Shane, Destry Rides Again and Support Your Local Sheriff are classified as a classical plot of western films, so it is no doubt that they share similar structures. Shane, Destry, and McCullough exist in societies as strangers, but they use their special skills to defeat villains who threaten the citizens. Wright summarizes formulations to western films, which help audiences to recognize the differentiation in western films. He analyzes most films of classical plot into sixteen steps. On function of the classical plot is “The society does not completely accept the hero” (Wright 44). Wight indicates that the hero is not accepted by society, because the hero is not the member of society, he is strong, and his special ability. That means societies …show more content…
Shane, Destry and McCullough are skilled gunfighters without backgrounds. In other words, they are both strangers to societies. According to Wright’s function, they both should be rejected. However, McCullough gains a job as a sheriff in the town after he shows the gun skills. Destry gains respect and becomes a deputy after he plays the gun. Only Shane is rejected in homesteaders’ meeting, and the citizen is afraid of his expert gun skill. These societies all face the villains. Tow societies accepted heroes because they do not concern the background of the heroes, and they are desperate to need a powerful person who can release them from the villains’ control. They do not care the heroes use what kind of methods to gain victors, so they will not reject the men who can help them when they recognize the specific skills of the heroes. On the other hand, Shane is rejected because homesteaders’ do not want any violence to exist on their land. They even choose to leave the land to avoid villains instead of fighting back. The hero’s power does not only scar the villains but also scar the homesteaders. Society is afraid of violence as well as the villains. They want a man who can help them to defeat the villains but without violence, so they cannot accept the hero. Hence, Wright’s function does not fit in there, and his …show more content…
The classical plot emphasizes that society is always good and weak. There is no doubt that societies are weak, but if societies are good or not, it can be reflected through accepting the heroes or not. In Shane, the homesteaders do not accept Shane because they do not want using violence to gain peace. Gun means violence to them no matter whether people use them for good or bad reasons. Peace is the most important thing to the homesteaders. Another tow societies accept heroes, but the societies still have different characteristics. McCullough is accepted by the town and becomes a sheriff. There is no question that the town needs hero’s power to defeat villains, but the most important reason is no people in the town want to fight villains. They are selfish and afraid to die under guns. They accept McCullough because he owns special skills, and that skills can help the town to deal with their problems. They do not care about safety of the hero. Therefore, society absolutely cannot refuse a powerful man without background because they just want to use the hero’s own power to fix their problems. Destry also is accepted by society but society truly need him. Society is controlled by villains. The citizens try using their won power to fight villains, but they are too weak to fight them. Hence, after they realize Destry’s gun skills, they accept him as a deputy. The three societies are based on
In "The Thematic Paradigm", Robert Ray explains how there are two distinctly different heroes, the outlaw hero and the official hero. The official hero embraces common values and traditional beliefs, while the outlaw has a clear sense of right and wrong but operates above the law (Ray). Ray explains how the role of an outlaw hero has many traits. "The attractiveness of the outlaw hero's childishness and propensity to whims, tantrums, and emotional decisions derived from America's cult of childhood", states Ray. (309) Ray also says, "To the outlaw hero's inconsistence on private standards of right and wrong, the official hero offered the admonition, you cannot
Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Cat Woman; when you hear the word hero or heroine that is who you think of. The most famous heroes of all time, as well as the not so famous heroes such as Hazel, fit the archetype of a hero; they are all courageous, resourceful, and strong-willed. Most people don’t notice that almost all action/adventure movies and novels are the same. All of their stories fit the archetypal pattern of a heroic quest. A heroic quest consists of twelve steps that the hero completes throughout his or her journey. In this essay, I will be explaining the parallels between Watership Down by Richard Adams and the archetypal pattern of a heroic quest; as well as the parallels between
Are you in a society in which it has holds on the ways you can live? Society nowadays affects everyone’s life directly. It doesn’t matter who the person. It makes unstated laws that are said to be followed by everyone in the society. It’s all connected to the way people live.
The concept of a hero has been around for many generations, and the meaning of a hero is defined in ways people grasp its idea. A hero can be a person who has a superpower and is willing to make a personal sacrifice for the benefit of others or can be an ordinary everyday person who just wants to help people out of his or her own heart. Linda Seger’s article, “Creating the Myth,” tackles the idea of a “Hero 's Myth,” and shows the ten steps of how heroes are transformed from an ordinary person to the Savior. On the other hand, Robert B. Ray piece titled, “The Thematic Paradigm,” emphasizes that in modern films, it is either having an “Outlaw Hero or an Official Hero,” which he uses three stages to demonstrates how they are different each other in the way they perform in the society. Further, the article, “Out of Character: Wonder Woman’s Strength Is Her Compassion - What Happened?” by Stevie St. John, explains how Wonder Woman was viewed as a compassionate woman in the 1940s and 1950s, and in the 2000s she changes into a more violent person. In this essay, I argue that a hero is subjective, and is defined by the villain or event that they had to adapt to suddenly.
