Once Upon A Time In The West

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

ANP 422- Religion and Culture

Grading Form

Once upon a Time in the West

Superior

Competent

Fair

Not so good

Not Present

Trickster features

of major characters

Outsider features

of major characters

Name

Social Position/

Relationships

Time

Space

Musical Theme

Unexpected knowledge

Escapes Difficulties

Passages

Alliance of outsiders

Balance of power

Definition of multivocality.

Analysis of water symbolism-- tied to central story.

Insightful comments?

Spelling

Grammar

Organization

Part I.

Harmonica–

Harmonica is the mysterious gun slinger and one of the first characters we are introduced to, although we are unaware of his identity, which remains a secret until the climactic confrontation at the end. He is the most "outsider" of all six main characters, no one knows his true identity, and they only person to figure it out dies as he realizes. Harmonica lives on the fringes of an already "wild" society. Truly nameless, he is referenced only by the iconic harmonica around his neck. Harmonica lives a life similar to the other outlaws and gunmen of the movie, one that would be considered illegal by the insiders, the townsfolk to Flagstone, he is a very solitary character until associating himself with Jill and Cheyenne, but even then, he leaves at the end of the movie. He is always able to get out of any difficulties he encounters, after being captured by Frank, he is shortly rescued by Cheyenne. Harmonica’s musical theme, aptly named his "Death Rattle", is just a few notes on the harmonica, but the sounds are hauntingly captivating. Even when Harmonica isn’t seen, his presence is made known by his tune, a tune that perfectly expresses his grief and sadness, fitting for a character that "has something to do with death".

He is clearly the central "trickster" figure of the movie, although other characters do exhibit varying degrees of trickster-hood. Harmonica seems to exist between the states of life and death, clearly cheating death in the beginning when he stands up after a gunshot wound from one of Frank’s hired men. He is situated between the dying Wild West, and the burgeoning Civilized West, playing a pivotal role in the emergence of a civilized social order, but unable to stick around to witness it. Harmonica also appears to be exempt from typical spatial restraints, nothing seems to be an obstacle to him seeing his vengeance through. He appears to be quite asocial, he speaks very little, often appearing in the back of buildings or in the shadows, and his focus remains solely on his vindication, his revenge. His role as an outsider also frees him many of the demands of social norms, those found within the rapidly developing railway towns. Harmonica largely seems to exist ambiguously between the new order and the old one, between life and death, and between the order of the growing civilization and the disorder of the Wild West, ambiguous existence being a key trait of a trickster figure.

Frank-

Frank is the hired gun of railway tycoon Mr. Morton. Working closely with man responsible for the taming of the west, Frank realizes his line of work will be of little use so he strives to make the transition from gunslinger to businessman. He eventually comes to realize that he has no place in the emerging civilization, as Morton tells him he will never understand that money is more powerful than his gun. Frank belongs in the unsettled West, and his death appropriately comes at the final moment before the railroads arrive, his outsider status seems second only to the mysterious Harmonica. Frank clearly prefers a solitary existence, in all of his relationships his interest is only in himself and bettering his position. His association with Mr. Morton falls apart as he tries to get ahead, caring only for himself. Clearly, the life of a hired gun is an illegal one, and Frank’s cold-hearted personality fits that role splendidly, it takes a truly wicked man to kill a child. Frank tries to protect his name, when Wobbles was to set up an appointment between Frank and Harmonica, Frank sends henchmen to kill Harmonica, and when Brett’s youngest son hears one of Frank’s men mention his name, Frank kills the child. Frank’s powerful musical theme is first heard at a moment of tragedy, when the McBain family is murdered, associating Frank with tragedy and death. The tune, entitled "As a Judgment", is eerie and intense, fitting to Frank’s cold demeanor, the epitome of villainy and evil.

Frank is clearly not the trickster figure that Harmonica is, but he still has some of the trickster features. Frank seems to be able to disperse himself, by means of his large number of hired men, if he wanted to, Frank could be in several places at once by way of his men. This also allows him to disguise himself, as seen at the beginning where he sends three of his men to meet with Harmonica instead of himself. Frank is also definitely amoral, his actions are those of an individual with a reckless disregard for law or morality. He is the villain of this story, a truly evil man; even Cheyenne who admits to killing says he would never kill a child, equating it with murdering a priest.

