Liberty Valance - Matt C.

The struggle to be the top cowboy in town is a fierce battle between Tom Doniphon (John Wayne) and Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) winds up mixed in with this situation when he travels west into Shinbone, and soon finds himself caught amidst this power struggle. The plot revolves around these three central characters and how each's relationship with one another affects everything in the town. When we first meet Liberty Valance we can quickly identify him as the antagonist of the story simply by the way he dresses, acts, and his overall personality. Sue Matheson identifies Liberty Valance as "...manipulative, callous, remorseless, parasitic, pathological liars with poor behavioral controls" (892). For example, when Liberty robs Stoddard's stagecoach he not only humiliates the company but disrespects an older woman even though she is innocent. In addition, Valance is also a loner, avoiding any type of interaction with people save for brief moments when he is drinking at the resturant/saloon or playing cards. These actions make Liberty a clear-cut outlaw who shows that "...in the West, might is right" (Matheson 895).

Along with Liberty Valance there is Tom Doniphon, the other alpha male cowboy vying for power in the good town of Shinbone. While he shares many traits as Valance does, he also emphasizes the a different set of qualities that an alpha male is supposed to show. As Matheson says, "Like Valance, Doniphon is callous, remorseless, and manipulative" (896) and Ransom Stoddard also sees the connection between the two men as well claiming that "...there really is very little diference between Doniphon and Liberty Valance. Both men settle their problems in the same fashion. In Shinbone, the individual does not enforece the law; he is the law" (Matheson 896). However, what makes Doniphon different than Valance is that Doniphon has a moral center. When the time comes he does not let his own personal feelings make judgment but instead performs an act of good faith which, while ruining his own personal happiness, causes the town to become a thriving community.

Ransom Stoddard is the man caught inbetween this giant jumble of action between Valance and Doniphon. He plays the part of the hero in the story but unfortunately for him, being the hero does not make him an alpha male. Stoddard does not show the classic alpha male qualities that make a cowboy a cowboy; the merciless reputaion, crude attitude, and perhaps most importantly isolationist nature that make the cowboy a cowboy is all lacking from Stoddard's characteristics. Stoddard is not afraid to mingle with people, as is seen with him wanting to open a law practice and becoming senator and he finds himself incapable of succumbing to the corruption of the town. He finds it difficult to follow Doniphon's way of living, as Sue Matheson quotes him saying "'You all see to know about this fellow Liberty Valance. He's a no good gun-packing murdering thief and the only advice you can give to me is to carry a gun'" (896).