Shifting Perceptions in Dances With Wolves Essay -- Dances With Wolves

Shifting Perceptions in Dances With WolvesIn Kevin Costners motion picture Dances With Wolves, a white veteran of the gracious War, John Dunbar, ventures to the American frontier, where he encounters a tribe of Sioux Indians. At first, two parties are quite warfarey and almost hostile to for each one other, only if after some time, Dunbar realizes that they have both grown to love and rate each other as friends. As the movie critic Robert Ebert comments, Dunbar possesses the unitary quality he needs to cut through the entrenched racial discrimination of his time He is able to look another man in the eye, and see the man, rather than his attitudes about the man. As Dunbar discovers the culture of the Sioux, so do we. As the viewpoint of the hero gradu totallyy shifts throughout the flick, it is also paralleled by the similarly shifting perception of the auditory modality- from one of initial, stereotypical fear to a much more positive one, of respect and sympathy. This overa ll effect on the viewer is accomplished through the skillful use of several techniques in the film, as well as through the use of some unforgettable scenes, as portrayed through Dunbars eyes. In the first several scenes of the movie, the audience is introduced to the hero, John Dunbar, and is instantly able to sympathize with him. Firstly, he is a war hero, and thus, brave and respected. Then, when he chooses to move to the frontier, he reveals his adventurous spirit, and when he toils indefatigably each day to build the post, he also shows his hardworking and condition personality. Furthermore, Dunbar is a well-educated man, for he eloquently records his experiences in his journal each day, and his thoughts and insights reveal a man of noble and upright character. Thus, these qualities constitute the... ...rriding theme- that all humans possess common emotions, desires, and traits, and that these human elements alone are what should be the distinguishing factors in ones identit y, rather than race, gender, or any other external sub-category. Overall, the film causes the audience to change a traditional, stereotypical view of the Sioux Indians, but on a broader scale, it also challenges the audience to view all people from a more humanistic point of view. Works CitedCostner, Kevin, dir. Dances with Wolves. Perf. Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, and Rodney A. Grant. 1990. Videocassette. Orion, 1991. Ebert, Robert. Dances With Wolves. Rev. of Dances With Wolves, dir. Kevin Costner. The bread Sun-Times 9 Nov. 1990. Standing vibrate Sioux Nation. Home Page. 31 Mar. 2000. Standing Rock Sioux Nation. 12 Oct. 2001. http//www.standingrock.org.