Our discussion on My Darling Clementine got shortchanged a bit because of the schedule, so I'd like for you to say something interesting here about one of the important themes of this film -- the conflict between wilderness and civilization. Almost all Westerns deal with this theme somehow because they take place during a time in American history when an old way of life was giving way to a new one, bringing with it welcome progress or more problems, depending on your point of view. You can directly address the question from the viewing guide if you'd like, but there are plenty of other ways to approach this -- you could talk about a specific scene or character that illuminates this theme as well. As always, leave your first name and last initial, plus your hour.
Here are some sub-conflicts that play out under the main conflict of wilderness and civilization that could be topics for you to address. The first word in each pair is for "wilderness," the second is for "civilization":
individual vs. community
freedom vs. restriction
honor vs. institutions
integrity vs. compromise
self-interest vs. social responsibility
nature vs. culture
purity vs. corruption
experience vs. knowledge
pragmatism vs. idealism
brutalization vs. refinement
savagery vs. humanity
The West vs. The East
equality vs. class
agrarianism vs. industrialism
tradition vs. change
the past vs. the future
(list courtesy of "Authorship and Genre: Notes on the Western" by Jim Kitses)
Here are some sub-conflicts that play out under the main conflict of wilderness and civilization that could be topics for you to address. The first word in each pair is for "wilderness," the second is for "civilization":
individual vs. community
freedom vs. restriction
honor vs. institutions
integrity vs. compromise
self-interest vs. social responsibility
nature vs. culture
purity vs. corruption
experience vs. knowledge
pragmatism vs. idealism
brutalization vs. refinement
savagery vs. humanity
The West vs. The East
equality vs. class
agrarianism vs. industrialism
tradition vs. change
the past vs. the future
(list courtesy of "Authorship and Genre: Notes on the Western" by Jim Kitses)
self-interest vs. social responsibility
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting in Westerns that the hero, usually a symbol of the wilderness and freedom will take a position as sheriff in a town, the symbol of civilization. It seems that this arises from a sense of justice and self-interest. In Wyatt's case, his own sense of justice led him to take the job of law enforcer, as it was the best way to get his revenge. It just so happens that he was also enforcing the laws of civilization (in his own cowboy way). He helped to create the civilization he left at the end. The cowboy hero has his own self-interest at the front of his character, and yet his values often coincide with society's.
-Evan S. - 3rd Hour
Doc holiday was a very intriguing character to me, and he is the best example of purity vs corruption in the film. When we first meet him in the film he seems to be just another outlaw that is well known and commands authority, I had no idea that he was a a washed up doctor turned alcoholic. He slowly becomes more evil and more insain throughout the movie until finaly he begines to come back to reality,the turning point is when his girlfreind Chiwawa is shot. He does everything he can to save her and regains his confidence and then when it all looks good for him she dies and he gets shot.
ReplyDelete-Ian S 3rd hour
Individual v.s community
ReplyDeleteWyatt is passing through tombstone with his brothers on their way to California. He is reflected as a individual. After the death of Wyatt's brother James, Wyatt offers to take up the job of Marshall to tame and establish a scene of community in the town of Tombstone. Wyatt also does this to get revenge on the Clantons for killing James and stealing their cattle. Wyatt stopping at the barber shop and getting his hair cut while passing through Tombstone is also another example of community being represented. Wyatt established the church and a school with a new schoolmarm.
Shannon P. Hour.3
self-interest vs community
ReplyDeleteI also want to add the Wyatt is a very powerful hero in this film portrayed by his attitude and actions he takes on in the western community. For instance, when he arrives in town and tries to get a shave, a drunk man comes a long and ruins the experience, not to the attention that the sheriff department is too afraid to take care of the situation, wyatt breaks in and takes care of the situation himself, only to be praised to be the new sheriff in town. His self-interest to take charge to fight for the rights of the community shows he never wants to see corruption in a community that gives way and he will step in as a hero when needed.
-Jackie Y. 3rd Hour
Tradition vs. Change
ReplyDeleteAs the film opened, it was clear that Wyatt and his gang of cattle herders were in territory foreign to them. This became much more blatantly obvious as Wyatt entered the town of Tombstone, as he was very disturbed by the way people there were conducting themselves. He was clearly more accustomed to a more traditional way of life and was so troubled by this that he took it upon himself to fix things as the new marshal. In the short period of time that Wyatt was the marshal of Tombstone, he was already turning things around, yet, he was never satisfied because of how far Tombstone had deviated from the traditional lifestyle.
Luke G. 3rd hour
Purity vs. Corruption
ReplyDeleteIn the west, new changes in society and new ways of thinking can be considered pure or free from the corrupted days of the past. My Darling Clementine demonstrates this by having a church as the building being built throughout the course of the film. The church symbolizes a bright, uncorrupted future for the town of Tombstone as it has not yet been finished, but it will be finished in the future after the movie ends. Another example of Tombstone's puree future is Clementine, who is of course, the pure woman found in most if not all Westerns. Also, when Wyatt Earp cleansed the town of corrupted cowboys, such as Clantons, and also inccidently Doc Holiday could also be considered more of a corrupted cowboy since he isn't pure like Earp or the rest of the town.
purity vs corruption
ReplyDeleteDoc holiday(to me)was the most corrupt character, but at the same time was also one of the purest. When he is first encoutered he is portrayed as a gloom and dark character,and there was also the fact that he's an alcoholic. But when the time came Doc reverted to his true element of medicine when Chihuahua was shot. Which I think showed off his purity. Until the time came to retaliate in the Corral shootout, bringing him back into his once corrupt lifestyle, before dying.
jacqui t-hr 3
social interest vs. social responsibility
ReplyDeleteI thought that a good example of social interest vs. social responsibility could be found in the relationship between Clementine and Wyatt, and just Wyatt's actions in general. Wyatt took up the job of Marshall after his brother James dies, and even though it wasn't technically his job to do so, he does anyway even if it means that he can't do everything he used to be able to do. Also, I saw that in the end, when Wyatt and Clementine merely shake hands, I kind of took it as Wyatt choosing his job over his love interest. He saw his job as Marshall more important than the life he once, or could have.
