In the two films, Johnny Guitar and Two Mules for Sister Sara, the "other" is a strong-minded woman in both movies. They both go above and beyond what typical Western women would do with their lives. Tompkins states that "in many Westerns, women are the motive for male activity (it's women who are being avenged, it's a woman the men are trying to rescue) at the same time as what women stand for- love and forgiveness in place of vengeance- is precisely what the activity denies" (Tompkins 41). In Two Mules for Sister Sara, Sara was in fact rescued by the cowboy, Hogan, but instead of standing for love and forgiveness, Sara helps along Hogans plot for violence against the French army. To make matters more peculiar, the viewer finds out in the end of the movie Sara was no nun, rather a prostitute. This was a shock to Hogan as well as the viewer, but not so much at the fact that she was not a perfect nun, but that she could undermine Hogan's intelligence throughout the whole movie. Also, in Johnny Guitar, Vienna is not seeking love and forgiveness in place of vengeance toward the end of the film, as she finds herself in a stand off with Emma and kills her. At multiple points in the movie she draws her gun, proving she can protect herself and is willing to fight.
Tompkins also points out that "most Western novels and movies have already accomplished and repressed: the destruction of female authority. ... Western's either push women out of the picture completely or assign them roles in which they exist only to serve the needs of men" (Tompkins 39). The women in both films challenge this assessment of women as well, as they do much more than just serve the needs of men. In Johnny Guitar, Vienna owns her own saloon and has men waiting on her and working for her. She hires Johnny Guitar to serve the needs of her. She can handle a gun and talk down a posse of angry men. Over the five years Johnny Guitar has not seen her, she has built her own business and has big ambitions. She did not sit around and wait for a man to return, such as the women in The Searchers. The roles are quiet reversed in Two Mules for Sister Sarah as well, but in more of an ironic way. While Sara's profession is normally to serve the needs of men, she gets Hogan to serve her needs by protecting her on her journey. By pretending to be a nun, Sarah avoids many conflicts and keeps Hogan respecting her throughout the journey. In the end of both films, both women achieve happiness by being so strong-willed and strong-minded, something you don't see in an "other" in more traditional Westerns.
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In the two films, Johnny Guitar and Two Mules for Sister Sara, the "other" is a strong-minded woman in both movies. They both go above and beyond what typical Western women would do with their lives. Tompkins states that "in many Westerns, women are the motive for male activity (it's women who are being avenged, it's a woman the men are trying to rescue) at the same time as what women stand for- love and forgiveness in place of vengeance- is precisely what the activity denies" (Tompkins 41). In Two Mules for Sister Sara, Sara was in fact rescued by the cowboy, Hogan, but instead of standing for love and forgiveness, Sara helps along Hogans plot for violence against the French army. To make matters more peculiar, the viewer finds out in the end of the movie Sara was no nun, rather a prostitute. This was a shock to Hogan as well as the viewer, but not so much at the fact that she was not a perfect nun, but that she could undermine Hogan's intelligence throughout the whole movie. Also, in Johnny Guitar, Vienna is not seeking love and forgiveness in place of vengeance toward the end of the film, as she finds herself in a stand off with Emma and ends up killing her. At multiple points in the movie she draws her gun, proving she can protect herself and is willing to fight. Most women in traditional westerns did not even know how a gun worked.
ReplyDeleteTompkins also points out that "most Western novels and movies have already accomplished and repressed: the destruction of female authority. ... Western's either push women out of the picture completely or assign them roles in which they exist only to serve the needs of men" (Tompkins 39). The women in both films challenge this assessment of women as well, as they do much more than just serve the needs of men. In Johnny Guitar, Vienna owns her own saloon and has men waiting on her and working for her. She hires Johnny Guitar to serve her own needs. She can handle a gun and talk down a posse of angry men, who she frequently has coming into her saloon. Over the five years Johnny Guitar has not seen her, she has built her own business and has big ambitions for her business. She did not sit around and wait for a man to return, such as the women in The Searchers did. The roles are quite reversed in Two Mules for Sister Sarah as well, but in more of an ironic way. While Sara's profession is normally to serve the needs of men, she gets Hogan to serve her needs by getting him to protect her on her journey. By pretending to be a nun, Sarah avoids many conflicts and keeps Hogan's respect throughout the journey. In the end of both films, both women achieve happiness by being so strong-willed and strong-minded. You don't typically see such ambition and wit in an "other" in more traditional Westerns.