High Noon and The Ballad of Little Jo

It is clear that there is a huge change in character qualities concerning women in these two movies. Just like in Rooster Cogburn, women take a stronger role. Their attitude of being equal and independent towards men and the rest of the community is clearly displayed in several scenes. Throughout High Noon; several actions from the two main alpha-girls, Amy and Ramirez, prove the point of taking s stronger stand in life. Ramirez runs her own saloon, she is independent, self-sufficient, hard-working, and does not need a man providing and taking care of her. This independence and confidence of being able t live a life by yourself and with no manly or cowboy sustained has never been seen before in westerns. Amy proves us that married women can also be strong. As opposed to older westerns, Amy took matters into her own hands and just like Doniphon in “The Man who Shot Liberty Valance” held the gun and supported her husband, in this case, by shooting and eventually killing one of her husband’s adversaries.
In “The Ballad of Little Jo” the sense of superiority in women is portrayed a bit differently since in this case the woman pretends to be a man. Cutting her hair, acting like a man and doing things normally men would do, Josephine makes everybody believe she is really a man and judging by her attitude, confidence and aggressiveness she is eventually feared, respected and eventually became the “alpha-male” cowboy of the movie.