Rooster Cogburn - Mark Miller

In the movie Rooster Cogburn, Eula Goodnight plays a unique role, for a women, in a western film; a strong main character. Eula Goodnight is different than the typical female, in a western film, in that she is aggressive, dominant, and a strong character. Typically women play a secondary role (if any at all), where they are perceived as weak and useless. It is clear that Eula is not the typical woman of a western film, as she stands up to men. A good example of her doing so, is when she stands up to Hawk. Hawk tries to intimidate her, and even shoots at her, but even that doesn’t affect Eula.

This strong role of a female in a western film was primarily due to the second wave Feminist Movement that had been going on the last fifteen years. For the first time in western films, an alpha male cowboy is not the dominant figure; instead it is battle the spot light is shared between the alpha male cowboy and his female partner, whom he unwillingly teams up with.