Contrasting heroines in Westerns

In George Stevens' classic "Shane", arguably the best western ever made, Alan Ladd arrives at a homestead where the lady of the house is Jean Arthur, a peace-loving woman, who hates the gun culture of the wild west. She tries her level best to avoid all violent conflicts, & disapproves of her young son playing with an unloaded gun.

In contrast, in another Alan Ladd western, "Proud Rebel", the heroine is Olivia de Havilland, who has an on-screen image as a mild, peaceful woman, but in this film, snatches up her rifle at the first sight of others encroaching on her land. It is Ladd, who has to disarm her & preach patience & circumspection to her!

In Fred Zinnemann's classic "High Noon", the newly married Gary Cooper has the option of leaving the town or staying & fighting his nemesis. His bride, a non-violent Quaker, played by Grace Kelly,  prefers to leave by train, when he decides to stay & fight. But she changes her mind in the train & returns. During the gun battle, when Cooper is about to be shot by an out-law, she shoots dead the outlaw from behind in the back. When the nemesis grabs her as a hostage to protect himself, she scratches his face & when he pushes her, Cooper gets his shot in. Not bad for a Quaker!

The most curious end to a western is in "Duel in the Sun", where Gregory Peck & Jennifer Jones, shoot each other in the climatic gun-fight & die in each other's arms!