Matheson, Sue - CJ Nicholas

Unlike fairy tales and comic books, the Wayne western is not a clear cut story populated with heroes and villains, good and bad. Hiroshima and Nagasaki forever changed the outlook of America and called for the rethinking of what was previously considered to be normality. In its place spawned an existential theme in which morality was subjective and the meaning of one's life self determined. These themes worked under the premise that transcendental values did not exist and there were no moral absolutes. Instead the world around us is "ultimately corrupt and corrupting", and so in order to survive the morally upstanding citizen was forced to "become the criminal" or fall victim to the merciless world around them.
With these ideals in effect, the definition of hero changed as well. Every character that John Wayne plays is by no means the quintessential hero capable of no wrong. Instead they are often plagued by vices and unsavory characteristics such as alcoholism, alienation, anti-social disorders or insatiable cravings for vengeance. This new hero murders and is far from perfect, but this new hero always survives, and in the end always acts as moral as possible. He embodies the middle ground between extremes because there is no such thing as absolute morality in such an unforgiving world world. To be on one end of the spectrum is to be a blood thirsty sociopath who holds no regard for morality and the other end is the character who thinks deontologically, and ultimately falls because of it. The only solution is to be your own moral center, and struggle with the problems that arise because of it.
Likewise, the physical appearance of the villain changed in the Wayne western. While they are often identified by brutish clothes and unsanitary hygiene, they villain grew more diverse in order to represent the current distaste for capitalists during the depression. These villains were often dressed in immaculate suits and flossed in jewelry. They were powerful, rich, and had their deeds performed by others such as henchmen. This type of villain was above the law and represented the corruption seen throughout the depression as well as the struggle of the lower and middle class to vie with those economically gifted.