The Searcher

Tompkins states “The qualities that men implicitly possess- power, endurance, rugged majesty- are the ones that men desire while they live.” Many parallels can be drawn between the desert and the main character in The Searchers. John Wayne’s charter, Ethan, is the stereotypical western hero that embodies the qualities most men strive for in our society. Much like the desert Ethan is a tough and rugged looking charter. In the movie Ethan’s demeanor and personality can be compared to dryness of the desert. Wayne’s character is a man of few words. He only speaks when it’s absolutely necessary and rarely shows any emotion other than anger. Ethan’s anger and need for revenge resembles the fierce and at times unpredictable weather of the desert. When he discovered his family had been attacked the viewer didn’t know what Ethan was going to do or what he was capable of for that matter. I believe the reason for the similarities between the desert and the cowboy is a result of the cowboy’s need for the desert. In West of Everything Tompkins says “In the end, the land is everything to the hero; it is both the destination and the way. He courts it, struggles with it, defies it, conquers it, and lies down with it at night.”