Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

Ford created Ethan and Scar as mirrors of each other. Both men are convinced of the justice of their
own ideals and the utter barbarity of the other’s, both having lost family members to the other’s violence.
Along with common past trauma, Scar and Ethan are also presented as having the same stature and presence
as well as intelligence of the other’s customs. Scar returns Ethan’s sarcastic “You speak pretty good
American for a Comanche,” with “You speak pretty good Comanche. Someone teach you?” Scar and Ethan
are both wanderers driven by a thirst for vengeance and an inability to settle down in peace. While both
perceive themselves to be on opposite ends of a battle, neither of them has a place in the new growing
civilization. Scar and his tribe are an impediment to the very possibility of growth, while Ethan’s presence is
too wild to exist in an established society.
The close up of John Wayne the audience sees in The Searchers is drastically different from the
introduction of Ringo in Stagecoach. Rather than seeing a brash young symbol of hope, we see a bitter, scary
man. Ethan Edwards isn’t a hero. He isn’t the kind of character the audience wishes to emulate. He is a
terrifying, menacing figure, willing to kill his own niece. Years into the search Ethan and Martin fall upon a
group of calvary men who have women formerly held captive by a band of Comanches. Ethan and Martin
scan the women in hopes that one of them is the girl for whom they have spent so many years searching.
The former captives have been driven mad by their time in captivity. Ethan stares at them with contempt
and disgust declaring that they “Ain’t white no more”. He lacks all compassion for the captives and views
them as sub-human. As he’s walking out he quickly turns around to give one last contemptuous look at the
women. The camera pans quickly to his face, grizzled, dark and unshaven, full of disappointment and
revulsion. This image illustrates the individual as a potential threat. While his sense of right mirrors
society’s, he is not working within the culture. He chooses to lead, outside society, and this makes him
crazy. Ethan makes the audience uneasy; he is a dangerous hazard.
The final shot mirrors the opening shot in many ways. Ethan returns home successful, saving
Debbie and returning her to the Jorgeson’s home. The camera seems to stand in the doorway of the home,
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