Andy Adams and Western Myth: the frontier and his ‘Log of a Cowboy’

Abstract

This article examines the position of Andy Adams’ famous work, The Log of a Cowboy, through the lens of Western myth and the concept of coloniality. The novel has been critiqued in a variety of ways over the years, with reviews often citing the same factors in their evaluations. Foremost of these has been Adams’ lack of finesse in his writing style, with his particular attention to what he deemed to be objective truth. In this study, the Log will be re-examined with the aim of providing a fresh insight into how veterans of the Western trails, such as Adams, viewed the dynamic space in which they lived and worked. Therefore, the concept of the frontier, viewed as a stereotypical assumption in both mythological and colonial terms, is used as a lens of investigation in order to critique Adams’ descriptions and viewpoints. The study concludes that although Adams’ intention was to create a work true to life on the trail, he ultimately permitted himself to become another speaker for Western stereotypes. It is proposed that seemingly innocuous literary works such as the Log can be included amongst discussions of colonial fiction in the wider field of American studies and, by extension, in the latter postcolonial sphere, through their construction of stereotypical discourses and the glorifying of trail life.