How to write a cowboy

I was planning on doing a post about sound design, but since I'm going to be the writer for the film opening, I'd like to do research on how Western characters are usually written. I'm going to use a writing tool I've been researching lately called "The Enneagram."

The Enneagram is popularly understood to divide people into nine types, but this is the first misunderstanding, according to the theory I studied. It states that the Enneagram divides not people but their problems. These nine categories are divided into three major groups according to what type of problem they expose. The hurt cluster shows problems related to self-love and self-worth and includes types 2, 3, and 4. The fear cluster is related to existential anxiety and includes types 7, 6, and 5. And finally, the gut cluster shows problems of inner peace or anger and includes types 8, 9, and 1. The Enneagram is a really useful writing tool as it can give writers a development path according to the problem they decide for their character.

It is important to understand that a character's qualities don't make them a special type; what defines their type is their problems. So Western main characters, like any other characters, can fall under any type, but there are some that are especially used to develop their arcs.

Type 8

One of the Western genre's most common characters is an outlaw who likes to be above others and exert power over them. This is useful, as Western main characters are usually skillful gunmen, giving them a medium to exert this power. The character arc is based on accepting their weakness, breaking that image of a tough guy, and opening up to others. The main character of McCabe & Mrs. Miller, a movie I've talked about in previous posts and which I love, is an example of this—a guy who, to preserve his ego, pretended not to care about a woman but would end up risking his life for her.

This would be a great option, as showing a powerful character would reinforce the setting, and by doing this, we would be talking about and developing the character a little bit. This allows us to have several approaches for the film's development and is completely doable in two minutes. The only problem is that it is probably the most common character in Westerns, and we'd like to do something a bit different.

Type 6 

Type six characters, due to their fear of the world, stick blindly to an institution, ideology, or person. This is developed in several ways in Westerns. Western characters usually have strong moral values, which can be seen in a sheriff with a strong sense of justice. However, it doesn't have to be an ideology imposed by society for a character to be a type six—it can also be the character's own way of thinking. A character that comes to mind is Vash from Trigun, a Japanese sci-fi Western, who, due to the fear of his past, decided not to kill anyone despite living in a hostile environment.

I personally like this idea better as it offers a path for more unique dynamics and characters. Vash and Trigun could be a source of inspiration that I'd like to look into due to how unique this show is.

Sources 

https://www.youtube.com/@localscriptman

https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-descriptions/