English 101

The Searchers

America has been run by committee , but it was not founded by committee The original explorers who brought their disparate and widespread wealth of European consciousness sometimes acted in the name of King or Queen and sometimes acted in the name of heavenly providence , but it was individual action that forged a New World . Those who forged a new country from the rugged wilderness that was untamed America were people whom might at one time or another be categorized as unbalanced . The character of Ethan Edwards is quite clearly possessiveness

to the point of madness in his pursuit of Debbie and along the way exhibits a rejection of the imposition of arbitrary laws and rules . While it is easy to mistake Ethan for a villain , it is only because of his deviant personality characteristics that Debbie is saved . The Searchers makes the case that the progression toward civilization is dependent in a large way upon the outsider who defies societal conformity

The Searchers bears a striking similarity to the 1976 Martin Scorsese film Taxi Driver . Both films feature a protagonist who may be described as nearly psychotic in their attempts to save a young girl from a metaphorical hell . It may be less than fair to accurately compare living among 18th century Native Americans with being a 12 year prostitute living among pimps and drug dealers , but it is important to remember that the search for the salvation of the young girls exists within the minds of both...