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The American cowboy-hero isn't about the hero being lonely. It as about heroes leaving. Wandering strangers, be them cowboys or Superman, sweep in to fix prob

The American cowboy-hero isn't about the hero being lonely. It as about heroes leaving. Wandering strangers, be them cowboys or Superman, sweep in to fix problems and then go away. They do not integrate into the societies they help. They do not take anything from the people they help. They are therefore not a sociological threat to those they help. American society is very segmented, particularly in the mythic world of "small towns" so idolized in fiction. Outsiders are welcome, just not welcome to stay. The American dream is about stability and property rights. Strangers are a threat. They need to leave at the end of the story.

krapp 3y ago
I would blame that motif mostly on the nature of episodic storytelling - books, comics, radio plays, television,etc, than something fundamental about American culture. It's necessary to move the character from one place to the next to tell fully encapsulated stories that can easily be serialized out of order. And thematically, it doesn't even apply to Superman or many superhero stories (maybe the Hulk.) Superman lives in Metropolis. Batman lives in Gotham. Spider Man is a quintessentially New York hero, he's a landmark. These heroes are all part of their specific communities.
- 2-718-281-828 3y ago
  > I would blame that motif mostly on the nature of episodic storytelling - books, comics, radio plays, television,etc, than something fundamental about American culture I'd argue that American culture (and culture worldwide) is actually for almost a hundred years mostly formed by movies and movie tropes. > These heroes are all part of their specific communities. None of those heroes are a part of those communities you mention. Only their public personas are. Then they disguise and become those heroes. That concept of staying at the end of the movie would in this regard translate to a hero unveiling his identity and still be the hero. Never happens. Also OP is specifically writing about the _cowboy_-hero. Which is anyway a different category than the super hero. What they have in common though is the loneliness that OP also talks about. Superheros also always complain about that and their urges to reveal who they "really" are.
2-718-281-828 3y ago
> Outsiders are welcome, just not welcome to stay. Very insightful. > They need to leave at the end of the story. If the hero would stay he would no longer be a hero. Movies are about dreams. Men watch cowboy movies because they want to be like cowboys. They don't want to watch a heroic cowboy turning into a devoted husband.
- deleted 3y ago
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krapp 3y ago

I would blame that motif mostly on the nature of episodic storytelling - books, comics, radio plays, television,etc, than something fundamental about American culture. It's necessary to move the character from one place to the next to tell fully encapsulated stories that can easily be serialized out of order. And thematically, it doesn't even apply to Superman or many superhero stories (maybe the Hulk.) Superman lives in Metropolis. Batman lives in Gotham. Spider Man is a quintessentially New York hero, he's a landmark. These heroes are all part of their specific communities.

2-718-281-828 3y ago
> I would blame that motif mostly on the nature of episodic storytelling - books, comics, radio plays, television,etc, than something fundamental about American culture I'd argue that American culture (and culture worldwide) is actually for almost a hundred years mostly formed by movies and movie tropes. > These heroes are all part of their specific communities. None of those heroes are a part of those communities you mention. Only their public personas are. Then they disguise and become those heroes. That concept of staying at the end of the movie would in this regard translate to a hero unveiling his identity and still be the hero. Never happens. Also OP is specifically writing about the _cowboy_-hero. Which is anyway a different category than the super hero. What they have in common though is the loneliness that OP also talks about. Superheros also always complain about that and their urges to reveal who they "really" are.

2-718-281-828 3y ago

> Outsiders are welcome, just not welcome to stay. Very insightful. > They need to leave at the end of the story. If the hero would stay he would no longer be a hero. Movies are about dreams. Men watch cowboy movies because they want to be like cowboys. They don't want to watch a heroic cowboy turning into a devoted husband.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]