Textual Analysis Unforgiven

Helen Molina
TVF 366
May 6, 2013
Professor Madison
Unforgiven
(Textual Analysis)
Unforgiven is about a retired gunslinger William Munny (Clint Eastwood) who partners up with his old partner Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman), a young boy who goes by the Schofield kid (Jaimz Woolvett) and take the job to kill two men, Davey boy (only held the woman) and his partner who did the cut up a the woman’s face. Unforgiven takes an exclusive position on violence by showing what it means to kill a person in a different way. “Water for a Dying Man” is one of the most powerful scenes in the movie, the truth behind violence.
The difference between this film and the films from now is that the line between who the "good guy" and who is the "bad guy" is not as obviously drawn. This is happens for a very important reason. This scene is ironic in a way because the death of Davey boy actually makes Munny and Ned feel guilty. Davey Boy, who is supposedly the "bad guy," is now the victim, therefore making Munny, Ned, and the Schofield Kid the "bad guys."   Davey Boy never did anything to hurt anyone; earlier in the film he even offer his best horse to Delilah (the woman whose face was cut up) as an apology for what his partner did.   Later in the film, it proves how Davey boy never deserved to die.
The type of violence nowadays shown is easy, quick and clean. George Gerbner calls this type of violence in this scene “happy violence.” This type of violence is clean and is supposed to entertain and not upset the audience. The way Davey boy’s death is unrealistic. However, in other films the “good guys” are shooting at armed enemies. Unforgiven scene it shows Ned and then Munny aiming at Davey boy who is injured and has no way of protecting himself. At first, it is Ned, who tries to shoot Davey boy but surprisingly Ned could not do it so Munny takes the gun away and aims it at Davey boy. The camera angle shows how Davey boy is out in the open, alone and defenseless, is trying his best...