Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
The Names
Gabreya:
Yep. You're right about the Yin and Yang thing.
Brown Eyes:
Well, it occurs to me that we've spent a lot of time here and in other threads thinking about all the implications of Jack and Ennis's names, but we probably haven't really thought as much about the other characters' names.
What do we make of the women's names? Some of them have rather unusual names too. I've never met or heard of anyone named Lureen before and LaShawn also seems rather unusual. I wonder why those two characters were given uncommon names. And, I think Cassie's last name - "Cartwright"- almost sounds like it might even be a metaphor or contain particular meaning.
Junior is interesting because of the complex gender associations with that word. Most people upon hearing someone called simply "Junior" would probably assume the person was male. I know that it's not entirely unheard of to name girls "Junior" after their mothers or other female relatives. But, I don't think it's usually the immediate connotation of the word "Junior." And, the only time we hear Ennis call her Alma is when he's proposing his formal toast to her engagement. It's an interesting gender shift. I also wonder if by naming this character after her mother, there's an implication that she's destined to follow the same relatively narrow path her mother took (getting married too young, staying close to home, etc.).
I'd also be interested to know what the name Alma means or what it's traditional associations are.
And, of course Jenny vs. Francine is an interesting question in itself. Someone once suggested that the change to the name Jenny might be a subtle reference to one of Ang Lee's other films. It's a very odd gesture I think. Why bother re-naming a character when we know precisely what her name is in Proulx's story?
mariez:
I believe Alma means "soul" in Spanish. I'd have to ponder about all the various implications that could bring. A google search tells me that the name also was probably inspired by Latin almus - "nourishing". Even more to think about!
About the Jenny v. Francine - I can't remember where I just read it, but I thought someone said that Diana Ossana was asked about it at the recent screening and that she said it had something to do with not obtaining clearance to the name "Francine del Mar" ??????? Maybe someone who was there remembers the particulars?
Great questions, Amanda. I'm going to think about them some more - especially the gender shift of "Junior."
Marie
southendmd:
I remember a discussion like this, possibly on IMDb a long time ago.
Cassie: from Cassandra, meaning "she who entangles men" in Greek. In mythology, she made predictions that no one would believe.
Lureen: to me, sounds like "she who lures".
Junior: maybe Ennis wanted a son?
mariez:
--- Quote from: southendmd on August 08, 2008, 02:37:25 pm ---Junior: maybe Ennis wanted a son?
--- End quote ---
Yeah, that's always been my initial reaction to the name - “I used a want a boy for a kid,” said Ennis, undoing buttons, “but just got little girls.”
But, somehow, I can't picture Ennis wanting to name a son after himself, even though it's a "traditional" thing to do. It just seems a bit too egocentric for someone with such low self-esteem.
The "Cassie" meaning is very interesting!
Marie
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