r, because of strong value of marriage in the 1950's coupled with his hazardous lifestyle, Shane is again forced to live alone on the fringes of society without any kind of lasting human connections or comfort. Hatton is again more successful in obtaining a romantic interest throughout the course of Dodge City. His actions are justifiable and he can be seen as a romantic hero, because of his honesty. Even though he killed Abigail’s (Olivia De Haviland) brother she eventually understands the reasons behind his actions, even succumbing to his romantic advances later in the film. This was inevitable because Hatton is fighting a just cause and is bound to obtain a romantic reward for his efforts. Abbie even decides to follow Wade to Virginia City because she loves him. Clearly the reason why Abbie (and society) accepts Wade is because he wears a badge. This indicates justice, responsibility and the truth of law. It raises his status above that of a gunfighter. He invests himself in the office of marshal, and society accepts and respects this. He has the people's support as they are the one's who made him marshal, unlike Shane who is forced to live an isolated existence because he is not a representative of the law. Both Shane and Wade Hatton are the same person, they kill for a living and their lifestyles have no fixed points that anchor them anywhere. Wade differs from Shane however because he had the respect of the community and encouraged them to fight their oppressors. Dodge City in turn gave him the authority to lead them in this fight and rewarded him accordingly. Shane is content with being a social outcast. He may be a heroic figure, but society does not fully except him, and may even look down on him because he kills without any authority. Wade enjoys the popularity of being the people's hero, while Shane has to live in the shadows, doing the more distasteful jobs, because even though he may do the same job as Hatton, he does...
