"The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" is a western, but it's not a typical western. What makes this western so different? Consider the setting, characters, action, and theme when writing your response.
I think part of what makes this western so different is that it appears to be a love story at first. We do not even find out that Jack is a marshall until halfway through the story! The characters are quite simple at the beginning, Jack and his new wife seem like average people. Also, I would expect much more action from western. This story has a lot of tension building up to the climax, but no bloody gunfight at the end. That surprised me, I was waiting for someone to get shot! The rather anti-climatic ending of this story definitely sets it apart from most westerns.
I agree with annamac in that this particular western is different because it appears to be a love story when one first starts to read it. Also this western is different because there really is not much violence like in real westerns. Yes, there is Scratchy Wilson who runs around town with a gun trying to pick a fight, and one almost expects something to happen between him and Jack. But instead Wilson finds out Jack is married and calls their fightings off. That just does not happen in a typical western. Also, the characters and the train setting at the beginning is simple and one just expects them to be heading home to begin a newlywed life. This story was definitely an interesting western.
To begin with, most "western" movies or stories do not have women as main characters. In "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky," Jack's wife is a central character. This steers away from a typical western. Also, most westerns do not discuss or portray a marriage. Another aspect that makes this western so different is that there is no fighting, as mentioned by annamac. When Scratchy Wilson is walking around looking for a fight, I expected to read about a dual. Ironically, there was never a fight or dual.
As the story begins, it takes on no appearance of a western. At first thought, the reader will most likely conclude that this is a love story. Personally, I assumed these people were English, or, at least, from some European country; that is, until one of them uttered the word "ain't", and then I knew they must be American. Still, there was no specific indication that it was, indeed, a western. It is only when the story is brought to Yellow Sky that we discover this hidden nature. After this, the story continues to defy the "standards" of traditional western stories by presenting an anti-climax (as annamac stated) at the end. After all of the tension and progression toward the climax, the story concludes very lightheartedly and simplistically, with no gun fight and no death.
The very first scene of this story lets the reader know that this will not be a typical western story. The attire that Jack and his bride are wearing are not what people from the west would normally wear. Another detail that shows it is not a western is the "fight" scene between Jack and Scratchy. In a normal western, there would be a dual no matter what the circumstances for either side is. Here though, the dual ceases because Jack is married. There are many instances here in "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" that are not your typical western scene.
Honestly, this western is a complete joke! Nothing is how it was suppose to be. When I think of a western, The images a dirt and tumbleweed and hardcore mean shooting each other death, not green pastures with men who argue with their mouths and not weapons. As annamac said, the story brings in a lot of tension towards the climax, but in the end, the dual was pointless.
Westerns are geared toward the prominent male population. Generally, they include: John Wayne, lots of drinking, shootouts with the bad guys and a beautiful lady who always seems to go for Mr. Wayne himself. This story reminds me a little of "Blazing Saddles" in the way that it is definitely not the typical western. In The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky, women and marriage appear to come first, clothes are high class and the bad guy is nothing more than a joke. The author uses this satirical edge to show that change in the west is on the horizon.
"The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" is not a typical western story. From the clothing the main characters wear, to even the way there is grass, as opposed to dust, and no sign of original western setting contributers such as dust bowls. Also, near the end of the story, where I personally was expecting an epic and grusome shoot out, instead there was only a fight with words, which I later realized was the authors way of changing a typical western story and adding a twist that symbolises the same consept, only with a less loud way of expression.
This story is a complete satire of a typical western. Everything from the characters to the setting to the inevitable showdown in the end is not what western fans have come to expect. Even the villain (Scratchy Wilson) is a satire of a normal western bad guy. He is a drunk on a rampage that, when sober, wouldnt hurt a fly. His talents are lacking and when confronted by the stories protagonist, anticlimactically walks away.
What a western. This western defies all other westerns ever made. To begin the land they are traveling on is rather green and lively when in a typical western, everything is dead, sandy, and has tumble weeds. Also in a typical western there isn't a drummer, usually it's a pianist. Plus the bride or lady of the sheriff is stated as ugly. in a western usually the lady is rather pretty and is a damsel in distress. This one is off the bat his wife and ugly, easily seen as not a typical western. The gun fight scene, as everyone stated, is extremely anticlimactic. There should be a gun fight showdown and a person should wiend up dead. One last thing, the sheriff of the town seemed to be a bit of coward. For every little thing he was rather nervous, he was even scared that because he had not married in Yellow Sky that his friends would burn down the new hotel. What kind of sheriff alerts about citizens in his town when there are usually bad guys around.
As Ck and annamac have both stated, there is not enough action in this story, such as duals and fights, for it to have been a typical western. Though it may be known as a western story, the appearance of it at first is that of a love story. What really tips it off as not being a typical western is the fact that Scratchy Wilson cancels his dual with Jack due to the fact that he is married. Where in typical western films do you see a dual called off in the first place? Also the lack of intensity and the sense of normality both combine to create an irregular type of western story.
Satire is used in this short story to make it the opposite of a typical western story. First off, the setting is too nice to be a western. Yellow Sky is filled with grassy landscpae and not enough dirt and dust as seen in a typical westwern. Also, like everyone has stated, there is just no action at all. We expect a huge gun fight in westerns, but this story in paricular ends in a compromise between the good guy and the bad guy. Not a single shot is fired between the two.
A typical western story always starts out with the hero on the horse or something in that nature. However, "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" starts out with a love tale between the hero and a woman (that's not even that pretty). First of all, the hero never has a woman. The women are all suppose to be following him because of what he does for the town. Second of all, this man's woman is not even that pretty. In all western stories, the hero's lady is always pretty. As a result of these instances, "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" is not a typical western.