Jill-

Jill McBain is the high class prostitute from New Orleans who hoped to start a new life with Brett McBain, but it wasn’t meant to be because Brett was one of the "obstacles" in the way of Mr. Morton’s railroad that Frank was to deal with. Unbeknownst to both Frank and Morton, Jill had already married Brett and so the property came into her possession. Jill, to the insiders is simply the widowed Mrs. McBain, but to those who know of her past, namely Frank, she is the dirty whore from the big city. Her prior occupation would be seen by townsfolk as taboo and frowned upon, but by moving west she is trying to detach herself from those "filthy memories". Jill is more group oriented than her outlaw allies, Cheyenne and Harmonica, her ultimate role as a nurturer of civilization reflects this. Her transformation from a whore to earth mother and water bearer is central to the story and the emergence of a new social order centered around civilization. Water symbolism is heavy in the movie and most of it is focused around Jill and her transformation, the conversion culminating in her baptism-like bath. Her musical theme is one and the same as the movie’s main musical theme, which is played in its fullness at the end when we see Jill taking water out to the workers. Its constant presence throughout the film reflects Jill’s central role to the film and its story and outcome.

Jill’s limited trickster features revolve around her life back in New Orleans and that aspect of her character. Trickster figures are often portrayed as having an enormous libido, or sex drive. Her life as a prostitute reflects that, and even after she becomes Mrs. McBain, trying to remove herself from that life, that aspect of her personality persists. She openly tells Cheyenne to have his way with her, and all she would need afterwards being "a tub of boiling water to wash away the filthy memories" and asks for a tub of water after Frank forces himself upon her. Tricksters are also often associated with reflection, and Jill is often seen with a mirror, looking at herself and trying to change the person she sees staring back at her. She is never truly alone because of the haunting figure of her past that she sees every time she looks in the mirror. Jill is very clearly the transformative figure of the story, the harbinger of civilization. She travels from the East, bringing the civilization with her to tame the Wild West, and her role in this transformation culminates with her assumption of the role of earth mother, a nurturing water bear after cleansing herself of her "filthy memories".

Cheyenne-

Cheyenne, the romantic bandit, begins as a true outsider, we first see him in handcuffs escaping from captors who were bringing him to jail, and it is him who is blamed for the death of the McBain family. Cheyenne seems to enjoy the level of caution ascribed to him, and he certainly has no problem with people knowing his name, when he first meets Harmonica, he explains that only his men are allowed to wear the dusters the men that Harmonica killed were wearing, and his men don’t die. But after being framed, Cheyenne shows up at Sweetwater to find out what Frank wanted in the land, and Jill, being a damsel in distress, brings out his protector instincts, and takes it upon himself to stop Frank and Mr. Morton from completing whatever evil plan they started by killing Brett. The only reason that Cheyenne seems to be less of an outsider than Frank is because of his reputation among the townsfolk, he is pretty well-known, and because of the intimacy he exhibits as a mentor figure towards the end. Cheyenne occupies the unsettled space of the West, and although he plays an important role as a mentor in the bringing of civilization, he cannot live to see it. Cheyenne’s musical theme is one of the most well developed of them all. It is genuinely "western", the noise of a trotting horse, the whistling campfire, and the overall lazy rhythm. It perfectly captures both humor and tragedy sides of Cheyenne, and his musical theme develops with him. It starts off with a hint of sinister when e first meet Cheyenne, fitting to his bandit persona, but it develops into a pleasant, almost hummable sound as it is revealed that he is essentially a good guy, a mentor figure.

Cheyenne really is one of the characters who exhibit the least amount of trickster features, next to none really, Cheyenne instead assumes the role of the wise mentor. His introduction points to a morally ambiguous bandit prince, but he quickly warms up to the viewer and becomes pivotal in stopping Frank and Morton, rescuing Harmonica and turning himself in briefly to stop Frank from acquiring Sweetwater at the auction. He is Jill’s mentor, feeling the need to protect her and help stop Frank upon first meeting her, Cheyenne helps Jill throughout the movie, and at the end sees her transformation complete, offering her a few last words of advice before sending her out to distribute water to the railroad workers, finally fulfilling her role as a nurturer.

Mr. Morton-

Mr. Morton is the railway tycoon with a dream of seeing the beautiful waves of the Pacific Ocean; he is actively pursuing his dream by building a railroad from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. To help see his dream through, he hires Frank to help him remove obstacles in the way of his railroad. Morton is the typical corrupt businessman, he is quite literally rotting away from the inside out because of a sickness that leaves him unable to stand without aid. Morton is on the lower end of the outsider spectrum, symbolizing the encroaching civilization, he is well known and exhibits power by way of his wealth. His occupation is very legal, unlike the other characters looked at thus far, the specifics of his operation may not be so legal, but he goes to lengths to make sure those events are not associated with him. Morton is addressed very formally, always as "Mr. Morton" alluding to his status and wealth. Morton’s musical theme is interlaced with his unfulfilled dream of seeing the "blue of the Pacific Ocean". Its soft piano sounds and soothing ocean sounds evoke images of Morton’s dream. Ironically, Morton dies in a puddle of muddy water, never seeing his beautiful Pacific.

