Personal Oppression

In the film, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Hallie Stoddard creates a world of her own self oppression. Usually, we think of this term as something that is enacted upon us or others by a cruel or unjust exercise of power and authority. But there is another facet to oppression, that of a heavy weight on our minds or bodies. She has a self-imposed burden that weighs down her soul.

Hallie gives up the home she loves for the promise of a better, more civilized world. She marries Ransom Stoddard, the symbol of statehood and progress, and rejects Tom Doniphan and the world she knows, the one he represents (the uncivilized frontier).

All seem to agree that this is a good thing, and most of us would agree. But for Hallie, the governor’s wife, when they return to Shinbone for Doniphan’s funeral, something is clearly weighing on her mind and heart. The world they created is missing something.

Hallie places a cactus rose on Doniphan’s coffin. Cacti grow in difficult climates with little rain. They are prickly, yes, but resilient and life giving in a world with no water. The bloom on the cactus happens only when there is a significant rain storm. Many argue that Hallie’s internal oppression was regretting her marriage to Ransom and mourning her true love, Tom.

But you have to look closer at what each man symbolizes. Ransom symbolizes stability and progress. Tom symbolizes the untamed frontier and its many dangers and adventures. She chose maturity over the adventure of youth. This is a natural process, but not one without a deep sense of loss.

This ties back nicely to the idea of nostalgia. Hallie desired safety, stability, and modernity, and naturally made the choice. But part of her will always hold the beauty and danger of the frontier in her heart.