Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Characters / Shane

Go To

1%%
2%%
3%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
4%%
5%%
6[[foldercontrol]]
7
8[[folder:Shane]]
9!!Shane
10->'''Played By:''' Creator/AlanLadd
11
12* BewareTheNiceOnes: Shane is a good man who gets involved with the struggle to help the homesteaders out of the goodness of his heart. [[spoiler:He's also a badass enough gunslinger to effortlessly gun down Rufus Ryker and Jack Wilson practically at once.]]
13* BrokenAce: [[spoiler:Dependent on your point of view, he either kept riding at the end and just ignored Joey, or died at the end and couldn't hear Joey any longer.]]
14* ButNowIMustGo: One of the most famous examples of the trope in film. [[spoiler:With Rufus Ryker and Wilson dead, and the homesteaders safe, Shane decides to leave the valley so that there will be no more guns there, just like Marian Starrett wished. He ignores Joey's pleas for him to come back and rides off into the distance. Of course, another interpretation is that the gunshot he took from Morgan Ryker mortally wounded him, and he left to hide his impending death.]]
15* CallToAgriculture: Attempts to restart his life as a homesteader's assistant at the beginning of the film. As he eventually realizes though, you can't go back from a killing.
16* CombatPragmatist: Ends his fight with Joe by pistol-whipping him.
17* TheDeterminator: Every time Joe seemingly beats him down, Shane finds his second wind and continues to hold him off.
18%%* GuileHero
19* TheGunslinger: Shane is an accomplished gunslinger, but he's not exactly happy about it.
20* TheHero: Although he could count as TheLancer to Starrett; both feature qualities of each, and the roles can arguably traded as the movie progresses.
21* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Depending on how you interpret the ending, Shane either died as a result of his wound, or realized that gunslingers have no place in a small town any longer and left.]]
22* KnightErrant: He fits the typical mold of the western hero who drifts into town, helps the locals with their problems, and then moves on once the job is done.
23* MadeOfIron: He's up against five different men and suffers some nasty blows, yet still manages to fight them to a standstill.
24* MysteriousPast: We don’t ever get to find out all that much about Shane, other than that he was a gunslinger at some point in his past. We don’t know where he is from originally, where he was coming from at the start of the story or what led him to try and give up his past violent life. Hell, even his name is a mystery; is it a first name, his last name or an alias/pseudonym?
25* PintSizedPowerhouse: Despite being lithe and short,[[note]]Alan Ladd is 5'6[[/note]] he is a terrific fighter who can physically beat almost any man by himself. He even manages to fight Joe Starrett, who is much bigger than he is, to a standstill.
26* TheQuietOne: Even though he doesn't say much, his actions and facial expressions communicate a lot.
27* RetiredBadass: Shane at least considers himself retired, but is forced to spring back into action to protect Joe and the homesteaders.
28%%* SilentSnarker
29* SupportingProtagonist: Although Shane is the titular character and [[spoiler:engages in the final battle against the Ryker brothers and Wilson]], it is Joe Starrett who is leading the homesteaders, while Shane is a gunslinger attempting to help him in his time of need. In addition, much of the story is told from Joey's Point of View.
30* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler:It's ambiguous whether the gunshot he got from Morgan Ryker was a mortal wound and that he was just lying to Joey about him being alright.]]
31[[/folder]]
32
33[[folder:Joe Starrett]]
34!!Joe Starrett
35->'''Played By:''' Van Heflin
36
37* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Is something of an unofficial leader amongst the homesteaders and is the toughest one among them. He doesn’t hesitate to jump in and help Shane in the saloon fight against Ryker and his cronies. He’s probably the second best melee fighter in the film behind Shane.
38* BashBrothers: He and Shane fight off five different men by themselves.
39* BigGood: Unofficial leader of the homesteaders and one of (if not the) most honorable character in the story. He’s ready, willing and able to defend his land and support his friends when they’re in trouble.
40* TheBigGuy: Compared to Shane's PintSizedPowerhouse, Joe relies on his brute strength during fights.
41* DeterminedHomesteader: The whole conflict of the film stems from his refusal to give up his home to the Ryker brothers. His resolve is deep enough that the other homesteaders follow his lead.
