The Searchers

The extreme terrain and obvious treachery and life threatening characteristics of the West are commonly the main focus of both Western films and movies. This mise-en-scene that is so commonly portrayed in Westerns becomes one of the largest parts of the movie. The nature and landscape is so important it becomes one of the more prevalent characters. There seems to be a direct correlation between this intense nature itself and to the Cowboy’s attitudes and actions.

In The Searchers Tompkins explains, “The qualities needed to survive on the land are the qualities that the land itself possesses- bleakness, mercilessness.” (pg. 73) This explains that the landscape of the west is definitely difficult to survive in and continuously throws new obstacles out to those traveling through it. For example, once the travelers get through the intensely hot desert like summer, they have blizzards throughout the winter, and this pattern keeps going. This is definitely true along with its relationship to the cowboy in the movie, The Searchers when Ethan acts mercilessly towards the Indians, and to anyone involved with the Indians. At one point the travelers stumble upon a dead Indian, buried under a rock and Ethan proceeds to shoot him further to “finish him off” which provides strong evidence towards the truth of Ethan’s intense grudge towards the Indians.

“The openness also provides infinite access…Distance, made palpable through exposure and infinitely prolonged by the absence of obstacles, offers unlimited room to move.” (pg. 74-75) explains Tompkins. This provides the image of a vast terrain in which there is plenty of room to move and wander, and nothing standing in their way besides the occasional rivers which they have to cross. There is nothing stopping the cowboy, and in the movie there was nothing stopping Ethan from finding the Indians. When some of the Texas Rangers that were in his pack decided to turn back home it didn’t convince, Ethan thought nothing of it, that wouldn’t stop him. When the tough winter came and they didn’t have a trail to follow and no trace of the Indians, Ethan kept going. Even when they had no real evidence because so many years had gone by that Debbie (the niece who was stolen) would even still be alive or with the Indians, he kept moving. There was nothing stopping Ethan, and with the openness of the terrain, even with the obvious reasons to stop moving, he didn’t.

Ethan is clearly the leader of his pack. Any ideas of how to trap the Indians are put passed him first and frequently vetoed. No one has the power over the group like Ethan has. When talking about the “architectural quality” Tompkins explains, “It expresses a need to be in control of one’s surroundings, to dominate them…” (pg. 76) Just like the nature, Ethan dominates his group, and even ideas such as creating a fire for the town clerk to be able to find them, risking others lives, he keeps a secret because he is the leader and feels no obligation to tell Martin.