The film The Searchers by John Wayne (1868) and Mary Rowlandson narrative - Essay Example

?The film "the searchers" by john wayne (1868) and Mary Rowlandson narrative. The experiences of Western women who became captives in so-called savage lands have always been an intriguing myth for Western minds. It was in 1675 that Rowlandson became a captive with Indians and she had to spend eleven weeks with them before she was rescued by giving a ransom. It was after this incident that she wrote the autobiographical book, The Sovereignty and Goodness of God: Being a Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson (Rowlandson). On the other hand, the film, The Searchers, is about rescuing a girl from Indian captivity, a film in which, the hero is a man, Ethen, who is not a puritan like Rowlandson, and who rather resembles the typical colonizer. Neither of these stories tries to understand the clash between Indians and the Westerners in its historical or social context. Neither of them realizes the historical significance of the clashes between a culture rooted in traditions, and another in money and power. But Rowlandson’s narrative is pregnant with the complexities of an encounter between two cultures while, the film, The Searchers, is uni-dimensional and more judgmental in its perspectives. Both these narratives, on the civilizational clash between Indians and the settlers, have been criticized as racist and also gender insensitive by forthcoming critics. For example, the narrative of Rowlandson though provide many examples of Indians’ kindness to her, she seems to blindly accept of the Western stereotype of bad Indians and good “Christians” (Rowlandson, 244). She (Rowlandson) always generalizes by calling Indians “enemies”, “barbarous creatures”, “inhumane creatures” and “infidels” (Rowlandson, 14, 45, 13). Though, this is the case with Rowlandson’s narrative, she has shown the honesty not to omit any of the several kind acts that Indians, especially Indian women, did to her. But in the film, The Searchers, the hero of the film attributes not even a single good quality to the Indians. And in the first scene itself, the lead character, Ethen is seen behaving in a contempt-filled manner to the half Indian, Martin, who is the foster son of his brother (The Searchers). Ethen even rudely tells Martin that he looks like a “half-breed” (The Searchers). Here, it has to be noted that Rowlandson had good reason to hate Indians, but Ethen had none, as far as the viewers know. Even then Ethen is found to be more intolerant towards the Indians than Rowlandson. This contradiction can partially be attributed to Rowlandson being a woman, and Ethen being a man. In all the civilizational clashes in history, men have been the conquerors while women stayed on the margins of such power game. It was never their war. And that is why Ethen is more racist than Rowlandson- because it is Ethen’s (and all the men’s) war actually. There is no where in these two depictions, even a suggestion that Westerners were also imparting similar atrocities upon Indians, which were far more wide spread as compared to the Indian excesses. The puritan attitude of the West of that period, and the hypocrisy involved with that notion is evident from the fact that Ethen wants to murder his brother’s daughter because she became wife to an Indian, and thus strangely deprived of even the affection of her uncle (The Searchers). But in the Rowlandson narrative, Weetamoo, the wife of Rowlandson’s Indian master, is acknowledged as a powerful and self-asserting woman though Rowlandson never seems to fully realize the rights and powers that Indian women enjoy in their society (Rowlandson, 4). Rowlandson herself has described Weetamoo in the words, “a severe and proud dame she was, bestowing every day in dressing herself neat as much time as any of the gentry of the land” (37). In her narrative, there are many Indians and Indian women who give her food and shelter (Rowlandson). For example, an Indian gives her a pancake to eat when she was hungry and another Indian woman gives her a a piece of bear’s meat (Rowlandson, 25, 27). The gender-dimensions of the existence of such women in the Indian society are though unknowingly, noted down by the narrator for the future generations to understand the profound element in how women cope with conflicts. The comparative truthfulness of a feminine narrative, once again becomes evident here. But in the movie, the Indian wife whom, Martin unknowingly buys, is always a victim of fun-making and racist insult (The Searchers). She is not even treated as a human being but as an animal, which is seen in many instances in the movie. One example is when she goes and lay down near Martin to sleep, he kicks her away just like a street dog and Ethen laughs as if enjoying a humorous scene (The Searchers). She goes uncelebrated and even unacknowledged in the movie though she helps the searchers find the captive girl (Searchers). The movie and the book have been lauded as classics in their respective eras. They also became important for social scientists trying to understand the politics and subtleties of the interface of two cultures in the period of colonization. As Rowlandson’s narrative progresses, there is a familiarity and slight bonding that develops between her and the Indians (Rowlandson). One Indian even gives her a Bible (Rowlandson, 19). But in the film, the Indians remain ‘savages’ throughout. Ethen is sarcastic when he talks about “Comanche hospitality” which prevents the Indian chief from harming them when they are his guests (The Searchers). A preconceived and unchanging racist notion about the Indians is omnipresent in the film (The Searchers). When Ethen and Martin find Debhora, the kidnapped girl, she had become wife to an Indian chief and she tells them that the Indians are her people and she will not leave them (The Searchers). But even at this moment, Ethen pulls out a gun to kill her and is totally ignorant of the humane subtleties of the situation (The Searchers). This moment in the film shows the inhumane ignorance of the colonizer and in contrast, the values of Indian culture which had made a mark on Debhora and had prompted her to stay back with the Indians (The Searchers). In conclusion, it is Rowlandson’s narrative that captures the real emotions and truths of history as it shows Indians at least as humans. Here, the reader is able to relate to the lives of Indians and their culture, though in a remote way; the reader is aware of a historical period in which the colonizer and the colonized stand face to face, caught in the quagmire of their destinies. But in the movie, The Searchers, it is just a battle between the humans and the savages. There are no gray areas of doubt even. It lacks the intricacies of human characters while depicting Indians. It is uni-dimensional with its racist and sexist, adamant attitudes. And in this way, Rowlandson’s narrative is more valuable for humanity as a true document, a piece of history, a text that helps humanity move ahead. Works Cited Rowlandson, Mary White, “A True History of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson”, In Women’s Indian Captivity Narratives, Derounian-Stodola, Kathryn Zabelle, London: Penguin Classics, 1998. Print. The Searchers, Dir. John Ford. Perf.John Wayne, The Warner Bros., 1956.DVD. Read More