Tompkins states, "there's nothing to [women]. They may seem strong and resilient, fiery and resourceful at first, but when push comes to shove, as it always does, they crumble" (61). I would have to disagree with Tompkins on this statement. As seen in High Noon, Will Kane the marshal of Hadleyville, marries a Quaker pacifist, Amy, who begs Kane to leave town with her hours after their marriage, because of the recent news that a criminal Kane brought to justice is due to arrive on the noon train. Kane refuses believing he must stay to protect the town or they will be hunted. Amy tells Kane that she will be on the noon train with or without him. However, after boarding the train and hearing gunshots in the distance, Amy retreats to her husbands side. In this instance, I believe the female character acted bravely, something that is not normally seen in Western films.
In viewing The Ballad of Little Jo I would agree with Tompkins statement. In this film, Josephine Monaghan is exiled from her high society life and forced to survive on her own. She soon realizes that as a woman traveling alone, she is viewed as a sexual item for men to prey on. Recognizing it as her only means of protection, she cuts off all her hair and scars her face to disguise herself as a man. After establishing herself as a well known sheep herder and building herself a homestead to live on while fooling the rest of her community into thinking she is a man, she decides to sell her property to The Eastern Cattle Company and enter back into being in the society of women. However, Jo ends up changing her mind and prepares to ride into the town for election day. While accompanied by her good friend Badger, they are met by masked gunmen of The Eastern Cattle Company. Badger guns down one man while Jo finishes off the other two. Although we can see the remorse she feels from the act of killing. In the beginning, Jo was seen as "resourceful" and "strong," however, she always managed to maintain her feminine emotions which ultimately made her "crumble" under pressure (61).
Tompkins states, "there's nothing to [women]. They may seem strong and resilient, fiery and resourceful at first, but when push comes to shove, as it always does, they crumble" (61). I would have to disagree with Tompkins on this statement in regards to the image of the women portrayed in the film High Noon. As seen in High Noon, Will Kane the marshal of Hadleyville, marries a Quaker pacifist, Amy, who begs Kane to leave town with her hours after their marriage, because of the recent news that a criminal Kane brought to justice is due to arrive on the noon train. Kane refuses believing he must stay to protect the town or they will be hunted. Amy tells Kane that she will be on the noon train with or without him. However, after boarding the train and hearing gunshots in the distance, Amy retreats to her husbands side and ultimately ends up shooting and killing a man in order to protect her husband. In this instance, I believe the female character acted bravely, something that is not normally seen in Western films. Also in the film High Noon, Helen Ramirez is a Mexican immigrant living in the town and she owns a successful business. Will Kane goes to Helen for help, but she refuses to assist him in any way. Helen clearly calls the shots and the white men in town allow her too because she is not own of their own women. Although it is not common for women to undermine the alpha male cowboy in western films, I believe both of the women in High Noon show that they are able to stand up against the men and play a more dominant role.
ReplyDeleteIn viewing The Ballad of Little Jo I would also disagree with Tompkins statement. In this film, Josephine Monaghan is exiled from her high society life and forced to survive on her own. She soon realizes that as a woman traveling alone, she is viewed as a sexual item for men to prey on. Recognizing it as her only means of protection, she cuts off all her hair and scars her face to disguise herself as a man. Throughout the film, Jo takes on jobs that would normally be considered man’s work. After establishing herself as a well known sheep herder and building her a homestead to live on while fooling the rest of her community into thinking she is a man. Some may say she reverts back to her feminine ways when she saves an Asian man and then takes him in to work on her homestead, eventually falling in love with him. We can also see her femininity when she displays remorse for killing two men in order to protect her friend Badger. However, Jo never “crumbles” under pressure (Tompkins 61). In the beginning, Jo was seen as "resourceful" and "strong," and she was able to maintain her secret up until the very end. In the Ballad of Little Jo, Jo finally proved that a woman in society does not need a man to survive on her own. Although some may argue that she had guidance and help along the way, she still was able to make a living for herself and keep her feminine emotions intact. These films demonstrate how women were gaining more reverence in the film world and the image of the alpha male being the lone cowboy was beginning to disappear.