Gunfighter Nation Film Analysis

The concept of myth influences many cowboy narratives. Especially Hollywood movies are full of mythical elements of the American West. Although myths will play a minor role in the analysis of the cowboy biographies, it is necessary to mention some theories of myth and to elaborate on its definition. Historian Richard Slotkin gives an excellent characterization of myth in his book Gunfighter Nation, which will be used for further elaboration.

Myths are stories drawn from a society’s history that have acquired through persistent usage the power of symbolizing that society’s ideology and of dramatizing its moral consciousness – with all the complexities and contradiction that consciousness may contain. Over time…the original mythic story is increasingly …show more content…
Historian Richard White cautions that myth equals falsehood. Mythmakers often act like historians, but they are freer in choosing the facts they want to convey and create characters that have not existed or whose images are completely distorted from real life. As historical creation, myth reflects values and concerns of the period in which it was produced in. Therefore, it is difficult to carry its standards into the present without modification. But, as Slotkin explains, in myths “the past is metaphorically equivalent to the present; and the present appears simply as a repetition of persistently recurring structures identified with the past. Both past and present are reduced to single instances displaying a single ‘law’ or principle of nature, which is seen as timeless in its relevance, and as transcending all historical contingencies.” This is the basis for the power of myth. It seems to convey an eternal truth. Hence, people take myth at face value and don’t question its statements. Roland Barthes has warned about the questionable functionality of myth: “Myth is constituted by the loss of the historical quality of things: in it, things lose the memory that they were once made.’” Through this process, myth simplifies history, reducing complex human acts to simplistic, harmonious displays of simple principles like good versus bad. Consequently, myth’s …show more content…
When analyzing his status, it will be helpful to have Sidney Hook’s characterization of an hero in mind. In his book “The Hero in History” he describes him as an individual who has been influential in determining the outcome of an issue or event. Without the intervention of the hero the result would be different. Questions about the influence of individuals upon world history have occupied philosophers and historians for many centuries. During the Renaissance, the assertion that the activities of outstanding individuals could be the driving force in history replaced the belief in divine providence as sole determiner of people’s lives. During the Enlightenment, the role of the individual was further emphasized by stating that an outstanding ruler could change history dramatically if he had a strong will, a feasible idea, and sufficient means. German philosopher Georg Friedrich Wilhelm Hegel argued that great men were evoked by great times. Needs of society were the foundation for the emergence of extraordinary men. What set the hero apart from the ordinary men, according to Hegel, is his ability to foresee the necessary steps to be taken to realize preordination. Hegel’s interpretation fits into social determinism. The hero, whose existence was called for by social forces, knows what he has to do for society. As I will later show, this definition of a hero fits most of Hollywood’s cowboys, who don’t act on personal preference but because