Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
The story flashback about Jack's dad peeing on him
brokeplex:
I remember reading in the short story Jack's relating to Ennis about the "peeing" on him when he was a little boy. Maybe the key to understanding is that OMT was using a "rough" way of teaching little Jack an important lesson. "When you have to pee, get to the toilet in time to not soil yourself". I'm not so sure that this is a conscious sign of abuse on the part of OMT. Its kinda crude, and a nasty way to teach a lesson. But I don't see it as anymore complicated than that. Rural folks in that era, could be quick and dirty in teaching life's lessons. And, pee is easily washed off.
That said, I also see the symbolic usage of the peeing, and the lightening, and the hate crime beating that killed Jack.
Shuggy:
--- Quote ---I'm not so sure that this is a conscious sign of abuse on the part of OMT. Its kinda crude, and a nasty way to teach a lesson. But I don't see it as anymore complicated than that. Rural folks in that era, could be quick and dirty in teaching life's lessons. And, pee is easily washed off.
--- End quote ---
Maybe, and in that case it proved to be more abusive than OMT intended, since it was at that moment that he discovered he was crucially different from his father, and so could never get close to him. (There is also the question why he was cut when his father was not - whose idea was that? - though it's been suggested OMT was away at WW2 at the time, and mothers were commonly pressured by doctors, or not even asked).
Anyway, I'm reasonably sure it could not go where it was in the story, as Ennis goes upstairs, because the flow (of the story :-\ ) is too certain by then, but it could have gone much earlier when they were getting close, as a flashback from Jack telling Ennis about it.
Artiste:
Wow, all of you present views which are very varied! I like that a lot!!
It seems to me that fathers are rarely treated as good ones in films, as neither are Ennis and Jack's in the BM film!! The peeing mention in Annie's story, as well as in the film, is exential in both, for me!! As a spectator to understand not only the times (before, during and after the sixties, but also how Ennis and Jack become to accept and love) each other, since each grew up nearly alone mentally in some ways, and that makes it surely a common thought for bonding!! I was always surprised and shocked that Ennis allows Jack to kiss him in that second tent scene of tenderness, and much more so when Ennis does kiss Jack!! Why? The pissing acts helped??
Hugs!
brokeplex:
--- Quote from: Shuggy on November 12, 2007, 03:25:11 am --- (There is also the question why he was cut when his father was not - whose idea was that? - though it's been suggested OMT was away at WW2 at the time, and mothers were commonly pressured by doctors, or not even asked).
--- End quote ---
On the issue of Jack's circumcision and OMT remaining intact, I have a suspision which I shared on another thread that Jack was adopted as an infant by the Twists. Perhaps adopted out of necessity rather than choice. Perhaps an unwanted pregnancy occured and the product was Jack, the Twists had no children, and took in Jack. Maybe OMT began to resent Jack thru the years. I remember in the short story in the scene in OMT's kitchen, the narrator says something like: Ennis couldn't see much of Jack in either of them (the Twists).And, it tends to be the case that infant males are circumcized if the father is, left intact if the father is intact.
Front-Ranger:
--- Quote from: atz75 on October 27, 2007, 05:25:19 pm ---
I had another random thought/ question about the whole "peeing" topic related to the film of BBM just now. This is a very long stretch and maybe grasping at straws... but, the filmmakers seemed to go out of their way to depict Jack himself peeing during the '63 summer. Do you think this was a very, very veiled/ distant reference to the peeing topic in the story?
??? :-\
--- End quote ---
You could be right, Amanda. It seemed like the creators of the movie went a long ways to try to work details of the story into the movie and it's interesting to see how things got moved around. For instance, the whole prologue was moved to the end of the story, and the last day tussle back into chronological order.
You have a good point also, Artiste. It seems like Jack and Ennis were father figures to each other, another one of those lovable subtle details.
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