Throughout the history of the Western, the expectations and roles of women have been quite trivial. However, in both the High Noon and the Ballad of Little Jo, the women characters contradict Matheson and Tompkins assessments by posing as a protagonist. Matheson asserts that women even when are portrayed as a main character in the Western, possess a feminizing role subordinate to men. This is specifically seen in High Noon, where women are not just servants to their men, but business women who own saloons and stand side by side with their men in battle. These women serve as a secondary alpha cowboy where they prove their points with actions rather than words.
In addition to High Noon, The Ballad of Little Jo proves women are no longer inferior to men. In one scene, Jo is seen undressing, exchanging her dress and corset for a more comfortable set of clothes-trousers and a shirt. In response to her actions, the clerk scolds her noting that "it's against the law to dress improper to your sex." When Jo transforms her clothing and defies the law, she steps into the role of the alpha cowboy in Ruby City. Not only this, but she possesses other alpha cowboy qualities such as the ability to shoot a gun, working on a farm-sheep herding, and the confidence to take the gun from Percy's hands.
Although several men, like Percy, in these two movies believe that women still cannot defend themselves, their role as the alpha male has become overshadowed by the new female character Jo and Amy. They are fooled by the women characters and the express their feelings and emotions to others. this use of emotion lessens their position as the alpha male, thus allowing room for women to step in and take their place.
Although both films provide a rich and varied ground for cultural studies, you are to consider only the changed attitudes of and toward women in these films. What revisionist ideas do they present in relation to the classic westerns we've watched? What effect do these changed views have on the alpha male cowboy in the genre? Explain your responses with examples from films and from Tompkins and Matheson.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the history of the Western, the expectations and roles of women have been quite trivial. However, in both the High Noon and the Ballad of Little Jo, the women characters contradict Matheson and Tompkins’ assessments by posing as a protagonist. Matheson asserts that women, even when posing as the main character, in Western film possess a feminizing role, subordinate to men. This is specifically seen in High Noon, where women are not just servants to their men, but business women who own saloons and stand side by side during battles. These women serve as a secondary alpha cowboy where they prove their points with actions rather than words.
In addition to High Noon, The Ballad of Little Jo proves women are no longer inferior to men. In one scene, Jo is seen undressing and exchanges her dress and corset for a more comfortable set of clothes-trousers and a shirt. In response to her actions, the clerk scolds her noting that "it's against the law to dress improper to your sex." When Jo transforms her clothing and defies the law, she steps into the role of the alpha cowboy in Ruby City. Not only this, but she possesses other alpha cowboy qualities such as the ability to shoot a gun, working on a farm-sheep herding, and the confidence to take the gun from Percy's hands.
Although several men, like Percy, in these two movies believe that women still cannot defend themselves, their role as the alpha male has become overshadowed by the new female characters, Jo and Amy. They are fooled by the women characters and the express their feelings and emotions to others. This use of emotion lessens their position as the alpha male, thus allowing room for women to step in and take their place.