Thursday, January 28, 2010

Ethan in relationship to the desert

"The desert flatters the human figure by making it seem dominant and unique, dark against light, vertical against horizonatal, solid against plane, detail against blankness."(74) In all wester fims the desert is blatently thrust upon the audience as the domineering landscape all characters succumb to, a place that can hold no secrets, and holds no refuge, a place where only the hard can survive. "Nature makes it obvious, even to the most benighted, who her chosen are:"(73) Ethan from the searchers,is a chosen one. What strikes most viewers, are the similarities between the land and the hero of a Western. The landscape is bleak, harsh, hard, hot, and mostly the landscape is alone, no water to lure animals, only rocks, and sand. Etha is of the sort, a solitary man, who enjoys nothing more than being on his horse alone, his hardness and roughness makes it hard for any women to come near him, and his loner like stance makes it hard for any man to befriend him.

Due to the significant connection between character and landscape, it seems only befitting, that only the landscape can open up the heart of the hero, giving him an emotional dimension. . What I am referring to is when Ethan finds Debbie, he is set to kill her for revenge. Debbie slides down the hill, and he runs after her determination seared into his eyes. But then grabs her and hugs her, all his revenge gone, and all his emotions evident. This is due to the openess of the desert, the desert as I have mentioned earlier can hold no secrets, its vast oppeness makes a person open up fom the inside, understanding the fact that they are only a small part of the world, thus they accept what they are, and what they feel, which is why only in the desert can a man bethrottled in a murderous rampage change pace and become a loving uncle. That is only because the desert has enough space, to hold every human emotion possible.

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