There is a fair amount of symbolism found in the ox bow incident. Here are two examples of the symbolism i have found. When the posse heads out to find the ranchers to hang them it all happens in the night. As the sheriff arrives just as day breaks is a symbol for the truth lighting the way. The end of the movie when Henry Fonda's character is reading the letter is eyes are covered representing the justices is blind.
shareYou're reaching a bit but I suppose you could also compare the three dead men to the Crucifixion.
shareBravo....
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."
I've heard some folks talk about the symbolism of that door swinging open. Frankly, I think that it was just a minor filming error made by the director, not anything symbolic. Back in 1943, there were no DVDs or VHSs which folks could rewind in order to double check these little details. Frankly, I think that sometimes a spade is just a spade.
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💕 JimHutton (1934-79) and ElleryQueen 👍