12 Yankee Dollars

We all know that everyone experiences fear at one point or another. In Westerns, we see a whole variety of characters: the hero, the wife, the bad guy, and it's mostly quite evident when it comes to what they are all afraid of. In these films, the hero is usually the one who holds the most courage. When fear comes their way, let's just say they have their own way of dealing with it.

Let's start this off with a John Wayne classic, The Searchers. In this film we meet Ethan. He's a rugged man, who is not the most pleasant person to be around. One day, out of the blue, Ethan decides to visit his brother's family in Texas. Unfortunately, one night, his brother's home is attacked by a tribe of Comanche Indians. The only survivors are Ethan's nieces Debbie and Lucy. The problem is, they have been captured by the Comanches. For this reason, Ethan and his nephew Martin start to embark on a five year journey so that they can find the girls. At first glance, this makes Ethan look like a very courageous person, but as the story goes on, I found that he was also carrying fears of his own. In the film, it's obvious that most of the characters are afraid of the Comanche Indians. Everyone turns to Ethan. They believe that he knows what to do. They think he is a man with little fear. The reality is, that his fear is causing him to make irrational decisions. As time goes on, Ethan is afraid that the girls might have changed because of the time that they had spent with the Comanches. When he finds the girls, he plans to kill them because of this. This proves that the other characters were not the only ones afraid of the Comanches. Although it wasn't as obvious, Ethan also demonstrated fear.

The film High Noon is set in a small town where there seems to be no trouble. The Marshall (Kane) is getting married, and he is planning on retiring so that he can live a relaxing life with his wife. Everything is perfect, and then a second later, it all changes. Kane receives the news that a prisoner he arrested is being released from prison. This prisoner is looking for revenge on Kane. When everyone gets a hold of the news, they all tell the Marshall to get out of town. At first he listens to the townspeople, and leaves. Kane is obviously afraid of this prisoner. He initially decides to run away from his fears. Soon enough though, he decides to return to town and face this man. The Marshall was courageous enough to say to himself that he could not run away anymore. He knew that if he did, the problem would just come back to get him. Not many people understood why he came back. He was trying his best to do the right thing, which in Westerns, is a significant trait to have as a Hero.

Western movies taught me that the Heros of the story can also have their flaws. We all have had fear present in our lives. It's just that in some people, it's not as easy to see.