The Relationship of the Gun and Masculinity

In the literature of the Wild West, the presence of guns is almost always incorporated into the context of the novels. The gun, a powerful object that has the ability to end one’s life in the spur of a moment, can be seen as both a physical and psychological weapon to protect one’s self. In moments of danger, the gun always makes a presence as a tool to resolve a conflict by death or intimidation. We have seen repeated moments in the Ox-Bow Incident and All the Pretty Horses, where a gun is used in a critical moment in the novels. Focusing on the social aspect of intimidation, I believe the gun is used as a man’s last resort to defend his masculinity. In both novels, we see a character challenged or humiliated, realizing he is in jeopardy of tarnishing his manhood in front of others, and resorts to the use of the gun. We see this threat in three instances with Ox-Bow Incident: the confrontation between Farnley and Art (Art defending himself as he smokes a cigarette and challenging Farnely), Tetley’s pistol whip to his son (Tetley’s authority and legitimacy was challenged by his son’s act), and Gerald’s attempted suicide (Gerald’s broken sense of worth living and embarrassment). In all cases, one of the characters or both deeply attacked their masculinity, which resorted to drawing out a gun. Blevins proves he is a good shot in All The Pretty Horses, after being pestered and ridiculed by Rawlins. In an attempt to save himself and defend his manliness, he resorts to his weapon, proving himself. Many conflicts can also be resolved by simple fist fights or soothing the situation, but the drawing of the gun is prevalent in many novels. Fist fights may be all fun and games, perhaps lightly prodding at one’s masculinity, but once challenged, the gun will inevitably appear. Other forms of violence, such as Canby knocking Gil out with a bottle, shows it was well-intentioned and received well. In any situation, the last resort to use a gun shows how fragile or protective men in the West are with their masculinity.