As a young girl I was devoted to the Lone Ranger and believed that Tonto was the best friend anyone could have. Through movies and television came a cultural stereotyping including the cowboy hero as well as the American Indian. I went on to fall in love with every cowboy and rare Indian heroes presented in Wagon Train, Rawhide, Have Gun Will Travel, Bonanza, and western movies.
I spent a good deal of my time playing cowboys and Indians. When I wasn’t Bell Starr, I was an Indian. I lived in my Indian outfit. My Aunt Ruth made Indian outfits for her four sons, the Dalton Boys (yes, really) and for me and my Aunt Brenda, who was my age. The first photo is me playing with my dollhouse. The second picture is David and Odell in the cowboy outfits Aunt Ruth made them.
I was captivated by the Great Spirit and the American Indians. I think playtime led to my first pondering about the meaning of life. The Great Spirit was magical and there were times when I wished fervently that spirit could hear me. The Great Spirit never seemed any more astounding to me than Christianity or later Buddhism. Conceptually the manner in which the Indians’ religion was presented seemed more real even though magical. I suppose this was because of the cohesiveness of the message. The reverence for all things, animals, and nature and that in taking life one must acknowledge the gift, the debt, and the belief that this all had meaning.
Years ago my family rented The Last of the Mohicans which is now one of my favorite movies. However, I did not want to watch it and only acquiesced because the popcorn smelled really good. Through my readings I had come to disdain the violence and the suffering inflicted by both sides as history took its toll. As a matter of personal choice I usually avoid violent movies. I find it difficult to watch and hear.
I fell in love with the movie, the music. Then, I read the book – I liked the movie much more because of the love story and the changes in the storyline. It took me awhile to figure out why I loved the movie. The hero Hawkeye does many things but primarily he spends the entire movie rescuing Cora and Uncas is compelling as well. These guys are strong, valiant, and sensitive – I was hooked.
Was I surprised! I consider myself a modern woman and I was a goner! What was going on? Admittedly, Cora is no faint lass but this is the stuff of fantasies. A gorgeous, half naked, long-haired, strong Indian carrying my willing self off into the night. It’s the lure of magic/mysticism. After great sex (is there any doubt?) there is the magic - the deep and thoughtful hero whose love is made more intense by his beliefs, who is bound to everything in a profound and intense way. It was the merging of my very young days, the adolescent and adult life all mixed up emotionally, intellectually, and culturally, and I am enjoying it.
What do cowboys and Indians have in common? I think the romance inherent in those archetypes is the same feeling regarding medieval knights or samurai. I think that it’s the lure of people dedicated to a set of ideals, beliefs, and conduct that are aimed at keeping the world polite, but the wolves at bay.
ReplyDeleteIt always fascinating and intriguing to find people dedicated to ideas that exist outside themselves; I would venture to cast even nuns and monks in the romantic light. Even our anti-heroes display this sense of honor. Our outlaws, pirates and robber-princes all worm their ways into our hearts because, beneath all of their mischief, they live by a code.
The world is a fluid place, which is wonderful. But I think at this point in the game, it’s fair to state that human beings crave borders, definition, and limits. We like to be able to point to something and say, “There it is. I know its name. Therefore I know its nature.”
When talking about these types of archetypes, I’m always reminded of a snippet from the show Sex and the City. The women are discussing why men in uniform, such as firemen and policemen, are so sexually appealing. After tossing around several ideas, Charlotte, the most traditional and at that point the drunkest, cries out: “It’s because we all want to be rescued!” This is greeted with dead silence.
Because Charlotte is right. We do all want to be rescued from our self imposed, self constructed islands. It’s not about being female or male, I think we are all looking for someone with *the* answer. After a while we may get less picky and just want someone with *an* answer. Ultimately, perhaps the best we can hope for is to find someone who’s at least asking the right questions.
To veer slightly back on topic, I believe that Stephen King captured aspect of the cowboy/knight mythos magnificently in his Dark Tower series. Now, the books do suffer from some of King’s less charming habits, including bloated narrative and maniacal self-insertion. But the books are compelling, and the protagonist, Roland, is haunting. Even though Mr. King does himself the disservice of unweaving some of the magic with the later books in the series, Roland of Gilead remains the ultimate outlaw/cowboy/samurai/knight. Though it may be blasphemous to opine, I believe that Roland contains all the pathos and romance that one is meant (but has trouble mustering due to his despicable character) to feel for Bronte’s Heathcliff. I shall surely go to literary hell now. But I would, and did, stand beside Roland through thick and thin. Heathcliff, well, I just kept wondering about the lack of counseling and domestic violence intervention for that period.
--hetro
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete“Roland of Gilead remains the ultimate outlaw/cowboy/samurai/knight” – okay this ersatz Indian/cowgirl is interested. Following your elegant discourse I put Dark Towers on the reading list - not in the stack yet. May I borrow your copies? Then I will be able to tell you if I think you are bound for literary hell!
ReplyDeleteI agree that the world polite, but the wolves at bay is compelling. Do you think the spiritual/philosophical aspect has much significance in the attraction or is it physical strength, mental agility, talents that may not be dependent on spirituality? You are right about the power of structure and safety. We need to know where the cave is and that our tribe will keep us safe while we sleep.
I had a profound moment of dead silence as well when I realized I wanted to be rescued and Hawkeye would do just fine. I agree, in some sense we all desire to be saved, rescued and the archetypes are constructed to neatly assuage and/or define fears etc. Rather than seeing the need as male or female – I think more about the aspects- a sense of vulnerability and learned or circumstantial dependence. Additionally for me, the knowledge that I am not physically able in strength or training to defend myself- against sword or a deranged Healthcliff.
And of Heathcliff – again the complexity of emotions – I pitied him, his angst, and the dreadful cycle and consequences of social status that reinforced his mental illness. To me he is a tragic and heartbreaking figure. I find characters who display a glimmer of humanity and hope but who are doomed to be almost more than I can bear. Hooks me nearly every time. To me it tragic and a too familiar struggle that many face in lesser degrees.
How do think the success of romances play into this?