Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

shooting Liberty Valance, Doniphon allows politics to come to Shinbone, forcing himself into oblivion. He
is an example of a hero who creates a society, but is too contradictory to exist inside of it. Tom’s killing of
Liberty Valance is a suicide. Tom kills his own liberty.
The final scene of the film ends the flashback and brings us back to the “present”. He has finished
telling the truth of Tom Doniphon, as a final elegy. The train whistle blows signaling that it is time for him
to leave this place, the story is over and it is time to return to civilization. Ransom collects Hallie and takes
one last look into the room that holds Doniphon’s coffin. The camera is positioned in the room, looking at
Stoddard as he firmly shuts the door. In this action he is shutting out everything Doniphon was. The truth
was out, if only to a small few, but even the memory of Doniphin was dangerous to the collective society. If
anyone found out who really shot Liberty Valance, Stoddard would be discredited and the very foundation
that the modern civilization was founded on would crumble. Heroes such as Tom Doniphon can’t exist if
the society is going to flourish. The newspaper man interviewing Stoddard rips up his notes, and declares
the story unprintable. He says “This is the West sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”
Ransom Stoddard is the new legend. With him a new myth is created.
Conclusion
These Western films clearly functioned as more than entertainment; they exemplify the cultural
shifts in America, particularly in examining America’s view of the individual in society. During the Cold
War American culture underwent a major shift from glorifying the individual to fearing it. Any “other”
became dangerous to society as a whole. The cultural climate of America during the Cold War led
Americans to fear things that are different. Social containment became the key to security. Ford’s films
examine this shift away from the rugged individual of the past that protected the town from the outside to
the austere lawman who functions within the community.
By the time Ford shot Liberty Valance the Western genre was dying, and so were its heroes. The
Western rested on the principle of the value of the admirable individual who was key to the protection of
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