Derek Strong
ReplyDeleteIndividual vs. community
In the movie my darling Clementine Wyatt eurp is in a content struggle with the people of the town. An example of this is in the beginning when Wyatt try’s to get a shave. Other than that For the most part the normal people like him because if his service to the community by taking on the responsibility of marshal. But for some of the other people he has to earn or there trust for example Doc Holiday. Wyatt also has a conflict with the Clanton family who stole his cattle and kill 2 of his brothers. This conflict between the 2 groups goes on the whole movie ending with a gun fight at the ok corral.
purity vs. corruption
ReplyDeletepurity is most obviously found in Clementine, while Chihuahua was the 'corruption'. Many times in the film you would find Chihuahua in the bar with all of the men, trying to seduce them but singing songs and trying to get their attention. She also seems to get very close to the men and likes to touch their faces. She's trying to get their attention by being sexual. Chihuahua also wore what i can only imagine at that time was a "low cut" outfit. She was trying to get attention with her body and the way she used it. While on the other hand, Clementine is much more reserved about the way she acts and dresses. She kindly waits until she is talked to, talks in a very sweet, somber voice, and wears very conservative outfits.
Ellen S.
Hour 3
CONFLIT vs CALM
ReplyDeleteIn the movie, the good guys (earps and doc holiday) are suporting a calm non violent life, of cattle herding, and keeping peace in tombstone, but when the villans get in the way with their cattle rustling habbits, and atempts at controling tombstone, conflict arrises between the calm way of life, and the hustleing bustling conflict of the villians. These sides confront each other in the intro, the theater scene, and the gunfight at the O.K. corral.
TRAVIS H
Brutalization vs. Refinement
ReplyDeleteGrant H. 3rd hour
Throughout the movie, Earp and Doc Holiday pretty much use refinement whenever they can. Most of the brutalization occurs towards the end of the film, when earp goes after holiday thinking that he had killed earp's son. When the truth comes out about who actually did it, the two of them join together to go after them. Earp then shows some refinement by letting the old man go, but he the old man couldnt walk away and had to put up one last stand.
equality vs. class
ReplyDeletethe marshall is a class act in the way of how he treats everyone the same. no one is above the law or below. the marshalls morals seem to be right, he wants what is best for the town and it does not matter to him what social class one may be in.
Tom H
With the conflict of old vs. new. Wyatt comes in and takes over in a way and changes the way things are done. Doc used to just kick everybody out of town but Wyatt changed that. Doc resisted the change at first but he eventually changed his mind.
ReplyDeleteDan L
Hour 3
West Vs. East
ReplyDeleteIn the movie,My Darling Clementine, the line between eastern and western culture is set by Chewawa and Clementine. Chewawa reflects the nature of the west by her outgoing and promiscuous behavior. Where as Clementine is quiet, polite and civil. So the conflicts between Chewawa and Clementine reflect the idea that east and west are like oil and water.
Paul B
Experience vs. Knowledge
ReplyDeleteDoc Holliday has the experience of the west, while Clementine has the knowledge of the west. Doc Holliday has been there and done that, he knows what to expect and how the west works. Clementine only knows of the west. She can only infer on what to expect from her knowledge of what she knows about the west. She simply only has knowledge of the west nothing else. She stays in "wilderness" to try and change it into "civilization" because she is the one who has experience of the "civilized" east.
Randy N. 3rd hour
I was sick when you assigned this blog and I didn't know about it... so I did it now.
Freedom vs. Restriction
ReplyDeleteIn "My Darling Clementine," protagonist Wyatt Earp has a clear crush on Clementine, but in the end, ends up leaving the town of Tombstone. Because of this, Earp gets to maintain his cowboy hero status as "the lone ranger" (as is true in any classic western), but the fact that he liked Clementine is completely ignored. The classic good-bye scene occurs, where Clementine tells him to come back sometime and he says he will, but the viewer knows that he probably will not. Clementine is left behind, to start the school she was going to establish. In this situation, wilderness is the clear winner, because that is where the protagonist chooses to go at the closing of the film.
-Daniel L 3rd Hour
self-interest vs. social responsibility
ReplyDeleteMy Darling Clementine blends both of these things into Wyatt Earp. In the beginning of the film he become the sheriff only because he wants to find out who killed his brother. However for the majority of the movie the many conflicts that arise have nothing to do with the murder of his brother. He sticks around to help out the town, (and to see Clementine more) so maybe self-interest slightly wins in Wyatt Earp. That doesn't rebut the fact that Wyatt helped out the traveling actor from being beaten up in the saloon. Even while playing sheriff to find his brother's killer he still feel obligated to be the protector of the town.
-Theo L. 3rd Hour