John Wayne's Masculinity In The Chisolm Trail

Feminism is a huge movement during this era. However, the patriarchical society still dominates the Western films. A notable example of this is Red River, where the image of the mythic Western hero is the center of the movie. Both articles agrees on how John Wayne’s masculinity is at the center of the movie as Dunson goes through the journey of emotional maturity.

O’Brien’s article mentions how the narrative and camera angles are of pivotal importance in establishing the standings of the three main characters of the movie: Thomas, Matt and Tess. Tess, although is dominant in “The Chisolm Trail” with a witting mind to manipulate men and earn money, is a lesser version of the legend through the course of Red River, partly because the part was played by the unprepared Joanne Dru after a last minute production change. Matt in Red River was also diminished in

Nothing can really gets in this man’s way. As mentioned by Sanderson, the man has territorial control, by making everyone signing a contract which if broken, can result in Dunson shooting them down, as seen later on in the movie. Sanderson’s article also focus on how John Wayne’s actual age shaped the persona for the character and the masculinity of Dunson. Wayne has all the scars of the middle-age man and the persona has all the masculinity of a ‘cowboy’ that has been living way too long in a Western all-male group that he has rendered himself incapable of merging back into society, thus the failure in portraying any feminity at all throughout Red River.

All in all, Red River is definitely an interesting display of gender. In a society pending the gender equality showdown, the movie is an interesting move in glorifying (in a very struggling way of doing so) the image of the middle-aged man with control and intention and the somewhat mad persistency in accomplishing his