Sporting a fedora, suit and a cigarette in hand, leaning against a wall, the captivating anti-hero stands double crossed in the stereotypical L.A. noir genre. Right in the heat of World War II noir started to rise to the top and become a popular source of entertainment and instant distraction from reality. Many people were drawn to the anti-hero; they were drawn to the flawed characters who were the “heroes” despite their flaws. A hero embodies what people want to be, most consider noir anti-hero’s the same. You can idolize them in a story, but they all have specific characteristics that make the “hero,” themselves, just as vulnerable as everyone else. An anti-hero needs to be layered, complicated, and flawed that pushes the boundaries of what is right and what is wrong. They need an illustrated struggle that builds through growth so as the audience reads they can keep showing optimism for the anti-hero as they try to seek redemption. A novel by James M. Cain, Double Indemnity’s anti-hero Walter Neff has many flaws; flaws that are egotistical and murderous, but also manipulative and powerful. Just like Walter Neff, a recent character that is the epitome of an anti-hero is, Frank Underwood in the show House of Cards. Frank started at the bottom and with his anti-hero characteristics powered his way to presidency putting many morals aside and doing what he thought was the only option to achieve what he wanted. With complex motives, a driven mindset, and no boundaries, the
In general, society is not an evil device to have a part in, rather, it is completely normal. If an individual lives in a community, neighborhood, city, town, village, etc., they belong in a society. Societies provide “chaos management”; they keep people supposedly in line and provide rules. Rules are not wicked, but sometimes certain rules may go against the morals of a person, making the rules a negative aspect of society. This transforms the relationship of an individual existing in
‘No one in the novel can actually be seen as a hero.’ To what extent do you agree?
“When you judge others, you do not define them, you define yourself” Earl Nightingale. The stories “Good Man Is Hard to Find” and “Everything That Rises Must Converge” both stories written by the author Flannery, O’Connor are stories that implies how the morality and immorality affects the social lives. The story “Good Man Is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor is a story that define what the word “Good” is, but everybody has a personal opinion of what’s good or not. In contrast, the other story by Flannery O’Connor “Everything That Rises Must Converge” implies how the immorality and judging others without knowing them its worst. Appearances are deceptive without the acceptance of equality in society. The stories “Good Man Is Hard to Find” and “Everything That Rises Must Converge” are seen as what the characters think is good, their values, but their society believes and morality set them apart.
This story set a scenario in which the reader can reflect how society can change its way of thinking simply through the story and enlightenment of a person who experiences the epic journey. While a change of perspective could be beneficial to society, how would such a situation happen? Heroes are usually thought of as super-human, almost god-like beings. However, in reality, a hero is relatable to the rest of society in more ways than they are not.
The western film Shane (1953) was produced by director George Stephens and is based on the original book Shane (1949) written by Jack Schaefer. The western genre has specific codes and conventions that make it easy for an audience to recognise, such as; iconography (guns, horses, and typical cowboy costume), frontier towns, ranchers and homesteaders, gamblers, bandits, vast open lands and conquering virgin territory. Furthermore, western films often include binary oppositions such as; the individual versus the community, civilisation versus the wilderness, nature versus culture, good versus bad etc. The film Shane incorporates all of these aspects well, making it a recognisable and successful western film.
In the world of westerns, the hero is obvious. Above anything else, they are brave and courageous. Often they have no attachments to family. Furthermore, the Western hero is emphatically not part of civilization or society, though society may need him. In the classic film High Noon directed by Fred Zinneman, Will Kane appears to follow the role of a ‘western hero’, however, as the film progresses its characters diversify.
Any hero, in any novel, poses many charitable traits often making the hero a “perfect” being with little to no flaws. However, the noir novel presents the “hero” in manner directly opposite to the stereotypical hero. Characteristics of an anti-hero consist of easily identified imperfections, rebelliousness, and unorthodox modes of accomplishing his task. In addition, the anti-hero will break the law if it is
The thesis of the article was that although most characters are portrayed as a hero based on their actions, characters can also be viewed as a hero based on their wisdom of the world, temperament and their ability to not let their passions take
This "inimical" environment forces the characters to endure and survive (71). The heroes attain their status by using their knowledge of the land to survive the trials it presents. Secondly, horses are expected in Westerns; they are the props. Horses stand at hitching posts, carry the hero over the frontier’s rough terrain, allow the fleeing villain to outrun the pursuing posse, and represent "the heart and soul of a Western" (89-90). But, the essential component of the Western is the hero, the character. Without question, the hero must exude a certain spirit hinting at his physical capabilities, his fearlessness, and his ability to accomplish even the impossible. The Western values his actions over his words (50) and idealizes his physical strength (11). Interestingly, the West requires these heroes to have strength and to act assertively, but their ability to endure the West’s challenges actually molds them into heroes. The rough wilderness, the hero, whose presence dwarfs the robbers and townspeople alike, and the trademark horses that keep the hero in action, carrying him across the unfriendly terrain, provide a working basis on which to compare texts and the roles of the characters. Although Tompkins discusses these elements in the context of the modern Western, they also apply to the earlier texts and are the elements that survived
A great hero is often classified as such due to their outstanding ability to defeat opposition against all odds. The opposition may be a physical barrier, such as a barren desert they must cross; an emotional struggle, such as a mental illness or suffocating grief; or an antagonist who seeks to foil the hero’s plans at every stage. An antagonist, or villain, can add much depth and intrigue to a story, particularly through the reasoning behind their actions. Many villains are full of dark secrets and ulterior motives. The more formidable the enemy that a writer creates, the more heroic the protagonist becomes. The concept of heroes and villains is not always so clear cut, though. Sometimes a hero must use unjust means