Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
what's the point of the job switch?
starboardlight:
--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on May 03, 2006, 05:40:25 pm ---Starboardlight,
It's been a while since I had time to sit down and watch the DVD, so my memory of the staging of that scene in the film is hazy and I won't address the film's treatment of the conversation. If, however, you are just referring to the Annie Proulx original, then I'm afraid you have it backwards.
Here's the paragragph from the story:
"The horses nickered in the darkness beyond the fire's circle of light. Ennis put his arm around Jack, pulled him close, said he saw his girls about once a month, Alma Jr. a shy seventeen-year-old with his beanpole length, Francine a little live wire. Jack slid his cold hand between Ennis's legs, said he was worried about his boy who was, no doubt about it, dyslexic or something, couldn't get anything right, fifteen years old and couldn't hardly read, he could see it though goddamn Lureen wouldn't admit to it and pretended the kid was o.k., refused to get any bitchin kind a help about it. He didn't know what the fuck the answer was. Lureen had the money and called the shots." [Boldface added by me.]
If Jack is doing anything here besides trying to warm his hand between Ennis's thighs, then he's trying to get Ennis hard so that Ennis can fuck him. Two paragraphs later we are told "they rolled down into the dirt." So in the original story anyway, I believe this passage actually tends to support my interpretation.
But thanks for reminding me of it!
--- End quote ---
whoops. i stand corrected. ;) i'm glad you went back and checked the text. i should have done the same. it was so vivid in my mind that it was Ennis's hand.
Jeff Wrangler:
Hi, Starboardlight,
--- Quote ---whoops. i stand corrected. i'm glad you went back and checked the text. i should have done the same. it was so vivid in my mind that it was Ennis's hand.
--- End quote ---
I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. That wasn't my intention. But I thought the point was important enough to the discussion to go back to the text and check.
And I understand how vivid these impressions can be. Once I was absolutely certain that Ennis said, "I'm sorry," in the Second Tent Scene! :)
Jeff
starboardlight:
--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on May 03, 2006, 09:49:17 pm ---Hi, Starboardlight,
I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. That wasn't my intention. But I thought the point was important enough to the discussion to go back to the text and check.
And I understand how vivid these impressions can be. Once I was absolutely certain that Ennis said, "I'm sorry," in the Second Tent Scene! :)
Jeff
--- End quote ---
nah, no worries. i embarrassed myself by not checking the text. i'm glad you did.
mlewisusc:
Posting for easy location later - but one thing to say: Ennis's "Boys like you" comment tend to support Jeff's interpretation about the kind of activity Ennis and Jack engaged in during their relationship. Ennis sees himself as different from Jack because he "delivers" and Jack "receives" which makes Jack "queer" in Ennis's distorted view.
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: mlewisusc on May 08, 2006, 02:21:45 am ---Posting for easy location later - but one thing to say: Ennis's "Boys like you" comment tend to support Jeff's interpretation about the kind of activity Ennis and Jack engaged in during their relationship. Ennis sees himself as different from Jack because he "delivers" and Jack "receives" which makes Jack "queer" in Ennis's distorted view.
--- End quote ---
To me, that seems too specific an interpretation of an open-ended remark. It assumes more knowledge of Ennis' viewpoint than I feel like I have.
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