The Searchers

The Western landscape defines a man's character; it forces him to fight for survival, gives him resilience and strength. It has the ability to harden the cowboy and make him emotionless, just as Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) is in the film The Searchers. This is evident when he begins to ruthlessly kill more buffalo than he and Marty could possibly eat, merely because he has an empty stomach at the time. It is also revealed when it is believed by Marty, and the audience, that he could kill his niece because of her ties to the Comanches.
Tompkins discusses how the landscape defines the cowboy's character because of its power over him. She describes the land as "the Alpha and the Omega" (Tompkins, 70) and thus likens the earth to God. She also states that "Nature is the one transcendent thing, the one thing larger than man" (72). This is easily seen during Western movies because of how they are filmed. They focus on the landscape, and the people in the films rarely occupy the entire screen. It is shown specifically in The Searchers when Ethan and Marty are following the Comanches and they cannot continue because of the snow destroying the tracks left by the Indians. It is also shown during their travels through the Texan and New Mexican deserts. The wind, sand and lack of water clearly put a physical and mental strain on both Ethan and Marty.