Gun-Slinging Cowboy Analysis

The most captivating aspect of any Western movie is a gun-slinging cowboy. They’re cool, skilled, and at some point in the film they usually take the law into their own hands, shooting up all the bad guys and getting the girl in the process. This however, raises a question. Are these men on the right side of the law? Yes, their actions are guided by their own sense of justice, but doesn’t bypassing the law make them no better than the criminals they are going after? No. Not always. In the movie Shane, Shane himself said that, “…there’s no living with a killing,” meaning that he himself knew that his actions weren’t right. The key factor in determining righteousness is the motive behind it. Shane acts out of a desire to protect the people he cares about, rather than revenge or greed. That is what makes his actions just. It is important when thinking about justice in the western film to consider the setting and context of what’s going on. In the era of the cowboy the law was something that was more

He himself makes that clear when he said, “There’s no living with a killing. There’s no going back from it. Right or wrong, it’s a brand, a brand that sticks.” He acknowledges the fact that it is no small matter. Even if it is justifiable, it is still something that will follow a person for the rest of their lives. Shane did what he did so that nobody else would have to carry that burden. Joey wanted to be a gunfighter until Shane changed his mind. Joey saw a gun as something meant for taking out bad guys, but Shane saw it as nothing more than a tool. Shane changed the lives of many people throughout the film, and they were all better for it. There are few things more honorable and praised in this world than self-sacrifice: Hindering one’s self for the advancement of another. It is considered kind, just, and honorable. What Shane did is no different, and it further adds to the validation of his