Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
Double meanings: Lines that can be taken more than one way
serious crayons:
Good analysis, opinionista! And yours, too, Amanda. I agree with both of you: Jack is pouncing on the opportunity to give the cohabitation (or near-habitation) idea one more shot. The shrug is meant to make the suggestion look more casual than it is. But Ennis is disappointed that Jack blew off his concerns and revelations. So they're at cross purposes, both meaning well but inadvertently stomping on each other.
And opinionista, you also make a good point about the kids. I think both men are good parents. But I think Jack would be willing to leave Bobby behind and move to a little cow-and-calf operation with Ennis. Whereas Ennis would not want to live far from his daughters.
tiawahcowboy:
--- Quote ---"Buggery is just fine, but keep your hands off each other, you hear?"
--- End quote ---
Oh, lets go to a double entendre of a double entendre here. The vulgar word "buggery" comes from the verb, to "bugger" and it has its roots in Old French, "bougre," which was a euphemism for a (non-Roman Catholic Church) "heretic." Bougre's Latin origin is Bulgarus, Bulgarian (member of the Greek Orthodox Church).
A "bugger" can also be a person who "bugs" someone by pestering him. "Bugger off" or "bug off" means "Go away (don't bother me)!" So an annoying pest can be a "bugger" and that have nothing to do with sex at all.
Speaking of "bulgarians," I remember reading in a book about those who were called "Bohemians" in the USA which were the forerunners of the beatnicks. One person said to another in regard to those who lived a Bohemian lifestlye, "We can always call them 'Bulgarians'."
But, back to the word "bugger," the word was commonly used for anal intercourse in the Old West days. I read some old gay novels which used the word.
nakymaton:
About the "why don't you move someplace else?" comment -- there's something about Jack's tone of voice there that reminds me of "I can spare you a loan, bud, if you're short on cash..." from the last day on the mountain. I don't know what that means, though.
Meryl:
--- Quote from: nakymaton on May 27, 2006, 10:21:20 pm ---About the "why don't you move someplace else?" comment -- there's something about Jack's tone of voice there that reminds me of "I can spare you a loan, bud, if you're short on cash..." from the last day on the mountain. I don't know what that means, though.
--- End quote ---
That's interesting, and you're right about the tone. Someone once posted that they felt in the "spare you a loan" scene that Jack was purposely keeping his tone casual to spare Ennis from having to talk about the fact that they were going to be split up. He could have been keeping his tone more offhand in the "why don't you move" scene in order to spare Ennis, too, since Ennis was clearly worried. I think it backfired, though, because Ennis got even more alarmed when Jack didn't tell him his fears were groundless. By suggesting he move he was, in a way, suggesting that maybe Ennis was right and people did "know." Ennis probably blew up at him partly to cover that fear.
nakymaton:
--- Quote from: meryl on May 27, 2006, 10:53:33 pm --- I think it backfired, though...
--- End quote ---
It backfired both times.
I'm trying to figure this out, and this could be totally wrong. (Disagree with me! Please!) But it seems as though in each case, Ennis has... revealed something? And Jack either doesn't quite understand what Ennis is really saying, or he hopes he's hearing something and he's a bit hesitant about following up on it? And each time, Jack's response isn't the one Ennis wants (if Ennis has any idea what he wants in either case -- which, actually, I doubt; Ennis's feelings are so conflicted).
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