The fears of miscegenation (either by willing sexual intercourse or rape) are so deep, several of the characters suggest that it is better to be dead than to 'go native.' The film does not endorse these character's articulated views, however, given the fact that Ethan's niece Debbie is ultimately allowed to live and is embraced by her uncle. By forcing the viewer into such a critical stance regarding the character's views, even Ethan's views, he or she is encouraged to question other accepted tropes of native-white relations, Priestley believes.
Ethan's treatment of Martin, a 1/8th Comanche, illustrates the dangers of racism. In Ethan's eyes, even Martin's willingness to help find Debbie does not redeem him. But Martin saves Debbie's life, implying that Ethan's extreme racism is not validated, given that later on Ethan also spares Debbie, and Debbie would...
Both Martin and Debbie seem to suggest the possibility of positive merging of Indian and white identities. However, the bloodthirsty and stereotypical depiction of Scar, Debbie's Indian husband suggests that the film cannot entirely abandon the tropes of the Western. Eventually Debbie returns to white society and Scar is scalped by Wayne's character.
There are parallels between Ethan's sense of uncompromising machismo and Scar's (Priestley calls Scar Ethan's doppelganger). And Debbie's strength and defiance -- she is neither driven made nor humbled by her captivity -- argues against total identification with Ethan's attitudes. Thus, while the film still is a conventional Western, with a conventional Western ending, it suggests alternative readings and possibilities that enable it to be read anew by modern viewers.
