Women Characters in The 47 Ronin, The American Experience, and in Shane

Some of the women’s characters like being motherly are innate, while others are developed due to a woman’s various roles in society. Different authors and film writers illustrate these roles in literary works and films respectively based on the experiences that the writers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Women Characters in The 47 Ronin, The American Experience, and in Shane specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Some writers highlight traits such as heroism, compassion, aggression, and protectiveness while others focus on negative traits such as infidelity. Okaru in The Fourty-Seven Ronin Story and the film The 47 Ronin, Annie Oakley in the book The Autobiography of Buffalo Bill and the film The American Experience, and Marian Starett in the book and film by the title Shane, are examples of such characters. This paper discusses each of these characters as depicted in the various literary works in which they are discussed as well as films. The paper explores each character individually by looking into similarities and differences, as portrayed in films and books that feature them, as well as similarities and differences of the characters when they are compared to each other. In addition, the paper focuses on the role that women play to hold society together and their innate caring and protective nature as displayed by all the aforementioned characters. Conflict is a common theme that is evident in all the works explored in this paper. In the book The Fourty-Seven Ronin Story by John Allyn, in which Okaru is a character, Mitford sets the story in Japan during the Genroku Ako incident, a time when the leader, Asano Takumi-no-Kami, dies in the hands of a rival, Kira. The Samurai who are referred to as the Ronin, which means leaderless samurai (Allyn 7), take it upon themselves to avenge their leader, even if it means giving up their own lives. In the Autobiography of buffalo bill writ ten by William Cody, in which Annie Oakley is a character, the events in the book happen during the American Civil War period. In the book Shane written by Jack Schaefer in which Marian Starrett is a character, there is conflict between the protagonist, Shane, and another character, Fletcher, over a farm where Shane is an employee. In the book The Fourty-Seven Ronin Story, Okaru plays the role of a servant, a geisha who works at a pleasure house known as the Flying Crane. She is hard working. Evidence of this assertion lies in the fact that she has an apprentice (Allyn 41). However, in the film The 47 Ronin, as directed by Carl Rinsch, this trait differently comes out differently by making Okaru seem more of a prisoner and a damsel in distress than a servant.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The book also illustrates the role of women as confidants and enables the reader to see her sense of loyalty, which is an admirable trait especially with regard to the type of role she is given. For instance, Oishi confides in her and yet she does not give him up. The accusations of her being a spy drive her to attempting suicide in defense of her honor, but Oishi and his eldest son, Chikara, save her, which is also reflected in the film version of the story. Annie Oakley is not only a character, but also celebrated hero and a part of American history. She is known for her skills as an excellent marks woman and part of a group that used their talents to spread the American culture in Europe as well as within the United States. Directed by Riva Freifeld, the documentary American Experience based on Annie Oakley and the book The Autobiography of Buffalo Bill, describe her as a strong and aggressive woman. This observation is evidenced by the fact that she teaches herself, as a child, to shoot her grandfather’s gun and hunt, something that most women during her period are s hy about as it is considered a preoccupation mostly for the men (Cody 30). She also brings out women’s role in society as providers by taking up hunting to provider her family with food and selling some of the animals to the town’s people for income. Both the film and the book also highlight the role of women as protectors as illustrated by the fact that she saves what she earns and by the age of fifteen, she has enough to buy the farm in which her family lives, thus ensuring their security and comfort (Cody 38). Her confidence, as illustrated in both the book and the film, is a trait demonstrated by the fact that she agrees to join a gun-shooting contest with an expert shooter, Frank Butler (Cody 56). Butler is of the opinion that he is the best in the town and so he is not intimidated by competition from other shooters. Being young and not as experienced, Annie takes up the challenge and comes out victorious by beating Butler by just one target. Oakley shows her beli ef in family values when she marries Frank and settles down in a family. Both the film and the book illustrate her fidelity, as she never breaks her vows to her husband for the entire period of her marriage until her death in 1926. The book paints her as being submissive by letting her husband to be the star of the show when they first start holding demonstrations on their skills in their town, while she remains in the background as his assistant most of the time, even though she knows that she can shoot a gun better than he can. Just like with Okaru in The 47 Ronin, The Autobiography of Buffalo Bill book describes Annie as loyal, both to her husband and to her country.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Women Characters in The 47 Ronin, The American Experience, and in Shane specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More During the First World War, she offers to teach a group of women volunteers how to shoot a gun so that they c an serve their country as soldiers. However, being a conservative society, the United States turns down this offer. However, she shows her determination by choosing a different approach. She visits training camps to give soldiers demonstrations on how to use a gun and raise funds for food, medicine, and other supplies. However, the film fails to demonstrate this bit as the book does. Annie is strong-willed and resilient and both the book and the film adequately appreciate this aspect. In 1901, she is involved in a train crash, which damages her back and it takes five separate operations to get it functional again. However, even with that kind of set back, Annie and Frank continue to perform by trading the Wild West Show for a smaller one back in Ohio where they first lived. Marian Starrett, a character in both the film by George Stevens and book titled Shane, plays the societal depiction of what a woman’s role should be. She is a good wife to her husband, Joe Starrett, and a dedicated mother to her ten-year-old son, Bob. Marian is depicted in both the book and the film as a home-keeper. The first chapter of the book gives the readers an image of her baking. This image is also included in the film, which has a scene with her preparing a meal and setting an extra plate at the table for the stranger. She comes out as a caring woman in both the film and the book by taking her time to listen to Shane as her way of helping him with his problem with Fletcher. She can also be termed as caring, as she worries about Shane’s wellbeing (Schaefer 28). Even though she falls in love with Shane while married to Joe, she upholds fidelity and never lets herself get in a situation that would sabotage her marriage. Another trait that stands out conspicuously in both the book and the film is her honesty. She does not hide her feelings about the two men in her life, either Shane or her husband Joe, which is a trait that is most admirable, as she does not resort to lie s or deceit of any sort. In addition, just like Annie Oakley, she plays a protective role in her family (Schaefer 54). She is a sharp shooter, a skill better that comes out clearly in the film than in the book, which indicates that she has the ability to protect her family as well as herself. The roles played by women in these examples are a depiction of the duties that women perform in society and although some women play roles big enough to leave a mark in history while others play more subtle roles, they are all important in society. The traits of the characters given above reveal to the audience and readers the type of people they are and the values they hold dear to their lives. Works Cited Allyn, John. The Fourty-Seven Ronin Story, North Clarendon: Tuttle Publishing, 1970. Print.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Cody, William. Buffalo Bill’s life story: An Autobiography, New York: Farrar Rinehart Inc., 1920. Print. Schaefer, Jack. Shane, New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1949. Print. Shane. Dir. George Stevens. Los Angeles: Paramount Picture corporation, 1953. Film. The American Experience. Dir. Riva Freifeld. Athens: WGBH Educational Foundation, 2006. DVD. The 47 Ronin. Dir. Carl Rinsch. Budapest: Mid Atlantic Films, 2013. Film. This essay on Women Characters in The 47 Ronin, The American Experience, and in Shane was written and submitted by user Alonso Banks to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.