High Noon and The Ballad of Little Jo

In this film we get to see many revisions to the depictions of women in a classic western. Tompkins states, “The camera and the audience identify with the hero, while the heroine dissolves into a caricature of herself. Sex joins here with blood and death and a cold wind blowing as the only true reality, extinguishing the authority of women and their words” (Tompkins 61). In “High Noon”, and “The ballad of little Jo” this quote is not the case. We see women starting to stand up on their own. Their characters are sharing the spotlight with the alpha male and do not rely on his decisions. The first example is in “The Ballad of Little Jo”; Mrs. Addie is a saloon owner. Here is the first time we see a woman actually running her own business. She is self sufficient and opens up the concept of a women being the “moneymaker” of a household. Mrs. Addie depicts life in where women no longer need to rely on the alpha male as a provider for their family. They can take matters into their own hands and actually run and operate a business. Another example of a change is in, “High Noon”. Amy is willing to throw everything away for her husband Kane. She sells her business so she can leave at a moment’s notice if her and her husband are run out of town. Amy is willing to stand by Kane no matter the consequences and truly shows how men and women have a much stronger relationship now
The new role of women in western films has had an impact on the actions of the alpha male. We see in “Rooster Cogburn” and both of these movies that men are not the only ones who are talented with a gun. The phallic symbol of the gun is starting to diminish. The fact that women can now shoot just as well as men really defeats the symbolic meaning behind the steel weapon. The alpha male’s masculinity is a main part of that symbol, and it really takes a toll when women became so talented with a gun. In “Rooster Cogburn” we find Eula to be an excellent shot. Also, in “High Noon”, Amy guns down one of the trainmen for her husband. Also, when the two of them were in a bind come the end of the film, she attacks one of the gunmen so her husband can shoot him. It really starts to show that the alpha male has to accept the fact that women can do just about everything a man can do. The alpha male needs to recognize this partnership as in “High Noon”, where Amy and Kane essentially use teamwork to get out of the situation at hand. At the end of this movie we see another change to the alpha male’s actions. Normally, the alpha male rides out into the distance alone, but here he takes his wife. It really brings together the fact that women are now considered just as important as the men.