Alter’s statement regarding the significance of the hat to Raylan’s character, Leonard
says that the size of the hat utilized in the series is not what he envisioned for Raylan’s
character, that he preferred the businessman’s Stetson over the larger hat selected
(Leonard, “Why He Writes”). In the series, the imposing size of the hat makes the West
a dominant part of the viewers’ gaze, a blatant reminder that the Old West remains part
of the New West. Its tarnished color—from white to beige—represents the alteration of
the cowboy image from one of purity to that of imperfection. In Justified, Raylan’s
appearance, in particular the hat, illustrates Raylan’s connection to the marshal’s
service—his duty—and to the frontier myth. In an interview with Olyphant before the
start of the sixth season, Dan Reilly asks him about the impending end to the series, in
particular if he has an emotional attachment to the hat his character is rarely seen
without. When Olyphant responds, he hints at the loss of the hat in the final episode
(Olyphant).10 Olyphant’s statement is telling, as it is the hat as much as it is the badge
that identifies this character as a lawman. Raylan’s appearance has been adapted in
order for him to physically become the contemporary cowboy as has one of the most
iconic scenes in Western films, the shootout.
Even though many historians have debunked the popularity of the street
shootout, it remains a distinctive element of the Western. At the start of the pilot, Raylan
walks across the rooftop of a Miami hotel, looking for a member of a Miami cartel.
Raylan seats himself at a table under a cabana with Tommy Bucks and tells him that, if
he immediately departs, he can make it to the airport. Previously, Raylan has informed
Bucks that if he does not remove himself from Miami by 2:15pm he will, in no uncertain
terms, be shot. The protagonist’s mission in the post-World War II Western film is to
triumph over the oppressor in order to “empower the ‘decent folks’ who bring progress
to the Frontier” (Slotkin 379). Bucks is one of a powerful organization associated with
extreme cases of violence and narcotics trafficking: Bucks tortured and blew up a man
in Nicaragua, a murder that Raylan witnessed while searching for a fugitive money
launderer. Once again, similarities to a famed historical figure appear. Hickok was a
deputy US Marshal from 1867 to 1871, dealing with bootleggers, counterfeiters, and
various other government offenses (Rosa 44). When he locates Bucks in Miami, Raylan
is continuing a quest initiated by both his loyalty to the badge and his desire for justice.
It is telling that instead of arresting Bucks for murder, Raylan has elected to offer him a
deal which, in the eyes of the cowboy, appears rational. To the cartel member, Raylan’s
request is ridiculous and impossible: he tells Raylan that he has told others of Raylan’s
ultimatum and they thought he was being facetious (“Fire in the Hole”). Throughout the
series many criminals inform Raylan that because of his position as a US Marshal, his
threats of violence are not to be feared, that