At the beginning the alcoholic doctor, Doc Boone (Thomas Mitchell), and the prostitute, Dallas (Claire Trevor), are being run out of town because they don't quite mesh with the rest of the town of Tonto. Right before they begin the journey out of town, walking arm and arm away to the tune of "Shall We Gather at the River"," Ford frames them between two porch posts, with the two of them centered, and lower than everyone else. Their lower position in the shot and their unification symbolizes their lower standing in society, as well as to place them in it together. The following shot shows them being followed out of the town by the sheriff and the group of "proper" ladies" named "The Law and Order League"." The group of ladies travels as a swarm, expelling the undesirables from their town, much like the way white blood cells fight off disease. However, as Dallas is removed from the town like a disease, she is bathed in a bright light in front of the grimmer looking crowd of the law and order league. Here Ford is choosing to display Dallas in a brighter light, so to speak, than society puts her in, hinting that she in fact better than the people who are trying to maintain the peace of the town.
One of the primary symbols of Stagecoach is birth. While not apparent until she miraculously gives birth without having shown any signs of pregnancy, the most obvious example is that of the gentlewoman, Lucy Mallory (Louise Platt). She is pregnant and on the way to see her husband. Birth is not quite as literal of an aspect of "Stagecoach," as this would suggest. The primary meaning for birth in the film is the birth of a new nation and a new society. Orson Welles, one of the greatest American directors of all time, said that he watched Stagecoach many times while he was creating his masterpiece, "Citizen Kane," a movie considered by many to be the greatest film ever made. Welles is known to have paid special attention to one scene from "Stagecoach" in particular (Simons).
