The Man Who Shot Liberty Vance, directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne, tells the story of 2 alpha male characters, Liberty Valance and Doniphon along with Rance Stoddard and how they run the town of Shinbone. Unlike Valance and Doniphon, Stoddard is not considered an alpha male because he would be classified as having a more eastern thought which means that he believes in the law of the land rather than the law of the gun. I believe Matheson would classify Stoddard as a Doniphon's sidekick because he tries to teach Rance the "law of the gun" and he dresses completely different from Doniphon and Valance, this indicates that he does belong in the West. I would agree with Mathesons assessment of Stoddard because he exudes no qualities of an alpha male, we see this in the end of the film when he is not able to kill Liberty Valance.
Without a doubt Matheson would consider Tom Doniphon not only as an alpha male but the hero of the film. Although both Doniphon and Valance believe in the law of the gun and have no issues killing I think that Doniphon has good inte ntions and wants to protect the town while Valance is remorseless and shows no fundamentally ethical behavior. Doniphon can also be considered an alpha male because he tries to teach Rance how to shoot a gun by aiming at a tin can, in this scene Doniphon behaves like a father figure. I do believe that Doniphon would be categorized as a hero due to his courage and strength along with his moral system and his role in society.
Liberty Valance is the second alpha male character in the film but unlike Doniphon he would probably be considered the villain of the town due to the crimes he commits such as robbery and murder. It can be said that Valance is an object of hatred and possibly had death in his future due to his bully behavior. In the case of Valance's death the law of the gun is definitely implemented therefore his death was not a tragedy. Matheson could also consider Valance a sociopath due to his lack of concern for others and strange behavior.
I do believe that Matheson would assess each character as such and I think that she is correct about all three men.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance was filmed in 1962 tells the story of 2 alpha male characters, Liberty Valance and Tom Doniphon along with Ransom Stoddard. I believe Matheson would classify Stoddard as a Doniphon’s sidekick because he exhibits feminine qualities, has an eastern thought and follows the written law over the law of the gun. I would agree with Matheson’s assessment of Stoddard because he exudes no qualities of an alpha male, which is proven at the end of the film.
ReplyDeleteWithout a doubt Matheson would consider Tom Doniphon not only as an alpha male but the hero of the film. Both Doniphon and Valance believe in the law of the gun and have no issues, however, Doniphon is seen as the hero and Valance is the villain. Doniphon displays moral ambiguity and an ethical center through his good intentions and desire to protect the town while Valance is remorseless and shows no fundamentally ethical behavior.
Doniphon tries to teach Ransom how to shoot a gun by aiming at a tin can, in this scene Doniphon behaves like a father figure which according to Matheson is typical behavior of an alpha male cowboy. He then advises Stoddard to "…start packing a hangun...I know those law books mean a lot to you but no out here. Out here a man settles his own problems" (896). Doniphon would be categorized as a hero due to his courage and strength along with his moral system and his role in society. Doniphon also displays alpha male characteristics in his resistance to show emotion for example he does not tell Hallie that he loves her, he says nothing and thus she ends up with Stoddard. Lastly, Doniphon’s silence further emphasizes his alpha male status when he allows Stoddard to take the glory for killing Liberty Valance. Additionally, we see Doniphon’s existential double bind when he chooses to allow Stoddard to be see as the towns hero.
Liberty Valance is considered the villain of the town due to the crimes he commits such as robbery and murder. It can be said that Valance is an object of hatred and possibly had death in his future due to his bully behavior. In the case of Valance's death the law of the gun is definitely implemented therefore his death was not a tragedy. Matheson may argue that Valance’s death was in his future due to his unethical behavior and bullying. Matheson could also consider Valance a sociopath due to his lack of concern for others and strange behavior.
Stoddard is seen as a sidekick because he displays feminine qualities in ways more than one. He is educated, a lawyer and from the east which according to Matheson make him a weak man. Stoddard is completely different from Valance along with Doniphon because he “… is appalled by the thought of killing another man and "[expected] the West to be a place where 'civilized' values are respected" (896).
According to Matheson, only the fittest, strongest and most ruthless survive in the noir frontier. Stoddard is not able to kill Liberty Valance because he posses none of these three qualities. He is also unable to draw his gun the quickest or kill Liberty Valance at the end of the film. Therefore, due to Doniphon’s ability to draw the gun the quickest which is seen in his battle against Liberty Valance he is the true alpha male. I do believe that Matheson would assess each character as such and I think that she is correct about all three men