Sunday, May 2, 2010
End of the American Dream?
At the end of McCabe & Mrs. Miller, McCabe may have defeated the bounty hunters sent to kill him, but he can only stumble through the snow, slowly bleeding to death. What does this film say about the small-time enterpreneur and the Goliath corporation? Is the American Dream dead?
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This did not represent the death of the American Dream, but it was a complex situation brought on by the times. Goliath corporations using violence and intimidation to win out over smaller entrepreneurs such as McCabe was a recurring problem in the West during this time, and certainly the American Dream was repressed. The idea of the American Dream is that under the systems in place by the United States government and protections put in place by the law that anyone can prosper. In the West as depicted by McCabe & Mrs. Miller, there is technically law in place but it is not enforced enough to make much of a difference. The environment the characters have to work with is almost tantamount to anarchy. Even murders were not often prosecuted. The larger corporation would rather take the legal route to be safe, but it could also simply take what it wants and suffer little or no repercussions. Because of this the smaller entrepreneurs had to fear loosing it all to a relentless giant. This lawlessness would not last, although it did throughout the film. The American Dream was not dead, it was just sleeping.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with John. This movie surely does not condemn the American Dream. However, it does show that achieving it is never easy. Corporate America is one of the most influential and powerful groups in all of America. Some even say they are more powerful than the government. As shown in this movie, these monopoly businesses can sometimes take this power to their advantage and stomp on the little men and the mom and pop businesses. These industries will stop at nothing to gain more money and more power. McCabe represents those small men who stand up for their businesses, who stand up against corporate America, who stands up for the American dream. McCabe knows what he has and knows how much it's worth. He isn't going to let anyone take advantage of him. And isn't that what America is all about. America has been built on the underdog prevailing. And McCabe does succeed in stopping the assassinators. His death represents the hard road to the dream. Their must be sacrifices made to reach it, whether it's property, a loved one, or your own life, it is bound to happen.
ReplyDeleteI think this moment represents the beginning of the American dream. When people are willing to die in order to protect what they have begun, shows that the American spirit is alive and well. Clearly competition is in the air, the base of American economics, and when people love what they are doing and are willing to defend their right to do it, that is the definition of the American dream. Anyone can make it to the big time through hard work, determination, and innovation and McCabe was willing to defend himself and his construction projects from the Goliath company. It's just unfortunate that he died in the gunfight.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a bad sign for small business owners and I do indeed that this means that the American dream is dead. In my opinion McCabe represented the small business man and the owner of the oil company represents the big business man. Yes in the end McCabe killed three bounty hunters but he did die and I think that represents that even though the small business man can try his hardest and little work until he is dead but he will never be more successful then the big business who has other people do his dirty work so he still lives in the end.
ReplyDeleteThis film shows that the small entrepreneur, Mr. McCabe, cannot compete against the large mining corporation that wants to buy his land. He tries to get the men from the mining corporation to increase their offer, which they do a little, but Mr. McCabe wants more. Due to his stubborn nature, the men give up and send the gunmen to kill McCabe. This shows that try as he might, a small entrepreneur cannot compete with big businesses, and even though he puts up a fight, he eventually loses, just like entrepreneurs did against big business.
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