Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum

Joe Aguirre: what do you think of this character as portrayed in the movie?

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brokeplex:

--- Quote from: Artiste on December 13, 2007, 12:28:42 pm ---Thanks brokeplex!

I agree with you.

May I also add that is it also deeper for Aquirre since he likely liked Jack!

If he was homophobic or disliked Jack, nor could not care less about Jack, then he would have fired Jack immediately when he saw Ennis and Jack kissing!!

Hugs!

--- End quote ---

if Aguirre fired Jack at that moment, who would tend to the sheep? in order to understand Aguirre's motivations you must first understand that he is a businessman in need of a profit.

serious crayons:
In my opinion, Aguirre is less homophobic than you might think. Not only does he not fire them, which would have been inconvenient, but he doesn't even mention the rose-stemming that whole summer! He says nothing about it when he tells Jack about Uncle Harold (when he could have said something about having just seen them fooling around), and he says nothing about it when they're doing the final sheep count (when he also could said something like, "Count ain't what I'd hoped for, neither -- probably 'cause you two left the dogs to babysit the sheep while you stemmed the rose!").

And when he finally does mention it, when Jack goes looking for work the next summer, and he says, "Ain't got no work for YOU," we assume he means because Jack is gay. He might very well have not hired Jack anyway, since we was displeased with the sheep count the two times he did hire Jack. And he mentions the rose-stemming only after Jack asks about Ennis. In a way, it's almost like an afterthought.

And maybe Aguirre really wasn't as scandalized by it as we might suppose. After all, wasn't it Annie Proulx who said something about herders deliberately being sent up in pairs so they could, um, keep each other company? Or maybe Aguirre views Jack and Ennis as behaving like men in prison -- supposedly straight men having sex together only because there are no women available. After all, when Aguirre does mention it, he doesn't say, "I know you're queer." He complains about their work habits, not their sexual orientation.

Some have said they think Aguirre himself is gay. I don't think we see any clear evidence of that.

But I do think he's like Old Man Twist -- less homophobic than we might expect, given their time and place. I was struck by this oddity the second or third time I saw the movie (along with Alma's keeping secret what she saw). And I assumed it was because the filmmakers wanted to keep more focus on Ennis' inner conflicts and less on homophobic treatment they experienced from others.

Artiste:
Thanks ineedcrayons!

Thanks very much, indeed. Some of your views, and maybe all here, you do not know that I was thinking the same or close to those thoughts!!

I do not know, in the film, if Aquirre is homophobic... even if he seems to be?

You say this: In my opinion, Aguirre is less homophobic than you might think. Not only does he not fire them, which would have been inconvenient, but he doesn't even mention the rose-stemming
................

Yes, I too think that Aquirre is less homophobic that one might think! It just comes to my mind now, that he is curious about the two men's (Ennis and Jack) relationship then and there on top of the mountain? When I see the film, that is. Same about him in Annie's story?

May I place  the accent here on: curious??

Hugs!!

moremojo:
Qualifications of degree aside, Aguirre, both in the film and in the original story, is pretty clearly homophobic. His contempt for Jack (and by implication Ennis), specifically in connection to the rose-stemming, is plainly conveyed.

As for his sexuality, one can only speculate (though there is no specific clue to suggest that the character is anything other than heterosexual).

serious crayons:

--- Quote from: moremojo on December 14, 2007, 07:56:42 pm ---Qualifications of degree aside, Aguirre, both in the film and in the original story, is pretty clearly homophobic. His contempt for Jack (and by implication Ennis), specifically in connection to the rose-stemming, is plainly conveyed.
--- End quote ---

Well, I'm not saying that in his spare time he's writing big checks to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. But I think his degree of homophobia is ambiguous at best.

Aguirre has other reasons to feel contemptuous of Jack -- he feels (rightly or wrongly) that Jack didn't perform his job well either of the two years he worked there. And the rose-stemming, because it kept Jack from keeping a close eye on the sheep, is connected to that. And that's exactly how he says it to Jack. So I think it's possible that Jack's rose-stemming may add to Aguirre's contempt but is not the central cause of it; in fact Aguirre might have overlooked it entirely if the sheep count had been sufficient.

Maybe, anyway. This is a new idea for me, so I'm still exploring it. But I have had many similar debates with people regarding John Twist's lack of homophobia. John Twist also exhibits contempt for both Jack and Ennis. But in that case, there's even less indication that homophobia is the cause. On the contrary, he makes no homophobic comments at all.

I agree that there's no reason to think Aguirre is gay, and I'm generally opposed to speculating about things like that, lacking evidence.

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