Individualism In The Searchers

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As Ethan rides towards his brother’s homestead, he is greeted by awestruck stares. He rides with the brutal desert behind him, sun glaring at his eyes while his brother’s family is framed in shadow of their own home. A hopeful tune plays in the background as he approaches. In this opening scene of The Searchers John Ford establishes Ethan—played by none other than John Wayne—as the rugged individualist, the one who tames the wilderness. This cowboy is integral to the “Myth of the United States,” he is the one who tames the savage wilderness its residents (Durham). However as the film unfolds, Ford explores Ethan’s tortured psyche, his motivations, his neuroticism, even the Indians and their motivations in order to deconstruct deconstructing the myth in order to show that the cowboy is a relic of the Old West. In order to set up the myth, Ford must establish the primary antagonist: the Comanche. Our first encounter with the Comanche occurs at …show more content…

Ethan stands alone outside back against the sun. The beginning in the movie is reflected in the end. However one startling difference remains: he does not enter the house with the rest of his companions. Instead he goes outside staying the wilderness. Our cowboy knows he does not belong inside. He belongs where he can continue his borderline savage behavior. His family and friends fade into black as he stands outside while a folk song plays in the background. It is a bittersweet moment, as we have followed Ethan throughout his ordeal Ford has exposed his conflicted motivations, his borderline savagery. In this final shot, we can see that the cowboy is an antiquated concept that cannot exist as we move forward. Ethan knows this. His part in the “Myth of the United States” cannot be understated, however he cannot go on as a part of the myth. There is no longer wilderness to conquer, the enemy has been defeated, our hero has no purpose. He is rendered

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