The Significance of the Picture in the Bar
Does the picture in the bar have any significance to the movie? I believe it does. The mindset portrayed by the picture at the beginning of the movie is that of the main character “Carter” was angry and frustrated by the fact that his woman left town and moved. (Later in the movie she would make an appearance coming out of a carriage in the middle of the mountain pass, she being just married.)
But what if the picture was not meant for that purpose? What if the words spoken about that picture had another meaning?
Let’s look at the words said about the picture, in the order that they were spoken:
1)“That guy’s awful slow getting there.”
2)“I feel sorry for him. Always in reach and never able to do anything about it.”
3)“I got a feeling she could do better.”
4)“Ain’t that guy got there yet?”
5)“Holy cow, now I'm gonna have to start all over again.”
Looking at those quotes, you can come to the conclusion that they are talking about the woman in the painting as just a woman, but I believe that the woman is actually used to symbolize something other than a woman. My belief is that the woman was used to symbolize “Power” and the guy is meant to symbolize “Man (Mankind).” That would then make the quotes give a foretelling of the events that will take place in the movie.
Starting off with the first quote, “That guy’s awful slow getting there.”
With the belief that the guy is meant to be “Man (Mankind)” and woman as “Power”, the Townspeople would be the “guy” the first quote was talking about. When the news that Larry Kinkaid was murdered was brought to the Townspeople, they wanted justice for his murder. Though they were quick to gather and talk of taking justice. None of them had the power to make the mob legal, where it wouldn’t be considered a Lynch Mob. As they debated, they slowly inched closer to how they would get the “power” to be able to bring “justice.” Seeing that the Sheriff was out of town, they went to the judge, as they didn’t want to discuss it with the Deputy Sheriff. The judge brought them nowhere, keeping them on this slow walk to gain power. But when the Deputy Sheriff found out about the mob, he went out there and illegally deputized the mob, a power only granted to the Sheriff. After they finally reached “her” and got their “power.” They went on to find those responsible of Kinkaid’s murder. Moving us to the next two quotes.
The next two quotes work together, as each quote takes one side of the argument that later arises. Looking at the first of these two quotes, “I feel sorry for him. Always in reach and never able to do anything about it,” instead of the “guy” being referred to as the Townspeople again, this time the “guy” refers to “Gil Carter” and those who shared the minority view about the hanging that the majority wanted. This quote, as well as the other one, foretells of how the three people found (Poncho and the two others) in the mountain pass should be treated. The first quote being Carter and those who shared his view were against the hanging. They were in reach of the situation at hand, but were unable to do anything about it. They had to watch, much like the man in the painting, from the front lines as the majority ruled to hang the three people found.
Which brings us to the second of those two quotes, “I got a feeling she could do better,” meaning that “power” could be in better hands. The majority were abusing the power that they were illegally granted by wanting to hang those who they thought were responsible for the murder of Kinkaid. They were abusing “power” much like a husband who abuses his wife, those who know about it feeling sorry that they can’t do anything about it and knowing that the wife could do much better, could find a much better man, one who respects her and doesn’t abuse her. Then as the hanging came ever so near, the majority soon getting what they desire. Bringing the fourth quote into play.
“Ain’t that guy got there yet?”
That “guy” they refer to in this case is the Sheriff; the one who should actually be in charge, not Major Tetley, who is prying off the emotions of the majority. There is that wait, hoping the Sheriff will show up soon. Hoping that he would break up this lynch mob before the mob kills three people who the minority believes is innocent. But the Sheriff didn’t get there in time, and the three people were hanged just before the sunrise. Ensuring that their justice was done before the Sheriff could have any say.
Which brings us to the final, fifth quote, “Holy cow, now I'm gonna have to start all over again”, this quote giving the other four quotes a double meaning. The first being what I already stated and now a second, new meaning to the four other quotes, bringing it to reference the real world instead of just the events of the movie. It speaks about how the abuse of “power” happens over and over again, in many situations. And people have to go through this cycle all over again. There will be those who watch, unable to stop corrupt people from slowly inching forward and at one point achieving power, and those who feel sadness as they have knowledge that “power” could be in much better hands. Then finally, that waiting, wondering when true justice, true power will rid of the abuse of the “power”.