The Conception of the Anti-Hero Through the Myth of the Frontier
Throughout history the frontier has been portrayed as a violent and turbulent boundary that served as the panicle of the new American opportunity. Soon after the formation of the thirteen colonies, social and political classes began to form and mold society for the American people. Ideology revolving around myths in individual social classes started to develop, in the hope of understanding what the frontier truly was, and conceptualizing the hidden savagery (Native Americans) that lived within. These myths and thought processes as described by Richard Slotkin, a cultural critic and historian, whose Journal titled Gunfighter Nation; the Myth of the Frontier in Twentieth-century …show more content…
The delicate balance between anti-hero and villain relied on the justification of violence and how it was brought to be. On the boundary of the frontier, public executions were frequent, and life was not guaranteed, so the struggle of life led to the accustomization of violence in order to survive. On multiple occasions during True Grit, Cogburn had taken the initiative to use violence to sway the outcome of a situation. For instance, Cogburn decided to force his way into a shelter by having Mattie clog the chimney and flush the inhabitants out with smoke. Inevitably, Cogburn and Mattie were allowed in, but briefly after their entrance a confrontation broke out and Cogburn killed the two men inside the house. His only words after the conflict were “Goddamn it”, as he was only frustrated that he might not be able to receive the full information that he wanted about Cheney’s whereabouts. The lack of empathy for the men Cogburn kills throughout the film is not only felt by Cogburn himself, but Mattie as well, demonstrating anti-hero attributes towards the nullification of violence. This is also apparent when Coburn was being questioned in court about an incident where three men were supposedly murdered. When a question arose about how many people Cogburn had killed during his lifetime, he had trouble remembering, and was hesitant about the …show more content…
This brought along the creation of the “American savage”. The American savage came to fruition because of the “Savage Wars” that ensued from the expansion westward. Slotkin reiterates the background behind the “savage war” and says that, “the myth of the ‘savage war’ became a basic ideological convention of a culture that was itself increasingly devoted to the extermination or expropriation of the Indians and the kidnaping and enslavement of black Africans” (Slotkin, 14). The new frontier offered great opportunities for success, but at the cost of horrible violence and treatment of those Native Americans who preceded them. The persona of the American savage is represented in True Grit when Cogburn mistreats two Native American children by pushing and kicking them off a ledge, without a single shed of remorse. The “Savage War” transgressed and blended into the idea behind the “Captivity and Fighters” mentality that many “heroes of the frontier” possessed. Captivity and fighters was discussed in Slotkin’s work, where he focused on the story behind the fictional character “Benjamin Church” who was based on Daniel Boon. Church was captured during a battle with the Native Americans, but he eventually escaped. He later returned to wreak havoc on the Native Americans and killed their leader “King Phillip”. Acting out with revenge and
Throughout history the frontier has been portrayed as a violent and turbulent boundary that served as the panicle of the new American opportunity. Soon after the formation of the thirteen colonies, social and political classes began to form and mold society for the American people. Ideology revolving around myths in individual social classes started to develop, in the hope of understanding what the frontier truly was, and conceptualizing the hidden savagery (Native Americans) that lived within. These myths and thought processes as described by Richard Slotkin, a cultural critic and historian, whose Journal titled Gunfighter Nation; the Myth of the Frontier in Twentieth-century …show more content…
The delicate balance between anti-hero and villain relied on the justification of violence and how it was brought to be. On the boundary of the frontier, public executions were frequent, and life was not guaranteed, so the struggle of life led to the accustomization of violence in order to survive. On multiple occasions during True Grit, Cogburn had taken the initiative to use violence to sway the outcome of a situation. For instance, Cogburn decided to force his way into a shelter by having Mattie clog the chimney and flush the inhabitants out with smoke. Inevitably, Cogburn and Mattie were allowed in, but briefly after their entrance a confrontation broke out and Cogburn killed the two men inside the house. His only words after the conflict were “Goddamn it”, as he was only frustrated that he might not be able to receive the full information that he wanted about Cheney’s whereabouts. The lack of empathy for the men Cogburn kills throughout the film is not only felt by Cogburn himself, but Mattie as well, demonstrating anti-hero attributes towards the nullification of violence. This is also apparent when Coburn was being questioned in court about an incident where three men were supposedly murdered. When a question arose about how many people Cogburn had killed during his lifetime, he had trouble remembering, and was hesitant about the …show more content…
This brought along the creation of the “American savage”. The American savage came to fruition because of the “Savage Wars” that ensued from the expansion westward. Slotkin reiterates the background behind the “savage war” and says that, “the myth of the ‘savage war’ became a basic ideological convention of a culture that was itself increasingly devoted to the extermination or expropriation of the Indians and the kidnaping and enslavement of black Africans” (Slotkin, 14). The new frontier offered great opportunities for success, but at the cost of horrible violence and treatment of those Native Americans who preceded them. The persona of the American savage is represented in True Grit when Cogburn mistreats two Native American children by pushing and kicking them off a ledge, without a single shed of remorse. The “Savage War” transgressed and blended into the idea behind the “Captivity and Fighters” mentality that many “heroes of the frontier” possessed. Captivity and fighters was discussed in Slotkin’s work, where he focused on the story behind the fictional character “Benjamin Church” who was based on Daniel Boon. Church was captured during a battle with the Native Americans, but he eventually escaped. He later returned to wreak havoc on the Native Americans and killed their leader “King Phillip”. Acting out with revenge and