John Ford's Film "The Searchers"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the John Ford classic western "The Searchers" focuses on the relationships and motivations of Ethan Edwards, played by John Wayne known for his super-masculine characters, and Martin, a young, part-Cherokee man, who is accompanying Ethan. The author points out that this relationship between surrogate father and son shaped the young man's view of what manhood truly encompasses. The paper stress that the use of this relationship in the film allows the trait of masculinity to be witnessed through its early development and permits the viewer to decide the positive and negative aspects of masculinity's eventual, albeit extreme, culmination.

From the Paper:

"Eventually, Ethan comes to fully surpass his brother Aaron as patriarch of the household. The family comes to see him as the protector, or "man of the house." When a posse arrives hunting for what appear to be cattle rustlers, Ethan forbids his brother to go along, shouldering the responsibility himself. As he leaves, Aaron's wife embraces Ethan, for which she receives a kiss on the forehead. At this instance they undeniably appear to be man and wife. Later, when the family senses danger of an attack, Ben, the young man of the house, says, "I wish Uncle Ethan was here," despite the fact his father is present and holding a gun. By the traditional ideals of masculinity, being the head of a household is a cornerstone of being considered a man, so Ethan's usurping of his brother's position suggests his natural prowess at playing the masculine role."

More papers on John Ford's Film "The Searchers":

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