Shifting Views on Native Americans in the Film, Dances With Wolves :: Movie Film Essays

Shifting Views on Native Americans in the Film, Dances With Wolves A wounded soldier lay on an operation table. The pellet is surely not that unusual. 150 years ago, the medical field dealt with mortify and infections by amputating any wounded limb. Now John Dunbar finds himself in well-nigh the same situation. On a stroke of luck, as it would turn out, the pay off feels to tired to complete the operation on Dunbar and decides to finish for the day in the beginning taking his leg off. In the moments that followed, a frustrated, confused and disillusioned Dunbar pulls his boots back end on and stumbles back onto the battle field. Feeling like there is vigour left to live for, Dunbar mounts a horse and charges the stagnant enemy line, bring the battle to full fledged combat. Though his original intent I feel was not to start the battle, but rather to end his life, he becomes a hero, pictureing that he wasnt shot or wounded. His cowardly actions in a twist of fate, ironically la nded him as a decorate soldier. Due to his position, Dunbar was given the option to go where ever he wanted. This was a customary option for war heros of his time. Being the romantic type, as depict in the film, he requested to be sent out westward to become a US marshal. He felt a occupation to see the Old West before it was gone. Upon his assigning to his fleck, it was understood that he was an Indian hunter. So, he was sent to a completely unmanned post in the west. Here is confronting with an interesting sequencing of events that would eternally change his life. The American Indians, in the eyes of virtually everyone moving west, were considered the enemy. I didnt get the impression that Dunbar or his traveling counterpart felt any differently as they the halt and carefully and with concern, inspected a human skeleton with arrows in it. I as well as couldnt help but feel some comradery with them. Moments later, a chevron of Indians notice a cloud of smoke rising in the d istance. We see the paint and the scowls on their faces. They look like everything Ive ever thought to be Indian. Savage, heartless, rough, mean and having no concept of rational. And sure enough, as the film would go forth me to believe, the horrid Indian descends into the plains to find a white traveler preparation a meal.