William Munny

            Most western movies have action sequences consisting of fast chase scenes on horses or dramatic, draw matches to keep the audience interested. Also, the main character is usually the tough, tobacco-spitting hero where the story revolves around him saving the day. In Unforgiven, the story does not contain all these stereotypes. There are not bars full of laughter and dancing. The characters seem to be afraid of something. Maybe they are afraid of the frontier. People thought of it as a symbol of opportunity, but in reality it is a symbol of harsh responsibility. Also, there is really no hero that is larger than life. The story has a serious tone and revolves around the changes faced by William Munny. He is afraid of the harsh reality of his violent past. He is given a job to kill two cowboys, which proves to be critical because it leads Munny from his calm, new identity to his violent, old identity. .
             Throughout the beginning of the story, William Munny has a quiet sense like something from the past is hiding inside of him. At first, the Schofield Kid gives Munny an offer to kill the two cowboys for a large sum of money. Munny refuses the offer. He feels "the whiskey done the killings" in the past, and that his "wife cured [him] of [drinking] and wickedness." The audience is reminded many times of his past. Now Munny is a changed man created by the love for his wife and children. However, an uncertainty disrupts his calm nature whenever he practices shooting his guns at a can. At first he uses a pistol and misses every time. Later, he uses a shotgun and does not miss. Since the shotgun is extremely powerful and kills everything in its path, it symbolizes Munny's old, violent self. He feels some satisfaction holding the shotgun. It shows he is thinking about killing the cowboys. Munny has now made the decision to kill the cowboys. He feels it could best be completed with his old partner Ned.