In the movie Red River, two cowboys, Tom Dunson and Matt Garth, battle throughout the film for the alpha male cowboy role. At the beginning of the film, Tom Dunson, played by John Wayne, is clearly the alpha male cowboy, as Matt Garth, played by Montgomery Clift, first appears as a terrified young boy. However, as the story continues, it becomes much harder for the viewer to decide which cowboy is the alpha cowboy. I believe that both Tom Dunson and Matt Garth are alpha male cowboys. They both have many similarities between the two of them that leads me to believe that to classify one as an alpha cowboy would be a disservice to the other.
Tom Dunson and Matt Garth prove throughout the film that they are both alpha male cowboys. The easiest way to find the alpha male cowboy in a western is to simply look at the characters. As Sue Matheson quotes in her article on westerns, cowboys are not, “stained, grimy, or disheveled in the style of rough, unmannered villains. Heroes may be dusty but not dirty. Their clothes may be worn but not greasy. They seldom sweat. Above all, they have always just shaved” (892). Both Tom Dunson and Matt Garth are clean cut and fit the physical mold that the alpha male cowboy should have; therefore they are both alpha male cowboys.
Another way to tell the alpha male cowboy is to listen to the language that he uses. Matt Garth and Tom Dunson use short commands and do not feel the need to express anything but anger or other “male” emotions. Jane Tompkins describes the language of the cowboy in her work titled West of Everything. She claims that the cowboy desires control, and, “Not speaking demonstrates control not only over ones feelings but over one’s physical boundaries as well” (56). The perfect example of this behavior involves how both Tom and Matt treat women. In the beginning of the film, Tom never tells the girl that he loves that he loves her, and he refuses to take her along with him. Matt does the same thing when he finds a girl that he loves. Both Matt and Tom keep their feelings implied and never explicitly shown unless they are “male” feelings like anger or pride. I believe that both Matt and Tom are alpha cowboys because they both use language as an alpha cowboy should and does.
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In the movie Red River, two cowboys, Tom Dunson and Matt Garth, battle throughout the film for the alpha male cowboy role. At the beginning of the film, Tom Dunson, played by John Wayne, is clearly the alpha male cowboy, as Matt Garth, played by Montgomery Clift, first appears as a terrified young boy. However, as the story continues, it becomes much harder for the viewer to decide which cowboy is the alpha cowboy. This difficulty exists because both Tom Dunson and Matt Garth are alpha male cowboys. Both men have many similarities, so many in fact that to classify one as an alpha cowboy would be a disservice to the other.
ReplyDeleteTom Dunson and Matt Garth prove throughout Red River that they are both alpha male cowboys. The easiest way to find the alpha male cowboy in a western is to simply look at the characters. As Sue Matheson quotes in her article on westerns, cowboys are not, “stained, grimy, or disheveled in the style of rough, unmannered villains. Heroes may be dusty but not dirty. Their clothes may be worn but not greasy. They seldom sweat. Above all, they have always just shaved” (892). Both Tom Dunson and Matt Garth are clean cut and fit the physical mold that the alpha male cowboy should have. Just using this simple heuristic, the viewer can tell that both Matt and Tom are alpha male cowboys.
Another way to designate the alpha male cowboy is to listen to the language that he uses. Matt Garth and Tom Dunson use short commands and do not feel the need to express anything but anger or other “male” emotions. Jane Tompkins describes the language of the cowboy in her work titled West of Everything. She claims that the cowboy desires control, and “Not speaking demonstrates control not only over ones feelings but over one’s physical boundaries as well” (56). The perfect example of this behavior involves how both Tom and Matt treat women. In the beginning of the film, Tom never confesses his love for the girl that he likes, and he refuses to take her along with him. Matt does the same thing when he finds a girl that he loves. Both Matt and Tom keep their feelings implied and never explicitly shown unless they are “male” feelings like anger or pride. Matt and Tom are alpha cowboys because they both use language as alpha cowboys in westerns use language.