Ladies in the West: An Analysis of Women and Conflict in Western Cinema In 1940s to 1950s cinemas, the representation of men with guns is a prominent attribute to expect when watching a Western, however what about women with guns? According to Robert Warshow in his article “Movie Chronicle: The Westerner” he elaborates on the function of the western archetype represents “lonely” and also “melancholy” characteristics but doesn’t speak much about the weapon wielding female counterparts who in movies such as “Red River” and “The Man from Laramie” represent the juxtaposition to the mans “loneliness”. The reasoning behind Warshow focusing solely on the “lonely male” reveals the intentions of women representing the civilized counterpart …show more content…
However, the two characters end up divided when Matt exiles Tom out of the cattle drive, thus enacting Tom to seek revenge. In the film, “The Man from Laramie” directed by Anthony Mann in 1955, a revenge plot unfolds as the title character finds him isolated in a town where he believes the man responsible for his Brother’s death lives. However, once there he immediately becomes estranged in conflict with a local cattle owner’s son and starts working for competition. Both movies understand the prominence of men with guns, and how it invokes a sense of independence and isolation, as both male leads are alone and don’t “belong” anywhere. However, what separates both films the isolated trope of cowboy is the choice to add female characters into the plot. In “Red River” what complicates the plot that that a simple revenge tale is an echo Tom’s early decision in the movie to leave his love interest behind. This sets the tone for a similar decision that Matt makes after betraying Tom, however Matt’s love interest Tess, chooses to join Tom in the search for Matt. Once Matt and Tom reunite them initially fight each other, only to be broken up by Tess. The fight scene that follows their conflict is extremely important as no guns are used, except by the Tess. In her using a