Greed In The Outlaw Josie Wales, And Pale Rider

Clint Eastwood’s films High Plains Drifter, The Outlaw Josie Wales, and Pale Rider all work together in order to create a stark portrayal and criticism of greed and its devastating consequences. Eastwood’s thoughtful and insightful commentary on greed can be tracked through each of these three films. Throughout the films, the concept of greed plays a recurring role, in which it is explored in a unique way. This is usually done from a fresh perspective that helps provide thoughtful insight into the impact that it has on the people who are consumed by it, as well as the individuals and society that it directly affects. Eastwood’s most striking commentary on greed can be found in High Plains Drifter, where he portrays the specter of the town’s former Marshall. The Marshall uncovered the townspeople’s

This visual is extremely simple, but communicates directly that these people are in the hell of the Marshall’s creation, and he is their devil, their punisher. High Plains Drifter can be seen as a type of cautionary tale against greed. If one participates in greed, even if they seemingly get away with it, justice and punishment will inevitably catch up to them. The devaluation of human life in the face of the promise of money is portrayed on an even larger societal scale in The Outlaw Josie Wales. In one of the film’s initial scenes, the Senator offers Fletcher a bribe in order to capture Josie Wales. Fletcher eventually rejects this promise in favor of his loyalty to his former comrade-in-arms, but the implication that the Senator believed a simple bribe would be able to erase Fletcher’s long standing allegiance to his unit, ally, and friend, remain clear. A more obvious critique on greed comes in the form of the salesman who reappears throughout the film. In his first appearance in the film, it is immediately obvious that this character is a person who does not value other people, and is somehow detached from the world around him. While everyone else is