John Ford’s The Searchers is a film that follows a racist protagonist named Ethan who embarks on a seven-year journey with his nephew Martin. Their journey entails finding/recusing Ethan’s niece, Debbie from the Comanche. The Comanche kills Ethan’s brother and his whole family, burns the house down and takes Debbie. This infuriates Ethan and exacerbates his hatred for the Comanche and sets the tone for his journey. In addition, Ethan is depicted as a very complex character who is extremely racist, self-hatred and angry. After Ethan realizes Debbie is alive and thereby has become a Comanche, he sets out to kill her. Although Ethan does not end up killing Debbie, instead, he brings her home safely. According to Pippin (2009:238), this film poses …show more content…
two mysteries: (1) Why does Ethan seek to kill Debbie, and, (2) why doesn’t Ethan kill Debbie? Pippin (2009:238-240) provides four options that may be the answer to these questions. First, Pippin (2009:238-239) suggests that the act of not killing Debbie could have been a spontaneous, impulsive and out of character gesture.
He mentions that despite Ethan’s animosity towards the Comanche, the act of not killing Debbie may have been a momentary act of weakness (Pippin 2009:239). Although, it is ironic that Ethan cannot conform to his racist ideologies (Pippin 2009:239). Furthermore, Pippin (2009:239) proposes that this ‘impulsive act of weakness’ option does not seem likely, as a bit before, Ethan was ready to shoot Debbie and had to be stopped by Martin and an Indian arrow. In addition, why is it that Ethan is struck by a sense of ‘weakness’ after executing the most brutal act of racial hatred, him scalping Scar (Pippin 2009:239)? Additionally, Pippin (2009:239) mentions that Ethan’s character has not shown any evidence of ‘weakness’ throughout this film and therefore it is too easy of an explanation (Pippin 2009:239). This option does not seem viable since Ethan is portrayed as a very strong headed character whose actions match his intentions. Throughout the film Ethan does not show any evidence of weakness, he is a ruthless character that will do what he wants. Furthermore, Ethan shoots out a dead Comanche’s eyes, scalps Scar, uses Martin as bait to lure Mr. Futterman all his actions is fueled by
intentions Second, Pippin (2009:239) mentions that Ethan’s character, his direction, changes which is why he does not kill Debbie. Pippin (2009:239) suggests that due to his long seven years’ journey with Martin, who is one-eighth Comanche, he has changed into a more humane character. The slow fading of Ethan’s anger, self-hatred and guilt has therefore produced a more civilized character (Pippin 2009:239). Although, Pippin (2009:239) indicates that this option is not likely since scalping Scar does not reveal a changed or civilized Ethan. In addition, Ethan’s rejection in the last scene by his friends and family make it hard to believe this transformation or redemption explanation (Pippin 2009:239). Pippin (2009:239) mentions that no one in the film believes that Ethan has changed and in the last scene Ethan is treated as if he were invisible. This option does seem plausible, since Ethan’s seven-year long experience with Martin may have produced some form of hope that Debbie may have a chance to be ‘normal’. Ethan wanted to kill Debbie because as he believed he was saving Debbie from a fate much worst then death, being a Comanche.
He could not get away from Zeena, nor run away with the girl he felt drawn to. There was no way Ethan could afford to get away even if he tried. Ethan could not afford to pay for himself to leave town, nor could he provide for the woman he desired. He also imagines life as if he were suddenly resolved from all the issues going on in his life. All the issues that went on, Ethan brought upon himself due to the way he managed his life.
The first way that Ethan displays his weakness in the book is shown through his marriage to Zeena. Ethan was an intelligent student and was enrolled in school when he had to give up his schooling because of his sick father that he needed to help. Along with his father, his mother also became sick soon after. Zeena came to live with him and help care for
The main theme of the book Ethan Frome is failure. It is shown in three ways throughout the story: Ethan's marriage, him not being able to stand up to Zeena, and his involvement in the "smash up".
The tragic fall that Ethan Frome has is that he is a very concernful person. An example that of this flaw is when "'Somebody had to stay and care for the folks... Fust his father-then his mother-then his wife'" (Wharton 3). This quote demonstrates Ethan's flaw because he gives up
Through the obscurity which hid their faces their thoughts seemed to dart at each other like serpents shooting venom. Ethan was seized with horror of the scene and shame at his own share in it. It was as senseless and savage as a physical fight between two enemies in the darkness.
