Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
Black Hats, White Hats
TJ:
If you were to meet a real life Ennis Del Mar or Jack Twist and you were to mention them being "yin and the yang" in their relationship with each other, they would ask, "Hunh?", "Huh?", "Say whut?", or "Come agin?"
But, if you told them that they go together like a horse and wagon or a mule with loaded packs, they would understand what you were saying.
This discussion reminds me of those who have attempted to use astrology to define the personalities of the main characters of the story.
Brown Eyes:
>:(
I was about to continue the discussion about the topic of the thread, but I just have to say this...
Philosophies, whether western or eastern, can be applied and discussed in extremely wide-ranging contexts and most certainly across cultures. That's the whole point of a "philosophy"... to use it as a tool in analysis, interpretation, debate, etc. It would be a very closed and segregated world if philosophies had to be constrained to the location/culture of their origin. Why shouldn't Chinese philosophy be applied to a western context or vice versa? The world is hopefully a fluid enough place to allow for this. I'd also like to say that I don't think Chinese philosophy has much if anything to do with astrology. I think it's a bit patronizing to Chinese philosophy to make such an assertion.
Further, when discussing a film in terms of interpretation and personal observation there is no reason on earth to feel constrained by what one might feel is the exact intention of the author, either Lee or Proulx (though there's no way to ever really know or prove either author's intention) or to stick to the exact literal circumstances of the plot as it's spelled out. Literary theory, film theory, art history, etc. are built on these notions. Proulx (for what it's worth) has said that she expects the reader to complete her stories themselves. She's clearly been reading up on Roland Barthes' literary theory in making this statement.
The production of this story/ film is an incredible work of hybridity. This is a story about gay men, written by a straight woman, and in the movie those gay men are portrayed by straight men and while this is a "western" film (in terms of the genre "western") it's directed by an Asian man. Further, the story by the single straight woman was adapted and re-written by a man and a woman for the film. To only think of the story one way (only as about Wyoming or western culture, or the specifics of cowboy culture, or any single context) misses the complexity of the situation. There is no one right answer to these questions or ideas. That's the fun of all these discussion here on the board (at least for me).
I think the application of a concept like yin and yang to the story of Jack and Ennis is absolutely beautiful. The fact that it's a somewhat surprising juxtaposition (perhaps) makes it all the more intriguing I think.
I absolutely agree with what ednbarby said above...
--- Quote ---I think the idea of yin and yang (two halves of the same whole, broken down the middle, pushing and pulling at each other) is central to the movie. Along the lines of the Broken In Two discussion, I think the name lends itself to this concept. I know, I know - Annie Proulx has never said this is why she named it what she did, and maybe it wasn't even a conscious choice on her part. Regardless, I think Ang Lee took it and ran. He said he liked "the taste of" the title Brokeback Mountain. I take this to mean that there is a whole lot more meaning there to him than just a quaint name for a particular range.
--- End quote ---
I'd go so far as to say I think the design of the movie poster hints at the yin and yang idea. The intersecting black and white hats and the opposing yet overlapping profiles subtly suggest... if nothing else... the idea of opposites that rely on one another for definition or that are inextricably linked.
TJ:
This discussion reminds me of an conversation which I have heard lots of times when a person inquired why someone did something a certain way.
Person one, "Why did you do that?"
Person two, "'Cause."
Person one, "'Cause why?"
Person two, "Just because, no reason. I just did it."
akredhead:
Hi! New member here...
As far as white/black hats are concerned...I've always thought it was an idea of innosense...
I mean, Jack basically took Ennis's virginity...and in a sense...Ennis is never "man" enough to own up to his true self...its like he is still a child trying to figure out a way to keep stealing from the cookie jar but never getting caught.
Whereas, Jack is not innocent and is the instigator of their relationship...he is the tempting cookie Ennis wants to steal but doesn't want to get caught with.
Does this make any sense at all? HAHAHA! ;)
Brown Eyes:
welcome akredhead! I like the photos, etc. in your signature too. :D
I agree, there's certainly something to the idea of innocence vs. experience in the hat colors too. Black and white definitely have a lot of longstanding symbolic associations like that. I think in certain ways, Ennis's constant choice of a white hat (following on latjoreme's comments above) shows that he's always trying to be the "good" boy or "good" cowboy too in terms of doing what he thinks is conventionally expected of him... his sense of societal duty, etc. This leads right into the idea that Jack's black hat helps signify him as a "black sheep" or a rebel/ non-conformist.
Does anyone remember that great old imdb thread... I think it was titled "Jack the Black Sheep"
--- Quote ---Whereas, Jack is not innocent and is the instigator of their relationship...he is the tempting cookie Ennis wants to steal but doesn't want to get caught with.
--- End quote ---
LOL! :D
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