Gender Roles and Love in Riders of The Purple Sage 

In Zane Grey’s Riders of the Purple Sage, a slight shift in gender power roles and social hierarchies are omnipresent and are best reflected in the novel through love. The dominance of masculinity is portrayed still apparent through the Cowboys, Lassiter and Venters, but Grey gives more power to women such as Jane and Bess, claiming they play a major role in furthering the development of men. Cowboys having deeply affectionate relationships was uncommon, and prior to Grey’s novel had not been commonly portrayed or accepted in western culture. In fact, according to Wister the idea of marriage has a negative connotation and considered as a symbol of danger or evil in the old western novels. Grey reverses this belief by giving females more power, yet still maintaining the image that women are constantly oppressed and often the object of discrimination. While the masculine figures of the novel ooze with strength and bravery to become the heroes that rescue the weak and helpless female figures. Grey initially portrays Jane, the main female protagonist of the novel, in a powerful way as she has inherited large sums of land and wealth from her deceased father.

Jane might have materialistic power because of her assets, but we quickly realize she is weak and vulnerable because she cannot stand up for herself against Tull and the jealous Mormons who want her riches. Jane’s inability to defend herself as a female is mainly due to the lack of respect men show her and therefore a manly figure comes to the rescue, that being Lassiter. Grey’s introduces Lassiter as a cowboy of “superior skill,” establishing him as an intimidating and imposing figure, an outsider with a strapped gun in his holster and black leather outfit. He is a manly figure who also shows his nobility and morality as he displays respect for woman as he says, “ Where I was raised a woman's word was law. I ain't quite outgrowed that yet”(Grey 5). Lassiter not only saves Jane who is socially oppressed by her religion, but he also develops a relationship with Jane making himself not appear as that isolated and lonely figure most Cowboys are notoriously framed to be. Lassiter can do no wrong as he has come to Utah to solve the death of his sister all while helping Jane avoid further discrimination. Lassiter possesses every trait a cowboy and a hero, yet he is known for changing the perception of an ideal cowboy due to his willingness to interact with Jane and create a relationship which lasts. Lassiter proves he longs to be more than a gunslinger, he wants stability in his life and he needs a companion which he ultimately receives when he escapes with Jane to Surprise Valley along with Venters and Bess.

The gender dynamics of the novel are also displayed through Venter’s relationship with Bess. After Venters accidentally injures Bess because she is wearing a mask while riding, Venters shows his morality and compassion when he assures Bess recovers so intensely that they quickly become attracted to one another. However, even in the initial moments of their relationship Grey establishes strict gender roles, portraying Venters as the dominant force in the relationship and Bess as the subservient one as he says, “I’ve saved her- I’ve unlinked her from that old life- she belongs to me” (Grey 92).

Grey diminishes Bess’ image by giving Venters ownership over her and making her look like a vulnerable figure that needed to be rescued. Bess is also portrayed as a young and innocent female throughout the novel as Grey is constantly referring to her as a “girl”, even though she is actually eighteen years old and is an adult by law. Referring to her as just a “girl” suggests youth, inexperience, and implies dependence on an older figure; that person being Venters, just like Jane needed Lassiter. Nevertheless, the interplay of Venters and Bess presents an unfamiliar dynamic in old western culture where both a male and female transform through love. Bess has a spiritual and physical awakening as she goes from being a girl of "supple form" (Grey 113) to a sexually attractive woman as "she no longer resembled a boy. No eye could have failed to mark the rounded contours of a woman" (Grey 163). Like Jane with Lassiter, Venters hopes to redeem himself through Bess and transform himself as he says, "If I can win back your strength. . . help you somehow to a happier life-just think how good that'll be for me!" (Grey 115). Similarly, Venters is transformed by Bess having "gone away a boy-he had returned a man" (Grey 190). Or, as he praises to Bess, "I'm a man-a man you've made" (Grey 216). Venters is completed by Bess, without her he was a lost man with no direction in his life. This interaction and positive outlook on relationships were extremely uncommon during the time, especially in old Western because society could not come to terms with giving women that amount of social power. The idea that men and women are meant to equally discover their true self and social roles together had been refuted in the West and never been dared to be introduced until Grey’s novel.

Wister’s belief that marriage is always portrayed as a comic failure or a symbol of infidelity in classic westerns is debunked by the relationship between Venters and Bess because we see the positive transformation of both individuals through their love. Prior to falling in love with Bess, Venters is a strong cowboy but internally he is a depressed man looking for a sense of purpose in life. Grey best explains his mental state when he describes, “I've no more to lose—except my life. . . "I can’t feel right—I’ve lost all… I mean loss of good-will, good name—that which would have enabled me to stand up in this village without bitterness. Well, it's too late ” (Grey 59). Even Venters being such a dominant and masculine figure has internal struggles because he feels he is missing a companion in his life due to his isolation. His relationship with Bess relieves him of all these problems as Grey later explains when Venters comes to terms with himself, “He climbed a great yellow rock raising its crest among the spruces, and there he sat down to face the valley and the west. 'I love her!’ Aloud he spoke—unburdened his heart—confessed his secret.

For an instant, the golden valley swam before his eyes, and the walls waved, and all about him whirled with tumult within. 'I love her! I understand now”(Grey 216). This also goes against Wister’s belief that a true cowboy wants to be alone and self-sufficient that he does not need anybody else in his life because he is manly enough to take care of business by himself. Wister claims that isolation conserves racial purity, yet his belief is proved wrong by both Venters and Lassiter because they transform as men due to the women in their lives and find love to be something they had been missing. For women to be portrayed as weak and fragile creatures and men to be portrayed as strong and dominant is no surprise due to the social standards of the old western values. Lassiter and Venters are both characterized as classic western cowboys who are noble, honest and hold unruly skill and bravery.

They ride ruthlessly through the Purple Sage avenging Jane, by killing the men who stole her horses and avenging Bess by killing Oldring. Every action they make through violence establishes there dominance as men yet they are unlike any cowboy when it comes to their approach to relationships with female figures. They show compassion and offer themselves in matrimony and see females as a way to transform themselves and become less lonely. What is striking in Grey’s writing is that the perception of the traditional cowboy is changed because Grey no longer writes about a cowboy who aspires to be a lone ranger who has no time for women. In fact, Grey argues that love can become a part of a cowboy and the idea that a cowboy can have a family should be accepted. We also see a consistent trend where Grey gives more power and liberties to female figures in the novel such as Jane’s inherited wealth, but it is also evident that women are still dependent on men who are far superior and displaying that dominance is at the core of being a well-rounded cowboy.