One of the most interesting ways to view Shane is through the lens of the boy in it, Joey.
The central conflict in Shane is established early on and spends the picture bubbling in the background. Shane arrives at Joe Strarrett's farm just as Ryker and his bullying henchmen show up. Joe tries to handle it himself, but Shane decides to stick around as a farm hand. All the while, we wait for Shane to handle the inevitable violence.
Joey idolizes Shane from the start. Initially, because Shane has a gun. "Bet you can shoot," he says. That's what Joey worships. Guns and gunplay and being tougher than the other man. Joey asks his dad if he could beat Shane in a fight.
Shane can't help but be taken in by the worship. It may be even part of why he decides to stick around, because his older, violent self is valued here.
We find Joey's thinking creep into Shane and Joe's actions. Shane deliberately shows off for Joey when he teaches him how to shoot. And appearing tough is part of Joe's reason for justifying heading into town to confront Ryker (a fight he knows he can't win). Joe tells his wife, "Do you think I could go on living with you, and you thinking that I showed yellow? Then what about Joey? How would I ever explain that to him?"
Here we have two men, one ashamed of his ability to do violence, one ashamed of failing to do violence in his wife and son's eyes.
Meanwhile, Marian wisely believes that the valley will be better off without any guns in it at all. She tells Shane, "guns aren't going to be my boy's life!" But as long as they (and what they represent) are what Joey idolizes, Joey's life, and the valley, will never be free from them.
The central conflict in Shane is established early on and spends the picture bubbling in the background. Shane arrives at Joe Strarrett's farm just as Ryker and his bullying henchmen show up. Joe tries to handle it himself, but Shane decides to stick around as a farm hand. All the while, we wait for Shane to handle the inevitable violence.
Joey idolizes Shane from the start. Initially, because Shane has a gun. "Bet you can shoot," he says. That's what Joey worships. Guns and gunplay and being tougher than the other man. Joey asks his dad if he could beat Shane in a fight.
Shane can't help but be taken in by the worship. It may be even part of why he decides to stick around, because his older, violent self is valued here.
We find Joey's thinking creep into Shane and Joe's actions. Shane deliberately shows off for Joey when he teaches him how to shoot. And appearing tough is part of Joe's reason for justifying heading into town to confront Ryker (a fight he knows he can't win). Joe tells his wife, "Do you think I could go on living with you, and you thinking that I showed yellow? Then what about Joey? How would I ever explain that to him?"
Here we have two men, one ashamed of his ability to do violence, one ashamed of failing to do violence in his wife and son's eyes.
Meanwhile, Marian wisely believes that the valley will be better off without any guns in it at all. She tells Shane, "guns aren't going to be my boy's life!" But as long as they (and what they represent) are what Joey idolizes, Joey's life, and the valley, will never be free from them.