42* TheHero / TheLancer: See Shane's entry.
43* TheLeader: Of the other homesteaders.
44[[/folder]]
45
46[[folder:Marian Starrett]]
47!!Marian Starrett
48->'''Played By:''' Creator/JeanArthur
49
50* DeterminedHomesteader: She provides moral support to Joe throughout the film.
51%%* {{Housewife}}
52* {{UST}}: It's implied that she and Shane may have some romantic feelings for each other, but she loves her husband and nothing ever comes of it.
53[[/folder]]
54
55[[folder:Joey Starrett]]
56!!Joey Starrett
57->'''Played By:''' Brandon De Wilde
58
59* AdaptationalNameChange: He was originally called "Bob" in the book.
60* HeroWorship: From the second Joey meets him, he practically worships the ground Shane works on. Not least of which because he's enthralled by Shane's gunsling skills.
61* IntergenerationalFriendship: He tries to start this with Shane.
62* MoralityPet: He acts as one to Shane.
63[[/folder]]
64
65[[folder:Rufus Ryker]]
66!!Rufus Ryker
67->'''Played By:''' Emile Meyer
68
69* AdaptationalNameChange: He is based on Luke Fletcher from the novel.
70* AgeLift: Even though his age was never really specified, Luke Fletcher was described as more of a middle-aged man, while Rufus Ryker appears to be older than that.[[note]]Emile Meyer was actually middle-aged at the time of the film, but his makeup gives the impression of him being even older[[/note]]
71* BigBad: He's the main villain of the movie, being the one trying to drive the homesteaders off their land for his own benefit.
72* CattleBaron: He's a literal cattle baron who wants to seize the land of the local homesteaders so his herd can have free reign.
73* DecompositeCharacter: Even though he inherited most of Fletcher's role, his brother Morgan is also slightly based on Fletcher too (considering that Fletcher had no brother). Morgan notably [[spoiler: takes Fletcher's death scene from the book,]] though his role is mostly based on Fletcher's enforcer of the same name, making Morgan double as a CompositeCharacter.
74* EntitledBastard: He believes that because he, and similar men from his generation, helped settle the land the homesteaders live on, that he's entitled to have all of it.
75* EvilOldFolks: An old man willing to stoop to murder to get what he wants.
76* FatalFlaw: Greed. He wants as much land as possible for his herd, but not only do his actions get people riled up and willing to defy him, he's doomed to fail: the more land you have the harder it is to run it, and it doesn't guarantee enough grass for his already large herd.
77* MotiveRant: Much like Fletcher, he is largely driven by the potential profit of the beef contract. Unlike Fletcher however, he is given more depth after he rants to Joe Starrett about everything he went through to cultivate this land since he was a young man, and that he deserves a certain level of entitlement for his sacrifices.
78* PragmaticVillainy: While his enforcer, Jack Wilson, seems to revel in bloodshed, Ryker is at least pragmatic enough to rely on bribery, negotiation, intimidation and unethical but non-lethal tactics first. But that's only to avoid bringing the law down on him.
79* RetiredBadass: In his younger years, he successfully fought of several Cheyenne from this land, despite being outnumbered. Nowadays, he can still scrap somewhat, throwing some nasty punches at Shane.
80* SiblingsInCrime: He and his brother, Morgan, work together to scare off the homesteaders.
81* WeCanRuleTogether: When Shane proves how tough he is by roughing up one of his men, Ryker offers him the chance to come work for him instead.
82[[/folder]]
83
84[[folder:Jack Wilson]]
85!!Jack Wilson
86->'''Played By:''' Creator/JackPalance
87
88* AdaptationNameChange: Wilson's first name in the novel was Stark instead of Jack.
89* AxCrazy: "Prove it."
90* BloodKnight: Wilson doesn't get a chance to fight often in the movie, but his words and body language make it clear that he's always itching for a fight.
91* TheDragon: Ryker hires him halfway into the movie and he quickly becomes the deadliest threat to the heroes.
92* TheDreaded: While his exact past is never delved into, everyone who knows about Wilson is terrified of him.
93* EvilCounterpart: To Shane. Both are gunslingers with an implied long history of violence, but while Shane wants to put that life behind him and is working to defend the homesteaders, Wilson revels in bloodshed and is working to drive them off their land.
