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CIVILIZATION AND ITS DISCONTENTS: The Self-Sufficient Western Hero
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31 CIVILIZATION AND ITS DISCONTENTS The Self-Sufficient Western Hero Douglas J. Den Uyl Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. —Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Self-Reliance” Perhaps no image is more symptomatic of the American western than the lone hero, abandoned by all, skillfully performing some act of courage in the cause of justice.1 In this respect, a movie like High Noon (1952) comes immediately to mind: Marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper) is forsaken even by his fiancée as he faces a deadly opponent. However allegorical the film may be, it is perhaps paradigmatic of the majority of western films—namely, it showcases a hero possessed of extraordinary self-sufficiency facing problems that ordinary men would be either unable or too fearful to handle.2 The western hero has been described as “mythic” and compared to the great mythic heroes of Western civilization.3 Those earlier heroes, whether Homeric warriors or Norse avengers, possess awe-inspiring strength, skills, and courage that stand out so significantly that the contributions of all others recede completely into the background. Heroes of the American western also evoke this sense of standing apart from, and above, ordinary men and women; yet they simultaneously seem more human and closer to us than those other mythic heroes. No doubt the cultural context plays a role as to which heroic traits are emphasized and resonate.4 American westerns are certainly no different in this respect, for they represent narratives central to the American consciousness, particularly those connected to foundings and democracy. The western hero, for example, compared to heroes of other cultures, seems more “democratic,” seldom wanting to stand out in the end, 32 Douglas J. Den Uyl but more comfortable melding back into the community or floating off into the sunset as one equal among others. But the legacy of Western civilization offers up other “heroes” likewise admired for their self-sufficiency, virtue, and skills. These heroes are ones toutedbyphilosophy.Howdoesthephilosophicidealofself-sufficiencycompare with the picture of self-sufficiency found in the American western hero? With thousands of western movies available, there are potentially thousands of possible heroes to consider. Similarly, philosophy is filled with a myriad of thinkers and interpretations. There are simply too many westerns and too many thinkers to give any one of them a full hearing here. Fortunately, our goal is more modest than any pretense at completeness. We shall limit ourselves primarily to a couple of philosophers and a few examples from western films. Our purpose is to evoke, rather than to conclude, a conversation about the dimensions of self-sufficiency and the contribution that can be made to that concept by the American western. The two philosophers we shall use to guide us are Aristotle (384–322) and Spinoza (1632–77). They both give self-sufficiency central importance in their theories of human action, while at the same time they represent rather different periods and ways of “doing” philosophy. We shall look at both with the idea of arriving at a composite picture of self-sufficiency to use when considering the heroes of western films. For our westerns, we shall draw upon the films of John Ford, in particular The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). There are some important reasons for doing so. First, John Ford is arguably the person who defined the nature of the western film for the modern talking cinema.5 Second, Ford’s heroes are often more complex than the typical “B movie” type of western hero, which thereby has the benefit of encouraging more subtle and probing analysis. Finally, Ford’s heroes seem especially human, which should help us in our reflections upon an idea of self-sufficiency that can actually be practiced. Mythic heroes may be awe-inspiring, but the heroes of western films often serve as exemplars of the kind of persons we should ourselves try to become. Philosophers on Self-Sufficiency Aristotle is the philosopher most usually connected with the notion of selfsufficiency (autarkeia). For this reason we should begin by citing in some detail the most well-known passages from his Nicomachean Ethics on this subject: [3.229.123.80] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 12:12 GMT) Civilization and Its Discontents 33 We call that which is pursued as an end in itself more final than an end which is pursued for the sake of something else; and what is never chosen as a means to something else we call more final than that which is chosen...