John Wayne's iconic presence is one of the best known and most powerful in all of American film. What do you make of his character here: the doggedness, the bitterness, the hatred, the alienation? How does this relate to his position as the (conventional) Western hero? How does Wayne change in the course of the movie? What, if anything, does he learn?
What sort of social and political vision is implied in Ford's presentation of the Old West? Consider, obviously, the racism of how the Indians are depicted; but also consider the vision Ford gives of settler society. What sense of community does Ford depict? Think of the rituals that define it (ceremonies of marriage and burial, but also rites of hospitality and things like the "fair fight" between Martin and Charlie), and of the important role of divisions between interiors and exteriors, dwellings and the outdoors).
How does Ford deal with issues of gender? What sorts of different roles are assigned to men and to women? How important are the female characters in the film (Laurie especially), and how do they relate to the men?