The complexities of a human’s attitudes
and behaviors can never be accurately explained or predicted. In John Ford’s 1956 film, The Searcher’s, this reality is explored
through the primary protagonist, Ethan Edwards, played by John Wayne. Wayne’s character exemplifies the complexities
of the human spirit. Ethan Edwards is a character that displays significant
complexities that enable the audience to identify with his character. Edwards,
like humanity, is caught in an intricate tangle between honesty and deceit, violence
and compassion, and respect and rebellion.
Ethan Edwards, character from the
start, raises question of his credibility. He refuses to disclose to his
brother where he was the past few years, after the war. Additionally when Ethan
pays is brother in “fresh from the mint” coinage. The audience is asked to
question his reliability and honesty. After
finding Lucy dead in the canyon, Ethan hides the fact from the boys. Despite
his tendency to hide the truth, he displays admirable habits of honesty and forthrightness.
As the film begins, his decision to honor his oaths to the Confederate army
shows his honesty. Edwards told Marty
that he would search for Debbie longer than the Indians would run and that they
would get Debbie back. He did just this. Though Ethan conceals much of the
truth from the audience and other characters, he maintains a respectable
honesty that the audience can admire.
The inconsistencies between Ethan’s respect
for authority and his rebellion are another complexity explored. Many times thought
the film Ethan is speaks against the Reverend and refuses to be commanded. Upon
being given an order by the Reverend, Ethan says: “Ok, but if you’re wrong, don’t
you ever give me another [order].”He also outright refuses to take an oath for the reverend when he confronts him. As the film nears the climax, the reverend
asks Ethan to hand in his gun, and he does. Ethan also shows respect for his promises. As previously discussed. Ethan respects his oaths to the Confederate Army and his promise to bring Debbie home.
Finally Ethan Edwards,
simultaneously, shows incredible displays of compassion and violence. Edwards
shoots irrationally into a herd of bison just out of spite for the Indians who
would eat them later. He shoots the eyes out of a dead Indians head to keep his
spirit wandering in the spirit world. Eventually he scalps Scare, the Chief who
kidnapped Debbie. However, Edwards is an extremely compassionate man. We see
his tender love for his brother’s wife and daughters. He gently places a Kiss
on Martha’s head and later gives his jacket to bury Lucy in the canyon. He
holds the rescued Debbie in his arms and says: “Let’s go home, Debbie.”
Eventually we see his compassion for the family friend, Marty, who he seemed at
first to despise. His violence and compassion are exemplary of his complex
character.
Ethan Edwards’s character cannot be
defined by any one characteristic. He is honest and dishonest, violent and compassionate,
defiant and respectful. His complexities make him an appealing character. The audience
can not only admire Ethan Edwards, but can empathize with him as well.
I agree with you that Ethan Edwards is a complex character in the sense that he is many things such as honest and dishonest, violent and compassionate, defiant and respectful. However, I was not able to see him as an appealing character because of these traits. I found it difficult to empathize with him because of him extreme racism and fear of miscegenation.
ReplyDeleteThe fear and hatred of miscegenation, which is the mixing of different racial groups through marriage, cohabitation, sexual relations, and procreation, is prevalent throughout the entire white community in this film. However, it was most obvious through the actions of Ethan.
There are many examples of Ethan’s extreme and often unnecessary form of racism. One of the main instances that we see this is Ethan’s desire to kill Debbie after he finds her because he sees that she has accepted the comanch ways. Also he shoots the eyes of an already dead Indian and curses him to “wander forever between the winds.” Another example that you also pointed out in your post was when he shoots a massive heard of innocent buffalo because he thinks that killing the buffalo is equal to killing Indians.
There’s a scene when Ethan Edwards is taken to a white woman and two girls who have been taken out of from Indian captivity. These women are acting strangely and a bystander comments that “its hard to believe they’re white” and Ethan replies that “they aint white. Not anymore. They’re Comanch.” This scene ends with a shot of Ethan staring at the women with a look of pure hatred that he looks mad. It is important to note that Ethan is equally as mad as some of the Natives because of his extreme racism.
Interestingly, it can be said that Ethan is the most miscegenated character of the film. He can apparently speak native languages well, he is very acquainted with different Native American traditions and religions, and he obviously knows how to scalp.
-Maggie Schuh (group 7)
Ethan Edwards is definitely a very complex character and has many characteristics that seem to contradict one another pretty often. As was said, Ethan has many inconsistencies with authority as well as the compassion he shows people. The fact that Ethan can be so cruel and harsh with his words yet so sincere with some of his actions, such as kissing Martha on the forehead or burying Lucy in his coat, shows his complexity. This post definitely showed the complexity of the character Ethan Edwards from The Searchers, but I wish more was discussed on John Wayne himself.
ReplyDeleteWith Ethan being such a deeply complex character who can hide certain emotions so
well and at other times give in to an outburst rage, I feel that John Wayne could have
received more credibility as he is the one who gave a face to the character.
Wayne plays the tough and stern character so well but he is also able to show
compassion through non-traditional ways. And Wayne is known for playing these
rugged but loveable characters such as his character of Rooster Cogburn in the
movie True Grit. Rooster and Ethan are similar with how they display their
compassion, through actions rather than words . Ethan eventually saves Debbie in
The Searchers and Rooster saves the little girl after she receives a snakebite in True
Grit. In both movies, Wayne’s character leaves the others behind to be by himself
with the job accomplished.
The post is well accomplished with its focus on the complexity of the character of Ethan Edwards from The Searchers. It would have been interesting to hear more
about John Wayne, the actor, and how he became the face of America during his time
through the characters he played.
Dillon Strickland
Group 8
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI like the framework that you have created to analyze the multiple sides of Ethan and how this reflects on his complicated humanity. I think it would be beneficial, however, to expand your argument by viewing Ethan through the lens of the mid 1900s protagonist and to explore how his multi-sided humanity works thematically throughout the movie. I would also challenge your idea that “[Ethan’s] complexities make him an appealing character,” and work to conclude how the viewer is supposed to feel about Ethan.
ReplyDeleteAs the protagonist, Ethan is very much as you described him: he yields “honesty and deceit, violence and compassion, and respect and rebellion,”. The critical question is “why is Ethan portrayed with such a dark side?” and, more importantly, “what is the significance of this portrayal?”. A good start would be to look at the comparisons between Ethan and the Native Americans in the film. Both Ethan and the Native Americans hold a deep rooted hatred for one another, both resort to murder to settle conflict, and both use scalping as a way to shame the enemy. Both the Native Americans and Ethan are held up to the viewer as having a dark side. Scalping is key to this juxtaposition; as the white, male protagonist, Ethan should never scalp his foe, doing so would be a direct adoption of a Native American custom that is considered below Westerners.
Finally, with the comparison established between Ethan and the Native Americans he hunts, we can begin to see the film’s critique of a blind hatred to the Native Americans. That is, by showing the viewer that Ethan unknowingly is what he hates, we can see that there is no good or bad side, just violence. Neither side is justified in their bloodlust, so we as viewers should take no side between the two. Consequently, we are torn between Ethan’s humanity and his hatred, between empathizing and disliking, and must, at the end, cast him back into the Wild West.
--Ryan Winstead
Group 9