Mary "Stagecoach Mary" Fields was the first African American woman, and second woman in the U.S., to carry mail. The experiences of these women, especially Native American women who often suffered the worst at the hands of white settlers, are important and should not be overlooked or forgotten. They could even live their entire lives as men without anyone knowing, as in the case of Charlotte "Charley" Parkhurst. Women could leave their homes and strike out on their own, divorce their husbands, or hunt down thieves. They could be prostitutes or brothel madams, yes, but they could also be gunslingers, bounty hunters, and business owners. The lawlessness of the west meant that, while women had less lawful protection, they were also not tightly held down by strict social rules like their Victorian counterparts. In reality, western women occupied much more varied roles. Men are typically lauded as heroes or even anti-heroes in traditional westerns women are often painted either as prostitutes who seduce the heroes or wholesome farm girls that marry the heroes. While America will never stop loving its cowboys, readers want more diverse stories that reflect the reality of the period. This comes at the expense of the otherwise rich landscape of voices available for western storytelling and this may, in fact, be the reason for the genre’s current limited popularity. From the novels of Louis L’Amour to the high-action western films of the 1950s, western fiction has been dominated by male narratives that focus heavily on the experiences of white, cisgendered, heterosexual men.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |