Melodrama has been a part of the American life since colonial time. This genre, with
its `hero-villain? or `black and white? development of characters, has formed the idea of
the American heroes. In Western films, in which the `local? themes of westward
movement on the American society are developed, melodrama treats the dichotomy of
hero-villain more stereotypically. The heroes depict the concept of the American `self?
and the villains picture the `other.? However, the development of Western film shows
that the stereotypical treatment on `self? and the `other? undergoes some changes.