Matheson explains the thought behind the moral compass found in the American Western cowboy in her essay, “The West-Hardboilded”. She uses evidence from popular John Wayne films to support and elaborate on her ideas. Her conclusions draw from the ideas of existentialism, sociopaths, masculinity, and wartime influences. These ideas combined with the film evidence prove the complexity within the cowboy, as well as, the virtuous nature. The cowboys are forced to create their own morals that tend to be in the name of good. Usually good is accomplished through bad means and unlawful practices. Murder and robbery is common in the west, for it is common for the ends to justify the means. In fact, this way of thought tends to force many westerners to follow deontological practices and be put in a double bind. The double bind creates a scenario in which the cowboy is faced with conflicting choices. Matheson concludes that these psychological and moral issues of the cowboy contribute to American cultural ideals.
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