The book says, “His wife had never shown any jealousy of Mattie, but of late she had grumbled increasingly over the house-work and found oblique ways of attracting attention to the girl 's inefficiency(Wharton, chpt 1).” This means Zeena knew about the love affair. Because Ethan and Zeena did not honestly love each other, the affair did not bother Zeena. Eventually, though, Zeena wants to force Mattie to go back home. Ethan and Mattie are extremely devastated by this. Ethan is not in love with either girl, but cannot leave either one. What happened next was a sleigh riding accident. Ethan purposely drove a sled into a tree hoping to kill Mattie and himself. By doing this he could escape all his responsibilities. He would not be abandoning anyone technically. The immaturity in Ethan 's personality is shown through this event. The accident caused Ethan and Zeena to be obligated to care for Mattie for the rest of their lives. Because the accident was intentional Ethan should be held accountable for it. He was supposed to be a mature adult who made the right decisions. He failed at this. Ethan should have been put in jail for this mishap. Moreover, Mattie did die that day because her liveliness
When Zeena was there while Ethan's mother was ill to "nurse her", she gave him the "human speech" he longed for because his mother had "lost the power of speech." Ethan felt that he would be "dreadful" if "left alone" if Zeena were to leave him, so he ended up marrying her so she would stay. Ethan is unable to make decisions without thinking of her first or being reminder that she's the one he is loyal to because of this attachment. Even having blissful moments with Mattie, Ethan cannot rid his mind of Zeena. While having supper, the cat "jumped between them into Zeena's empty chair" and when reminded of Zeena, Ethan was "paralyzed." Ethan is happy when with Mattie, but his love for her will never rid him from Zeena. Ethan was even planning o asking the Hales for currency, but the thought of "leaving alone" his "sickly woman" led him to desert his plan in taking money to leave Zeena by herself. This shows that even in his desire to escape her, Ethan values their marriage and is still thinking of her greater good. Ethan's happiness resides in Mattie to the point where he was willing to kill himself to be with her forever, however, midway through the attempt, "his wife's face, with twisted monstrous ligaments, thrusts itself between him and his goal." Due to Zeena showing herself to Ethan near death, he "swerved in response" which may have caused the attempt to fail. This scene demonstrates how Ethan, even when
Ethan is not happy with his life and feels that it is his obligation to stay on the farm and work like his parents had “readers discover a man who feels overwhelmed by family responsibilities and who cannot free himself from what he believes to be family expectations.” (Witkosky). This obligation, and what Ethan believes to be his family expectations, ultimately helped lead to his decision to stay in Starkfield and not pursue a happier life with Mattie elsewhere. Ethan also feels that even though all of his family members had died a long time ago, he still senses their presence, and he feels pressured to continue the family custom “Ethan senses their presence; in his eyes, the headstones on their graves, located near his farm, are like sentinels who guard and enforce family custom.” (Witkosky).
Racism is not only a crime against humanity, but a daily burden that weighs down many shoulders. Racism has haunted America ever since the founding of the United States, and has eerily followed us to this very day. As an intimidating looking black man living in a country composed of mostly white people, Brent Staples is a classic victim of prejudice. The typical effect of racism on an African American man such as Staples, is a growing feeling of alienation and inferiority; the typical effect of racism on a white person is fear and a feeling of superiority. While Brent Staples could be seen as a victim of prejudice because of the discrimination he suffers, he claims that the victim and the perpetrator are both harmed in the vicious cycle that is racism. Staples employs his reader to recognize the value of his thesis through his stylistic use of anecdotes, repetition and the contrast of his characterization.
While both John Ford and Kevin Costner emphasize a desire to apologize to the indigenous people, they use similar themes such as stereotypes, miscegenation, and the way characters are depicted; conversely, these two movies are different by the way the themes are developed within each film. John Ford’s The Searchers was given the intention of apologizing to the way Native Americans had been portrayed at that time as compared to his previous westerns.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Individual Racism- the belief that one’s own race is superior to another (racial prejudice) and behavior that suppresses members of the so called inferior race (racial discrimination). An example of individual racism in the scenario is Ms. Welch's description of how Native Indian children were taken from their communities and placed in schools away from their families. This was done in with the belief by the White European culture was superior and the desire to drive out the Native Indian traditions in future generations.
While browsing through articles on the internet, I came across many related to the topic of racism. I am beginning to feel as if I am surrounded by stories of racism. From the KKK’s aggressive campaign against immigrants, to the police violence against black people in cites throughout our nation, racism and discrimination continue to be problems. One story stood out to me and continues to make me uncomfortable. Malachi Wilson, a five year-old boy, could not attend his first day of kindergarten in Seminole, Texas. What could he have done to warrant the principal’s rejection? His hair was simply too long.
The United States of America is a multicultural nation and we are still struggling with racism in America. Many people believe that racism may be an issue of the past and not relevant to our society. But with racism there are two major types and it’s either covert or overt. Covert racism is the most likely form of racism, which is defined as hidden racism as opposed to overt, which is out in the open racism. The United States of America is a nation full of immigrants; however, the country faces just as many racial issues as in the Civil Rights era. Can covert and overt racism actually play a role in mental health? This debate has spiked up in recent years as America goes through different phases of racism and the looming topics of racism possibly or never-ending in the United States. Blogging changes attitudes about racism because people are blogging about their personal
Looking back at the history of United States in the 1800s, clearly racism was everywhere, and slavery was a major part of society. In the 1900s, racial discrimination still played a major part in society as White Americans were given the rights which includes right to vote, schooling, employment, or the right to go to certain public places. Colored people, did not have the equal rights and freedom as White Americans, especially African-American who back then were turned into slaves. Despite the fact that formal racial discrimination was largely banned in the mid-20th century, this issue of racism still exist even in today's society. The problem with society is that stereotypical views of various races still play a role, like when people always
Racism is the mistreatment of a group of people on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, place of origin, or ancestry. The term racism may also denote a blind and unreasoning hatred, envy, or prejudice (Dimensions of Racism). Racism has had a strong effect on society. Despite the many efforts made to alleviate racism, what is the future of African Americans' Racism's long history, important leaders, current status, and future outlook will be the main factors in determining how to combat racism. Racism is still present in many societies, although many people are doing their best to put an end to racism and its somewhat tragic ordeals.