The concept of the Wild West lies at the core of the American ideology – the republican ideology of an independent state ruled by Law. The conflict between Law and Justice is always at the centre of a western. The reason is not hard to find: the wild frontier lands which used to belong to the native American population was an easy prey for all kinds of adventurers, outlaws and gangsters; ordinary settlers, in their turn, had to suffer from both Indians and rustlers. This resulted in immediate measures, such as lynching, which was viewed as an act of justice, on the one hand, and a kind of substitute for ineffective law, on the other.

The Wild West is the quintessence of American national identity. The ideal of a brave and strong, independent and free man best fits the idea of Americanism. These feelings of common Americans are readily exploited in politics and business. Thus, for example, quite a few Presidents of the United States turned to the image of a cowboy when......

Join Now to view the rest of this term paper!
Members: Login to view this research paper.

Title: The Origins Of The Literary Western: Dime Novels And The Virginian By O.Wister
Approximate Word Count: 1583
Approximate Pages: 7 (250 words per double-spaced page)

With the Term Papers Lab Membership Pass, you get instant access to every essay on this site, including this essay on The Origins Of The Literary Western: Dime Novels And The Virginian By O.Wister, for as long as you remain a member.

Other essays sites charge almost $100 for a single term paper. At Term Papers Lab, you can get instant access to over 100,000 research papers for as little as $29.95!