Tombstone · Question
How does Tombstone develop the theme of Law and Lawlessness?
Answer
Tombstone by Walter Noble Burns develops Law and Lawlessness across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
The book explores the constant tension between order and chaos in Tombstone, depicting the struggle of lawmen like Wyatt Earp and John Slaughter against outlaws, cattle rustlers, and stage robbers, while also showing how justice was often rough, extralegal, and shaped by personal vendettas.
The chapter highlights the tension between law enforcement and outlaw elements in Tombstone.
The coexistence of churches and saloons, courts and stage robberies, and the murder of McIntyre over a shirt, all illustrating the tension between order and chaos.
The tension between legal authority (Sheriff Behan) and extra-legal power (the Earps) is central, with Behan's political maneuvering versus Earp's direct action.
Evidence in the book
- Tombstone
The chapter highlights the tension between law enforcement and outlaw elements in Tombstone.
- II: Red Lights and Altar Candles
The coexistence of churches and saloons, courts and stage robberies, and the murder of McIntyre over a shirt, all illustrating the tension between order and chaos.
- III: Glad Hand and Trigger Finger
The tension between legal authority (Sheriff Behan) and extra-legal power (the Earps) is central, with Behan's political maneuvering versus Earp's direct action.
- IV: Wyatt Earp Plays a Lone Hand
Wyatt Earp upholds the rule of law against a mob intent on lynching Johnny Behind-the-Deuce, highlighting the tension between order and frontier justice.
- Curly Bill
The chapter contrasts the formal law represented by Marshal White and the Earps with the informal code of outlaws like Curly Bill, who operates with impunity outside town limits and is ultimately acquitted for the marshal's death.
- The Affair of Skeleton Canyon
The massacre exemplifies the complete absence of legal authority in the borderlands, where outlaws like Curly Bill operated with impunity.
- Billy Breakenridge Makes Good
Breakenridge uses an outlaw's help to enforce tax collection, blurring the line between law and crime.
- VIII: The Old Man with a Beard
The Clantons operate outside the law, engaging in cattle theft and murder, while the Mexican boy seeks vigilante justice, illustrating the absence of legal order.
