Dances with Wolves, directed by Kevin Costner, and The Searchers, directed by John Ford, examine the fabric of this country's past. The media has created a false image of the relationship between Native Americans and white men to suppress the cruel and unfortunate reality. Both directors wanted to contradict these stereotypes, but due to the time period in which the films were created, only one film was successful. Unlike The Searchers, Dancing with Wolves features a truly realistic portrayal of Native Americans. Both the protagonists of Dances with Wolves and The Searchers, Dunbar and Ethan, go on a journey and evolve in different ways. The purpose of Dunbar's journey is to discover who he is. For Ethan, it's about saving his nieces who, according to him, have been kidnapped and transformed into something abnormal and inhuman by the native "savages". Unlike Ethan, Dunbar is always self-reflective; his engagement with the natives does not involve some false epiphany, as often happens in films in which a white man realizes the value of other cultures. During the journey, Dunbar transforms spiritually, The Searchers antihero Ethan mixes his anger, guilt, and bigoted opinions to fuel his desire to do so. be a savior. Ethan's character is redeemed in the end, but does not change completely. However, Ethan is so twisted leading up to that point that one could easily argue whether it's even right to root for him in the first place. Both Dances with Wolves. and The Searchers share the theme of good and evil. In Costner's film, he emphasizes the idea that there is no right or wrong side, only right or wrong actions. The heroes of this film are the natives, who save Dunbar from the whites. Unlike Costner, Ford represents Native Americans as savages. The Searche...... middle of paper ......tive Americans in the media can be traced back to outdated Western films. These films had the recurring theme of cowboys versus Indians. Native Americans have been described as thieving savages, violent, lazy, hostile, and uncivilized. The white man thought the Native people were undeserving of the lands, when in reality their contributions to their environment changed and enriched our world. Unlike The Searchers, Dances with Wolves captured Native Americans in a realistic manner. Dances with Wolves contradicts the stereotypes constructed by westerns, such as The Searchers. The belief that all life is interrelated is seen in Dances with Wolves. The earth is just a giant, beautiful living organism and every living thing on this planet is connected to the life force. We are all equal and we must honor and respect each other and ourselves, be they humans, creatures and plants or things.