The First Superheroes

Our discussion about superheroes has allowed me to delve into the possibility of another subset of heroes that has had an enduring effect on our culture: the American cowboys.

With the exceptions of such texts as Brokeback Mountain, cowboys are often portrayed as the ultimate heroes. They are typically incredibly strong, but simple men with a job to do. They never belong anywhere, roaming from one town to the next. They are incredibly isolated, often alone with nothing but their herd and their horse, looking longingly up at the midnight sky while huddled around a fire for warmth or simply weathering the cold. They have no time for homes or families. The ones who do manage to have a family end up losing them through disease, raids, or other misfortunes. They are forever alone.

These men bury their feelings, often in cheap alcohol and loose women.They only talk about their feelings in one of two scenarios. In the first scenario, they have been injured and are dying, wanting someone to remember them, even if it is by the last words that they speak. In the second scenario, they are pining for a lost love. Other than that, they are tough, cold, and stoic, wandering the earth in search of a new wilderness.

A cowboy is never idle. They always have some evil to face, whether it be greedy bank managers wanting to take away the small patch of land the cowboy has carved out for himself or rustlers trying to steal away the livestock that make up the cowboy's livelihood. A cowboy fights for what is theirs no matter the cost.

Because of the images that the cowboy brings forth, I believe that we should study them with just as much scrutiny as we would other heroes. I believe that these images could have the same effect on a young boy as Batman or Ironman could.