Whiteness

The following is a letter written to Ethan, character in the film The Searchers (1956).

Dear Ethan,

When you and Martin visited the chapel where the white women rescued by the cavalry were held, it was nothing like you anticipated. They looked white, but felt nothing like white while laughing hysterically and seemingly, madly, unable to comprehend what you were saying. You said, then and there, that “They’re not white, anymore.”

For Debbie, however, you initially decided that she was no longer white and married Scar, but later decided to accept her “Whiteness” when she recognized you.

The portrayal of “whiteness” here is intriguing. It appears to be an acquired characteristic. The mad girls acquired it via their skin color and upbringing, but “renounced” it when they were captured by Indians. For Debbie, somehow she was able to reacquire that Whiteness by perhaps, acting in a “White way”. Skin colour appears to a necessary requirement for Whiteness, but so is the way one lives. What a high bar to live up to.

Sincerely,

Karen

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