Stagecoach Movie Conflict

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In the film Stagecoach, the group of individual of differing social standings and classes convene as group of passenger in their journey, attempting to avoid Apache warriors. While each passenger had their own motivations for their journey – some with honorable circumstances such as finding their spouse, and others with less honorable circumstances, such as being forced out of town due to alcoholism or prostitution. Regardless of their backgrounds and context and their motivations, this group of passengers, through the relentless challenges they faced throughout their journey from Tonto to Lordsburg. Although they were coerced to work together under the threat of death from Apache warriors, the team that the passengers formed in Stagecoach …show more content…

Numerous scenes depict this second stage of storming – Gatewood constantly fight with Curly for leadership in deciding whether or not to return to Tonto as Gatewood insists the Stagecoach forges on while Curly calls for a democratic vote. Furthermore, Hatfield and Doc Boone find themselves in conflict when they argue about the wording of the Civil War – whether it was the War of Southern Confederacy or the War of Rebellion. This seemingly meaningless conflict evolves into one in which Hatfield criticizes Doc Boone’s alcoholism and Boone hints at Hatfield’s criminal background, recalling that “gentleman did not shoot other people.” Despite these conflicts, as Tuckman mentions, certain group members continue to be silent throughout the conflicts – Ms. Mallory, is almost entirely silent throughout the entire journey with the exceptions when she asks where her spouse, a captain in the military, is. At the stage of the film, it seems as if the passengers are still “feeling each other” out, gauging their personalities and tendencies. Tuckman mentions that that group members must move from a “testing …show more content…

Furthermore, performing stage is characterized by “complete group identity complete, group morale is high, and group loyalty is intense.” Some of features of the performing stage is not all conspicuous in the film. While group morale is high, indicated but their eventual arrival at Lordsburg, loyalty is on a varying spectrum for the passengers. Gatewood, who seems entirely distant from the passengers, does not seem to have loyalty for the group beyond arriving at Lordsburg. In contrast, Ringo’s loyalty is shown after he is handed a gun to fight against the Apaches rather than easily fleeing from Curly and the Stagecoach. Hatfield’s final act to kill Ms. Mallory with his last bullet could be debated as being loyalty to group or disloyalty, depending on personal interpretations of his actions. Those who see his action as “protecting” Mallory from the savages could deem it loyalty to the group while others could construe his actions as a cowardly betrayal from fighting as a group and

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