The Searchers

The Searchers Literary Elements

Director

John Ford

Leading Actors/Actresses

John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter

Supporting Actors/Actresses

Natalie Wood, Vera Miles, Ward Bond, John Qualen, Henry Brandon, Hank Worden

Genre

Western, Drama, Adventure

Language

English

Awards

Directors Guild Nomination - Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures

Date of Release

1956

Producer

Merian C. Cooper, Patrick Ford

Setting and Context

The American West, three years after the Civil War has ended

Narrator and Point of View

Tone and Mood

Dramatic, Serious, Epic

Protagonist and Antagonist

Protagonist is Ethan Edwards. Antagonist is Scar

Major Conflict

Scar and his tribe have killed Ethan's brother and his family and kidnapped their two daughters. They murder the oldest and raise Debbie the youngest as a Comanche. Ethan and Martin set out to find Debbie.

Climax

Ethan and Martin find Debbie with Scar and after killing Scar in battle, they are able to bring Debbie home.

Foreshadowing

Brad tells Ethan to stop saying Lucy is probably dead. This foreshadows Ethan finding Lucy in the canyon, murdered.

Understatement

Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques

Allusions

Allusions to Christianity, Native American culture, the Civil War.

Paradox

After seeing that Debbie is living as a Comanche, Ethan would rather kill Debbie than bring her home safely, which would undermine their entire mission.

Parallelism

The final shot of Ethan framed by the inside of the Edwards home as he leaves parallels the opening scene where Ethan is welcomed home, onto the porch of his brother, Aaron.

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