94* EvilIsBigger: At 6'4", Wilson stands almost a foot taller than the 5'6" Shane.
95* GunsAkimbo: Wilson carries two pistols, though he never uses both at once.
96* HiredGuns: He's an unscrupulous gunslinger for hire.
97%%* {{Jerkass}}
98* KickTheDog: He provokes [[spoiler:Stonewall]] into a duel, but even though Wilson draws first and his opponent ends up hesitating before he can aim his gun, Wilson murders him anyway.
99* PsychoForHire: Though his exact past is never revealed, it's implied he's left quite a few bodies in his wake, especially given the fear that people who know his reputation hold for him. He's a gun for hire, but unlike his pragmatic boss, Wilson takes obvious joy in killing.
100* TheQuietOne: Wilson doesn't talk that much, but when he does it's always foreboding.
101%%* SilentSnarker
102* SlasherSmile: He breaks out into these whenever he gets the chance to kill someone.
103* TheSociopath: He's portrayed as a fundamentally hollow human being who only takes joy in killing.
104[[/folder]]
105
106[[folder:Chris Calloway]]
107!!Chris Calloway
108->'''Played By:''' Ben Johnson
109
110* AgeLift: Chris was a young man in the book, while Chris in the film looks to be closer to his mid-thirties.
111* EvenEvilHasStandards: While he serves Ryker in intimidating the local homesteaders off their land, [[spoiler:when Ryker plans to murder Joe Starrett at a supposedly peaceful meeting, he turns on his boss and warns Shane.]]
112* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:He realizes that Ryker is pushing it too far after Torrey's death and warns Shane about Ryker's plan to kill murder Joe Starrett at their arranged meeting.]]
113* HiredGuns: He's another one of Ryker's hired muscle, but he's more of a bully than a monster and ultimately does have some standards.
114* {{Jerkass}}: He's this at first to Shane, insulting him from the get-go without Shane even speaking to him.
115[[/folder]]
116
117[[folder:Frank 'Stonewall' Torrey]]
118!!Frank "Stonewall" Torrey
119->'''Played By:''' Elisha Cook, Jr.
120
121* TheAlcoholic: Implied to be this, since he orders a bottle of whiskey every time he goes into Grafton's and is constantly mentioned or seen with a bottle in his hand.
122* BerserkButton: Telling him to back down when he wants to help out.
123* BullyingTheDragon: Does this twice to Wilson, the first time in Grafton's when he comes in to get a drink, and the second which [[spoiler:is in reverse, with Wilson bullying him first.]]
124* ButtMonkey: He is routinely mocked by everyone for being a former Confederate. [[spoiler:Ultimately, he becomes the only homesteader to die, though this is PlayedForDrama]].
125* CallToAgriculture: Fought as a soldier for the Confederacy but now tries to make a living as a rancher. [[spoiler: Sadly, he doesn’t get to enjoy the rancher’s life for long.]]
126* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler:Ernie Wright was killed in the book, while Torrey survived.]]
127* DecompositeCharacter=/=CompositeCharacter: Both he and Ernie Wright are based on Ernie Wright from the book, with Torrey inheriting his temper and [[spoiler:death scene.]] He's also a composite character for being based on Frank Torrey from the book.
128%%* DeterminedHomesteader
129* HairTriggerTemper: Draws on Wilson after he insults him as a Southerner. [[spoiler:It doesn't end well for him.]]
130%%* MotorMouth
131%%* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname
132* RememberTheDead: He's more memorable than the other homesteaders due to his death.
133* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler:His death is what causes Starrett and the other homesteaders to band together and take action against Ryker, as well as Shane springing into action to defend Starrett.]]
134* StillFightingTheCivilWar: Torrey is nicknamed "Stonewall", and his "Yankee" friend with the harmonica likes to antagonize him about the South, as demonstrated when he plays "Marching through Georgia" at the homesteader's meeting. Torrey mentions that he'd been a soldier and fought in battles, and in the end, it's Wilson calling Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee "trash" that is Torrey's BerserkButton.
135* TemptingFate: When he tries to stand up to Wilson and [[spoiler:gets a bullet planted in his chest as a result.]]
136[[/folder]]

Top