The Dark Avengers

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Heroes come in all shapes and sizes; tall, dark, handsome, ugly, astute, or mentally handicapped, and Shane is no exception. He rode into their lives with temperance and vigor, and left a legacy behind. How does one deal with a shady business man who is hell bent on wanted and willful destruction of freedom? Brute force has always been the heroes approach. Shane rode into a small town in Wyoming and met a family, who with all their respect needed a hero. Both of the stories that I will tell, including Shane’s and the story of Tombstone had their similarities, and also had their differences. What is it about the dark clothed eerie figures that instill so much fear in the hearts of vigilantes? Perhaps it is their silence that speaks such strong words, or maybe it’s their strong value system that gives them the upper hand. In any case, they become a formidable force to be reckoned with. I will attempt to distinguish the differences and similarities between a fictional hero written about in 1889, and an account based on a real person that took place in Tombstone Arizona a few years before in 1881.

I’m going to discuss the novel “Shane.” First I will discuss his appearance, followed by his character, and follow-up with a choice he was forced to make that we will cross reference with our next character shortly. His character had a dark appearance, with a “lean and hard face that had been burned from high forehead to firm.” Schaefer (2) Looking at the cover, you will notice Shane is dressed in a black suit with a black vest, and dark cowboy hat. His gun hangs ominously at is his side to thwart any threats. He has a somewhat thin posture; however, he seems quite solid. His sneer says “Don’t even think about it,” and compliments his gun....

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... themselves to venture out and settle a score; the only difference was the number of people involved in each story. But the fact remains, the good guy secured a victory in each instance

Shane had a deep feeling of responsibility to his ready-made family as he so eloquently illustrated in his final battle with Fletcher, and Wilson. He also played a role model to Bob, who was an impressionable boy. On all accounts, Shane was a book of fiction from the mind of Jack Schafer, interesting, and descriptive as it was, it lacked the power I believe it needed to keep the reader wanting more. If I were to pick a favorite plot, it would be the story of Wyatt Earp and his complex series of plotlines that led him to a strong finish, sealed into the actual history books of our modern era. Wyatt held strong in the face of a ruthless band of hooligans and proved crime doesn’t pay.

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