The Searchers is
set in 1868 (historical, political, cultural context):
- Ethan (John Wayne) is home from the Civil War (ended in 1865), fought on the side of the Confederacy (uniform, saber)
- Abolition, Reconstruction, lots of backlash
- Land appropriation in the west, battles, and Indian massacres are on the rise
- there is still a "frontier" and the sense of "manifest destiny" is strong
- image of encirclement and self-defense affects power relationships between the groups
- parallels to Little Bighorn and Custer's Seventh Cavalry
The Searchers is
made in 1956 (historical, political, cultural context):
- 1954: Brown vs. Board of Education: Desegregation of Schools (March 1956 forced open after 381-day bus boycott)
- Martin Pawley, a mixed-race American embraced by a white American family
- Soviet nuclear threat/"containment"
- fear of mutually assured destruction; families constructed bomb shelters
- anti-Communist witch hunts (but in 1954 50% supported McCarthy)
Questions:
- Through what character is the story told? With whom do you identify? Why?
- How are Indians represented? What stereotypes do you see? Are there ways in which the Indian characters seem to have depth?
- How are gender roles present in the film?
- What commentary does the film seem to make about integration? Is Martin "integrated"?
- Is Ethan a hero or a villain? Is he a part of the family? Why or why not?
- How does the movie fit in with your readings about Westerns by Kilpatrick and Simmon?
- Do you see any lingering traces of Mary Rowlandson or John Smith?
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