The Searchers - Indian Ambush

The shootout scene of the film, where Ethan and the small band of Texas Rangers defend themselves from an Indian ambush, can be argued to be one of the best representations of the myths of the American West, especially myths regarding the cowboy.

Ethan, clearly the Cowboy of the movie, as well as the main protagonist (even if he comes off as an antihero sometimes), clearly demonstrates his superior knowledge of the American Indians, forever the stereotypical enemy of the Cowboy. Before the shootout begins, Ethan can be said to be adhering to at least some of Gene Autry's Cowboy Commandments, such as '[the Cowboy] must always tell the truth' and 'the Cowboy is a patriot'. Ethan adheres to these two in particular as he relays accurate knowledge of Indian pre-battle songs to Captain Clayton, and that he is defending the land which he, and by extension the Texas Rangers, occupy (in a very typical manner: shoot first, ask questions later). Ethan even waits until the Indians are within range before he starts shooting, making for three of the Cowboy Commandments being obeyed, although it could be argued that he's simply waiting for a greater chance of a confirmed kill.

However, once the shootout begins, Ethan's morality begins to slide, as he bears no regard for the horses which the Indians use as mounts, going against one of Autry's Cowboy Commandments. Not much later on, Ethan shoots at the Indians as they are retreating, which even Captain Clayton regards to be cold behaviour. It could be argued that in doing this, as well as beginning to clearly display hatred of the American Indians (even if most of it is aimed at Scar, the warband's leader), Ethan goes against two more of the 'rules' of being a Cowboy.

Going above Ethan's role as the Cowboy, however, one can see that this scene displays aspects of the ideas of both wilderness and civilisation. Ethan's pragmatism, as well as his holding onto the past and the desire for freedom that the band of Rangers possesses, all adhere to the idea of the wilderness, whereas the knowledge they possess, and the refinement of a kind of social strata, not to mention the social responsibility which Captain Clayton feels he possesses, are all indicative of civilisation.

Thusly, it is possible to conclude that this scene from 'The Searchers' both confirms and challenges myths about the American West. Although a somewhat romanticised film, particularly in it's cringe-worthy plot, there are elements of what real life in the frontier would have been like: the threat of Indian raids, American settlers killing bison for little more than sport, Rangers trying to keep the peace. These things are suggestive of a harsh environment, where a simple rule could be 'kill or be killed', and as the American settlers were the strangers to these parts for many years, this was very likely the case. However, the romanticism on display, such as the relatively simple revenge story, as well as the almost-unnecessary romance, implies that the frontier was also a place where love could conquer (almost) anything, and that blatant disregard for the rules of the land was almost never punished, seeing as those breaking said rules were, supposedly, regarded as heroes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc8glsGbIus