From Derision to Desire: The “Greaser” in Stephen Crane’s Mexican Stories and D. W. Griffith’s Early Westerns

F ro m D e r is io n t o D e s ire : T h e “G r e a s e r ” in S t e p h e n C r a n e ’s M e x ic a n S t o r ie s a n d D . W. G r i f f i t h ’s E a r l y W e s t e r n s J u a n A l o n z o In t r o d u c t i o n D u rin g p e rh a p s th e m o st clim actic a n d d istu rb in g m o m e n t in D . W . G riffith’s T h e Greaser’s G auntlet (1908), the n arrativ e p resen ts th e ly n ch in g o f th e c e n tra l c h a ra c te r, th e “g re a se r” in th e film ’s tide. A m e m b e r o f th e ly n ch p a rty ties a n o o se a ro u n d th e M e x ic a n ’s n ec k a n d a n o th e r secu res th e ro p e to th e b ra n c h o f a tree . I n th e n e x t h o rrific in stan t, th e m o b raises d ie M e x ic a n , a n d h e is left h a n g in g fro m th e tree. D. W . Griffith. S C A R L E T D A Y S . 1919. P aram ount. Show ing R ichard Barthelm ess an d C arol D em pster. J u a n A l o n z o 3 7 5 B ecause o f its verisim ilitude, th e scenc is shocking, ev en to m o d e rn -d a y view ers. F o rtu n a te ly fo r th e M ex ica n , a w o m a n in terv en es o n his behalf, a n d h e is saved fro m a fate th a t befell m a n y in n o c e n t real-life M ex ican s o n th e w estern fro n tie r.' T h e ly n ch in g scene in T h e Greaser’s G auntlet seem ingly co n firm s A rth u r P e ttit’s analysis o f th e M e x ic a n ’s re p re se n ta ­ tio n in early A m eric an film : th a t th e M ex ican , like his n in etee n th ce n tu ry d im e n ovel p red ecesso rs, “re m a in s a su b je c t--s o m e o n e to b e killed o r m o ck ed , sed u ced o r re d e e m e d b y S ax o n p ro tag o n ists” (132). P ettit’s critiq u e o f M ex ica n stereotypes co n tain s a b in a ry quality— a n u n d e rs ta n d in g th a t sees stereo ty p es as o n ly positive o r n e g a tiv e — th a t persists in c o n te m p o ra ry film sch o larsh ip o n e th n ic id e n tity .2 T h e c o n ­ clu sio n o f T h e G reaser’s G a untlet, h o w ev er, ch allen g es th e binary' critiq u...