Again, Mr. Morton does not possess many features of a trickster character. He does, however, seem to exist in between a state of living and death. His sickness is slowly causing his degeneration but he is undoubtedly kept alive by his wealth, affording treatment that would be otherwise unavailable. Morton also does not keep friends well, after Frank realizes he has no place as a businessman and that he doesn’t need Morton, Morton pays frank’s own men to see him killed. Morton embodies the greedy, corrupt, businessmen that accompany the arrival of civilization, a type of man that Harmonica, Frank, and Cheyenne alike recognize as the death of their Wild West.

Brett McBain-

Brett McBain’s physical presence in the movie is very brief; he is killed at his farm, Sweetwater, before his new wife Jill even arrives. He is the least outsider, being a known name throughout Flagstone, his only outsider trait being that he chooses to live outside of town in the desert at his farm. This way, Brett is ignoring spatial boundaries, he is a part of Flagstone, but at the same time is also not. He is initially viewed as a fool for purchasing Sweetwater, which is seen only as a patch of desert. But when his genius is discovered at his prediction of the railroads having to pass through his property, his intentions are revealed and his fool stigma fades away. His occupation is the most honest and legal of them all; he is a simple farmer and family man. He is, however, stuck in limbo for eternity, because all of his plans revolved around waiting for the railroads to come, waiting for his money, and waiting for his new wife, Jill, but he was murdered before any of those came to fruition. He died during liminality, finished with his preparations but awaiting the rewards of his venture. His actions set up the central plot of the movie, revolving around his property, and the arrival of the railroads and with it civilization, requiring Jill’s assumption of the nurturing earth mother role.

Alliances-

In the beginning of the film, the alliances are quickly and clearly established as Frank and Mr. Morton, and Brett and Jill. In this early phase, the former alliance’s goal is to see the railroad completed and to remove any obstacles in the way, the latter wants a new life, Jill is moving away from her past and Brett is seeking to reap the rewards of this investment in Sweetwater. Brett is soon removed from the picture and his dreams and land fall to Jill, who is unaware of the significance of the land she has inherited. Seeking to answer that very question, Cheyenne joins her, wanting to stop whatever Frank and Morton have planned. The Jill-Cheyenne alliance is soon bolstered by the addition of Harmonica who begins Jill’s transformation process by ripping the frills off of her New Orleans style clothing, preparing her for her role as earth mother. Harmonica tips the balance of power in favor of the Jill-Cheyenne alliance. It is known that we wants something from Frank, it is not known until later however that what he wants is to kill Frank.

The Jill-Cheyenne-Harmonica alliance starts to succeed when the Frank-Morton alliance begins to disintegrate. Upon Frank’s realization that is isn’t cut out for life as a businessman, he no longer needs to be associated with Mr. Morton, and seeks to acquire Sweetwater for himself by holding Jill captive and forcing her to auction off the property in a fixed auction. Frank’s plan fails as Jill’s alliance strides forward towards victory when Harmonica turns in Cheyenne and purchases the property for $5,000, the reward for Cheyenne. Realizing Frank has abandoned him, Morton pays off Frank’s men and sends them to kill him. After the auction, Jill finally receives her bath and completes her transformation, being cleansed of her past and assuming her new role as water bearer, earth mother, and nurturer. Harmonica stops Frank’s men from killing him, so that the Jill-Cheyenne-Harmonica alliance can see its final victory.

When everyone returns to Sweetwater to see the construction of the station finished, Harmonica sits outside awaiting Frank who inevitably shows up. The final confrontation between Harmonica and Frank occurs resulting in Frank’s death and the culmination of Harmonica’s revenge, we also learn of Harmonica’s past. Before he dies, Frank calls himself not a businessman but "just a man" to which Harmonica replies "An ancient race. Other Mortons will be along, and they’ll kill it off" alluding to the inevitable demise of the wild, untamed West with the arrival of the railroads, a "world without balls" as director Sergio Leone remarked. It is after this that the victorious alliance disbands, having fulfilled its goal. Cheyenne urges Jill into her new role, and Harmonica leaves. Cheyenne explains to Jill why Harmonic won’t, or rather can’t, stay, saying that "people like that have something inside…something to do with death." The movie ends with Jill’s full assumption of her new role, the death of the mentor figure, and fading away of the trickster figure as the new social order is brought into existence.  This final sequence exhibits a final balance, a beginning and an ending, the old order and new order, a settling and an escape, Jill’s settling and Harmonica’s escape, and a celebration and a profound mourning, the arrival of the railroad and Cheyenne’s death.

