The Outlaw Josey Wales

A detailed Summary of The Outlaw Josey Wales

Many western-oriented films tend to focus on reckless cowboys running from town to town, killing anyone who may potentially threaten their power. The Outlaw Josey Wales by Robert Daly, however, portrays a new type of main character defined by an entirely different set of morals and values. Throughout the film, Josey kills a total of 47 characters, but not once does he do so without reason. He never murdered anyone unless the situation left him no other option. In Josey Wales' opinion, self-defense represented the only justification for killing another human being; the title "outlaw" inaccurately represents his true character.

The movie begins with Josey plowing his farmland, which appears very solid and difficult to penetrate. This portrays Josey's modest beginnings as a hard worker and devoted family man. The difficult farming conditions, however, foreshadow the struggles that lie ahead for Josey throughout the remainder of the film. As he works, Josey suddenly hears gunshots in the distance and notices a thick black smoke rising in the air. He ran toward the smoke and found a band of Union soldiers burning his house and butchering his wife and son. Smoke is symbolic of the soul, and the color black represents death, t

This band of rebels eventually surrendered to Union forces, but Josey refused. As "the last holdout" for the southern cause, the Union general Fletcher desperately wanted to detain him. Several times throughout the film, people tried to capture Josey in order to obtain the $5000 reward offered by Fletcher. The first instance came alongside the Missouri river when two crazed men snuck up behind Josey and held him at gunpoint. They told him to unbuckle his gun belt so he could not shoot them. Since they were lunatics, however, Josey's young (but sickly) companion, Jamie, easily tricked them. Jamie and Josey each shot one of the men, thereby ending this first occurrence. Another example came a little later when Josey interrupted two men who were raping a young Indian girl known as Moonlight. These men recognized Josey and also held him at gunpoint. One of the men ordered Josey to remove his pistols butt first; he did, but then instantly twirled them and shot each man, thereby saving himself and Moonlight. These examples prove how he only attacked others when they threatened his life.

Defending Josey's constant killing should not discredit the importance of a few scenes that depict his true nature. One of these scenes occurs in Comanche territory when Josey confronts Ten Bears for the first time. It is obvious that Josey has no intentions to begin a fight because he faces Ten Bears alone; if he wanted to cause trouble, he would have taken his friends to "match up" against the other Comanche warriors. Second, he would not have met Ten Bears at a location that gave him an edge ("home-field advantage"). As the two men talk, Josey speaks compassionately about the friendship that might arise between them, saying, "Guns don't live together; men live together," and, "Men can live together without butchering one another." Ten Bears eventually accepts the friendship proposed by Josey. In order to publicize their agreement, the two men become blood brothers in front of the Comanche warriors. This Native American custom represented the eternal friendship that now existed between these two groups. This example proves Josey's typical nature when he is not acting out of self-defense.

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Approximate Word count = 1492
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Movies