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 …show more content…
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
The Shelton's Gangs During The Prohibition Age
637 Words | 3 PagesThe Shelton gang terrorized the area of Fairfield Il., in Wayne County, during the prohibition era. During the prohibition the Shelton’s got into bootlegging, gambling, prostitution, facts about the organization, and how it all ended in 1945. During the prohibition, they bootlegged their own moonshine and others all over Wayne County. While they were bootlegging and making alcohol, they made a lot of rivals with other bootleggers in the area. Beside just bootlegging they also had casinos for people to gamble at all over southern IL.
Summary Of Webster Tale Of An Outlaw By Ellen Emerson White
132 Words | 1 PagesIn the book Webster: Tale of an Outlaw, written by Ellen Emerson White is about a dog who has had a rough time with finding the right home he went from being on a chain in ALL weather to another home where he was abused. Webster was taken to a shelter out on a farm with friendly people and animals they provided warm baked goods and soft cozy beds. When Webster introduced himself to the animals he says that he is a “bad hat” and tells them his plan to escape and be this amazing role model for other dogs. Webster meets a dog named Jack who is now his “acquaintance” instead of his “friend” because that would make him look like a nice guy when really he’s this tough big dog.
Robber Barons In The Gilded Age
203 Words | 1 PagesThe charge about the old days of the American economy—the nineteenth century, the “Gilded Age,” the era of the “robber barons”—was that it was always beset by a cycle of boom and bust. Whatever nice runs of expansion and opportunity that did come, they always seemed to be coupled with a pretty cataclysmic depression right around the corner. Boom and bust, boom and bust—this was the necessary pattern of the American economy in its primitive state. In the US, in the modern era, all this was smoothed out.
How Does Zerkow Use Economic Hindrance In Mcteague
679 Words | 3 PagesThe economic hindrances were shown through the devastating effects of greed. Greed could be seen in McTeague and Trina’s relationship, Marcus’s jealously, and Zarkow and Maria’s relationship. Those three factors showed how greed can largely affect how a person lives their life and how they affect the people around them. However, without greed McTeague would not be the same tragic story it
Bonnie And Clyde: Outlaws In The Great Depression Era
329 Words | 2 PagesBonnie and Clyde In the Great Depression era, there were many outlaws who were wanted by federal law enforcement for armed robbery and other crimes. Among these outlaws, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were the most notorious of the Depression era outlaws. Throughout their lives they robbed banks and small businesses giving them a reputation for being some of the most infamous outlaws of the 1930’s. From the start of their crime spree to their final days of theft, Bonnie and clyde’s early life, crime spree, and their ultimate death portray how they are among the most well-known criminals of the Great Depression era.
The Pardoner's Tale Greed Essay
608 Words | 3 Pages“Radix malorum est cupiditas” translated from Latin into “Greed is the root of all evil.” (Chaucer 125) Throughout the Pardoner’s Tale, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, this is the story of three men that treat people lower than them and they end up finding a whole pile of gold, but they end up killing each other to get the gold to themselves. The entirety of the three men end up dead and not even one gets the gold. There are many topics involving greed, this essay will involve what it is about, the dangers, and the benefits of controlling the desire to gain.
Faulkner's Speech Rhetorical Devices
456 Words | 2 PagesWould you rather sit back and let lying and greed take over? Or never be afraid and stand up for what is right? In Faulkner’s speech to young adults graduating in 1951, he sets the mood for change. Faulkner uses historical anecdotes, sophisticated but comprehensible words, long and complex sentence structure as well as use of second person with diction in order for the students to comprehend good versus evil in the world.
Theme Of Greed In The Crucible
431 Words | 2 PagesAs a French Proverb states, “greedy eaters dig their graves with their teeth”. People are consumed with wanting more and more rather than knowing what they need in life. The human race constantly carries on this pattern of greed. A theme of greed is shown in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.
A Simple Plan Theme
610 Words | 3 PagesBerardinelli agrees, Raimi portrayed that greed, “erode[s] the conscience of even the best-intentioned men.” In the film Hank, Jacob, and Lou find a rather large amount of money or as Lou exaggerated “The American dream in….gym bag.” Lou and Jacob think rather fast to find a way to keep the money; Hank who is against it becomes corrupted by the greed and plans a way to keep the bag full of cash. Sarah, Hank’s wife, becomes victim to this greed as she wants Hank to keep it, so that she and the family can have a better
Robber Barons In The Gilded Age
1638 Words | 7 PagesBenjamin Franklin once said “ He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money.” (Lifehack Quotes, P.1) This era of becoming “money hungry” began in the Gilded Age which occurred around 1877-1917. The industrialists of the 19th/20th century were Robber Barons who used questionable practices to acquire their wealth. Andrew Carnegie, The Vanderbilt family, JP Morgan, and John D Rockefeller were all Robber Barons because they only donated money to make themselves look better, they took advantage of their workers, and exploited other business companies.
Greed Quotes In The Crucible
835 Words | 4 PagesAnother sort of greed is how abbey was emotionally greedy she didn’t want the money she wanted john Procter. Due to her wanting john Procter she tried to kill his wife Elizabeth by saying she a witch. This also shoes that in the play how greed is a major theme because not only was their money greed there was emotional greed. Overall the play was full of greed because everyone was trying to take something out of the Salem witch trials which then led to more people being killed. This shows how the play was full of greed which led to a whole lot of people being
Greed In The Maltese Falcon
1177 Words | 5 PagesGreed is an “Intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food” (Oxford Dictionary). In The Maltese Falcon, everyone has the aspirations of finding the falcon for themselves. This is the driving force behind the murders, and betrayals many of the characters commit. Brigid, Cairo, Wilmer, and Gutman all seek the falcon for the same reason, the unimaginable wealth it will bring them. Possessing this rare object seems to consume them and they will do anything to get their hands on it.
All The Joker Greed
275 Words | 2 PagesWhat is something we see in films all too often? Something we see in everyday life, something that consumes and overtakes some people’s lives: greed. The “bad guy” in some films are usually determined to steal a great amount of money for himself. For example, Hans in Die Hard (John McTiernan, 1988) had a well thought out plan of successfully taking this money that did not belong to him. The money was all that he cared about, but the Joker in the film The Dark Knight, (Christopher Nolan, 2008) money is not all he wants.
Outlaws And Lawmen In The 1800's
581 Words | 3 PagesThere were many stories told about outlaws and lawmen during the 1800s in America, and many of them originated from the “Wild West.” There have been stories and legends about people who robbed banks, committed homicide, or threw wanted criminals in jail. Often, people would stretch the truth of what westerners actually did, to make their tale more compelling. The same goes for a popular stagecoach driver of the mid 1800s, a man named Charley Parkhurst, who is best known for being a woman disguised as a man.
Theme Of Greed In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
1393 Words | 6 PagesOne way Hansberry demonstrates the negative impact of greed is by Asagai’s response to an event caused by greed. When Beneatha is upset about losing all of the money from the insurance check, Asagai says, “... isn’t there something wrong in a house -- in a world -- where all dreams, good or bad, must depend on the death of a man?” (Hansberry 238). He explains to Beneatha that money does not define a person’s life and goals, and that if she has a dream she can still fulfill it as long as she is sedulous. Hansberry uses Beneatha and Asagai’s conversation to show the reader that money does not have the power to make a person’s future immutable; a person can achieve all of his or her goals as long as he or she works hard enough.
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