The final outcome of this story, the creation of the new social order, the arrival of civilization to a previously untamed and wild area, rests on the outcome of the battle between these two alliances. If the outcomes had been reversed, and Frank would have won, he most likely would have acquired Sweetwater. Without Sweetwater, Jill wouldn’t have her mentor to guide her along her transformation, and her final cleansing transformation wouldn’t have happened. Without Jill’s assumption of the nurturer role for the new civilization, the new social order would be created as she is the central figure in both the creation of the new order and for its sustainability. As an earth mother, it is up to her to nurture and sustain this new social order, one based on civilization. Harmonica’s victory over Frank is what enables Sweetwater to stay with Jill and for her to complete her transformation, to take care of the emerging new social order.

Part II-

Victor Turner introduced the term multivocalic to the study of symbols. Ordinary symbols have only one association, but sacred or religious symbols, being multivocalic, may have many connections. They call attention to the richness of associations they possess. They are richer is meanings than ordinary symbols, which typically have a single meaning, usually operational. Turner’s term, multivocality, is used to indicate that one symbol may stand for many things. Turner himself utilized a tri-fold approach to examining symbols. The meaning of a symbol, to him, must incorporate indigenous meanings, operational meanings, and positional or relational meanings. This means that the symbol must be examined based off of indigenous accounts of observed ritual behavior, by observing what is done with the symbol or object, and by observing its relation to other symbols.

Water symbolism is extremely prevalent in "Once Upon A Time In The West", and is indeed mulitvocalic. In order to examine the role of water in the film, it is important to first look at some of the major instances where water is involved:

In the beginning, attention is called to the creaking windmill which is pumping the water to replenish the trains.

Dirty water drips onto the hat of one of Frank’s men in the beginning, which the man drinks just before his death.

Another of Frank’s men dips his hands in water before cracking his knuckles while awaiting the train.

Brett is fetching water from his well just before his whole family is killed

Jill asks the bartender at the rest stop for a bath, to which he replies that "water is poison in these parts".

When Harmonica confronts Wobbles about the meeting he arranged, he throws Wobbles into a tub which drenches him.

When Jill first meets Cheyenne and suspects he is going to rape her she insists "All I’ll need is a tub of boiling water", another reference to taking a bath.

Mr. Morton has a dream of seeing the blue Pacific Ocean.

His dream is not realized and he ends up dying face first in a puddle of muddy water

When Harmonica stops Jill from departing Sweetwater, he rips her cloths and tells her to get him some fresh water, preparing her for the role she will assume by film’s end.

As Jill gets him the water, Harmonica kills Frank’s two henchmen sent to kill Jill.

After Frank rapes her, Jill mentions to Harmonica that she "needs hot water", afterwards she is seen taking her long waited bath, washing away her filthy memories. The bath acts as a moral purification that completes her transformation from dirty whore to earth mother.

While Harmonica awaits Frank at Sweetwater, Cheyenne splashes his face with water as Jill heats more water for his shave.

During the final scenes of the movie, a train carrying thirsty workers arrives in Sweetwater, and Jill takes water out to them, fully assuming her water bearer role. While Harmonica "has something to do with death", Jill is clearly a life force, a nurturer of civilization.

Water clearly has several meanings in the movie and plays an important role in several dichotomies. The first has to do with clean versus dirty water. In the movie, dirty water is often associated with death. In the beginning, Frank’s man drinks the dirty dripping water and is soon killed, and Mr. Morton dies in a pool of muddy water, a cruel twist to his dream. Jill is associated with clean water. Before her arrival, it seems the Flagstone has an opinion of water in the area as "poison", evidenced by the bartender’s remark. After her arrival in Flagstone, however, we see an increase in references to clean, or fresh, water. This calls attention to water’s second association in the movie, that of cleansing and transformation. Throughout the movie Jill references needing a bath, always after a situation that would leave a "filthy memory", one that reminds her of her previous life in New Orleans. In other words, she longs for a bath that will cleanse her of her previous role, one that would propel her toward her new role as earth mother, as the nurturer of the new social order brought about by the victory of her alliance. She ultimately receives that bath, and it acts as her moral baptism. Jill is finally cleansed of her "filthy memories" and guided by Cheyenne, she fully assumes her new role. As the masters of the old order die and disappear, Jill as the earth mother of the new order proudly takes up her new role and is seen delivering water to the workers. Water in this way is central to the story that unfolds during the film. The arrival of civilization, accompanied by the demise of the old and untamed Wild West, is heralded and made possible by the emergence of a nurturing water bearer figure, the catalyst for which was the cleansing properties of water. Water not only enables the new order by replenishing the train and its workers, but by making possible the transformation crucial to sustaining this new order.