone rather than to deceive them.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting observation that Matheson observes about the two alpha cowboys is how little actually varies between the two men. She tells how “both men settle their problems in the same fashion…exhibit a highly antisocial and disordered personality” and are “callous, remorseless, and manipulative” (896). Valance and Doniphon both live lives that make them almost an outcast to society. Doniphon lives in his house outside of town with only Pompey serving as the person who he is always in contact with. Valance on the other hand is a robbing and violent outcast who isn’t in town usually because of his outlaw status. He isn’t welcomed by the people of Shinbone and he roams the outskirts of civilization with only his gang with the purpose of creating trouble. And when it comes to settling matters, they both use the gun. Valance has trouble with authority and respecting the law so he uses his gun to hold people as seen in the beginning with Stoddard. If he is challenged like he was in the saloon by Doniphon he is quick to pull the gun. But Doniphon as well keeps right up Valance with the use of the gun. Pompey is always lurking at Doniphon’s back to serve as backup with a shotgun. And Doniphan knows as well that because of his skill with the pistol he is able to keep people in order. It’s known by everyone that Valance and Doniphon are near equal when it comes to their gun wielding abilities. And because the two know they are near equal, they never face off against one another. Valance rather goes after the weaker Stoddard while Doniphon uses Stoddard to eventually turn a gun on Valance and end they Shinbone’s problem with Liberty Valance. This leads me to agree very much so with Matheson’s statement about how the two are alike in many ways and that very little separates the one from being seen as good or bad.