13 comments:
I think part of what makes this western so different is that it appears to be a love story at first. We do not even find out that Jack is a marshall until halfway through the story! The characters are quite simple at the beginning, Jack and his new wife seem like average people. Also, I would expect much more action from western. This story has a lot of tension building up to the climax, but no bloody gunfight at the end. That surprised me, I was waiting for someone to get shot! The rather anti-climatic ending of this story definitely sets it apart from most westerns.
I agree with annamac in that this particular western is different because it appears to be a love story when one first starts to read it. Also this western is different because there really is not much violence like in real westerns. Yes, there is Scratchy Wilson who runs around town with a gun trying to pick a fight, and one almost expects something to happen between him and Jack. But instead Wilson finds out Jack is married and calls their fightings off. That just does not happen in a typical western. Also, the characters and the train setting at the beginning is simple and one just expects them to be heading home to begin a newlywed life. This story was definitely an interesting western.
To begin with, most "western" movies or stories do not have women as main characters. In "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky," Jack's wife is a central character. This steers away from a typical western. Also, most westerns do not discuss or portray a marriage. Another aspect that makes this western so different is that there is no fighting, as mentioned by annamac. When Scratchy Wilson is walking around looking for a fight, I expected to read about a dual. Ironically, there was never a fight or dual.
As the story begins, it takes on no appearance of a western. At first thought, the reader will most likely conclude that this is a love story. Personally, I assumed these people were English, or, at least, from some European country; that is, until one of them uttered the word "ain't", and then I knew they must be American. Still, there was no specific indication that it was, indeed, a western. It is only when the story is brought to Yellow Sky that we discover this hidden nature. After this, the story continues to defy the "standards" of traditional western stories by presenting an anti-climax (as annamac stated) at the end. After all of the tension and progression toward the climax, the story concludes very lightheartedly and simplistically, with no gun fight and no death.
The very first scene of this story lets the reader know that this will not be a typical western story. The attire that Jack and his bride are wearing are not what people from the west would normally wear. Another detail that shows it is not a western is the "fight" scene between Jack and Scratchy. In a normal western, there would be a dual no matter what the circumstances for either side is. Here though, the dual ceases because Jack is married. There are many instances here in "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" that are not your typical western scene.
Honestly, this western is a complete joke! Nothing is how it was suppose to be. When I think of a western, The images a dirt and tumbleweed and hardcore mean shooting each other death, not green pastures with men who argue with their mouths and not weapons. As annamac said, the story brings in a lot of tension towards the climax, but in the end, the dual was pointless.
Westerns are geared toward the prominent male population. Generally, they include: John Wayne, lots of drinking, shootouts with the bad guys and a beautiful lady who always seems to go for Mr. Wayne himself. This story reminds me a little of "Blazing Saddles" in the way that it is definitely not the typical western. In The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky, women and marriage appear to come first, clothes are high class and the bad guy is nothing more than a joke. The author uses this satirical edge to show that change in the west is on the horizon.
"The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" is not a typical western story. From the clothing the main characters wear, to even the way there is grass, as opposed to dust, and no sign of original western setting contributers such as dust bowls. Also, near the end of the story, where I personally was expecting an epic and grusome shoot out, instead there was only a fight with words, which I later realized was the authors way of changing a typical western story and adding a twist that symbolises the same consept, only with a less loud way of expression.
This story is a complete satire of a typical western. Everything from the characters to the setting to the inevitable showdown in the end is not what western fans have come to expect. Even the villain (Scratchy Wilson) is a satire of a normal western bad guy. He is a drunk on a rampage that, when sober, wouldnt hurt a fly. His talents are lacking and when confronted by the stories protagonist, anticlimactically walks away.
What a western. This western defies all other westerns ever made. To begin the land they are traveling on is rather green and lively when in a typical western, everything is dead, sandy, and has tumble weeds. Also in a typical western there isn't a drummer, usually it's a pianist. Plus the bride or lady of the sheriff is stated as ugly. in a western usually the lady is rather pretty and is a damsel in distress. This one is off the bat his wife and ugly, easily seen as not a typical western. The gun fight scene, as everyone stated, is extremely anticlimactic. There should be a gun fight showdown and a person should wiend up dead. One last thing, the sheriff of the town seemed to be a bit of coward. For every little thing he was rather nervous, he was even scared that because he had not married in Yellow Sky that his friends would burn down the new hotel. What kind of sheriff alerts about citizens in his town when there are usually bad guys around.
As Ck and annamac have both stated, there is not enough action in this story, such as duals and fights, for it to have been a typical western. Though it may be known as a western story, the appearance of it at first is that of a love story. What really tips it off as not being a typical western is the fact that Scratchy Wilson cancels his dual with Jack due to the fact that he is married. Where in typical western films do you see a dual called off in the first place? Also the lack of intensity and the sense of normality both combine to create an irregular type of western story.
Satire is used in this short story to make it the opposite of a typical western story. First off, the setting is too nice to be a western. Yellow Sky is filled with grassy landscpae and not enough dirt and dust as seen in a typical westwern. Also, like everyone has stated, there is just no action at all. We expect a huge gun fight in westerns, but this story in paricular ends in a compromise between the good guy and the bad guy. Not a single shot is fired between the two.
A typical western story always starts out with the hero on the horse or something in that nature. However, "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" starts out with a love tale between the hero and a woman (that's not even that pretty). First of all, the hero never has a woman. The women are all suppose to be following him because of what he does for the town. Second of all, this man's woman is not even that pretty. In all western stories, the hero's lady is always pretty. As a result of these instances, "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" is not a typical western.
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