,’ rather than because of personal connections he has made with the film's characters. Shane's relationship with the community can also be judged by the way he interacts with the film’s villain, Ryker (Emile Meyer). At first we judge Ryker to be nothing more than a typical thug, who attempts to destroy Starret and the other homesteader’s lives for profit. However as the film progresses we can see many similarities between the two of them, which also promote Shane's isolation from society. They are both outdated concepts in a rapidly changing world. Shane even goes as far as to admit it himself during one of the film's most famous confrontations. Shane: Your days are over, Ryker. Ryker: Mine? What about yours gunfighter? Shane: The difference is that I know it. This line depicts Shane as a man who understands his own obsoleteness within society. He belongs to a different era, as does Ryker. While Shane has attempted to embrace a new way of life by becoming a homesteader with the Starret family, Ryker continues to fight the inevitable. This leads to his death at the hands of Shane. Even Wilson (Jack Palance), a man who gives Shane a certain amount of respect and admiration during the film’s conclusion, is obsolete and forced to live on the fringes of society. Both he and Shane lived in a different era that has long since elapsed. Shane attempted to change his way, yet throughout the film discovered he could not escape his chosen way of life. Wilson, who like Ryker chose not to attempt to integrate himself into society, also died for his way of life at Shane's hands. This death was Shane's final realization of his outdated life of a gunfighter. He must live out his life in seclusion, a stranger in a world that no longer needs those adept in the ways of killing. Wade Hatton on the other hand, still maintains his usefulness to society at the film's conclusion. Hatton's role was to protect Dodge City from the corruptio...
