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TOTW 25/08: The Motel Scene - story only

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Penthesilea:
Hi BetterMostians :),

after a long time, we have another 'story only' topic for this week.

The motel scene plays a much more important role in the story that it does in the movie. It's four pages of a 28 pages story!

Annie Proulx describes it as „central“. Here are her words from the essay „Getting movied“:

„In the written story the motel scene after a four-year hiatus stood as central. During their few hours in the Motel Siesta, Jack's and Ennis's paths were irrevocably laid out.“


A lot of ground is covered in this four pages long passage.They're both quite chatty, which is especially noteworthy for Ennis.
One thing that stands out to me is for example Jack's narration of his rodeo injuries. I'm still asking myself why it is going into so much details.
To me, it seems like some sort of metaphor. But for what? I have an idea, but will wait for your thoughts before spilling it.

Or Ennis forebearing to ask whose fault it was [the four effin' years without a sign of life]. Combined with his earlier comment of „I didn't know where in the hell you was.[...] Four years. I about give up on you. I figured you was sore about that punch.“ it seems (almost?) as he's accusing Jack for not coming back earlier. As if Jack looking for Ennis was a matter of course. Remarkable when we think about the punch, of which we don't know yet at this point of the story, but of course the boys do.

To me this means he was more or less desperately waiting to hear from Jack. And it sure means he never had given up the hope, he says so himself. I find this pretty telling about Ennis, as well as his ability to express it to Jack.

These are only two examples to get the discussion started. Feel free to agree or disagree, and bring up other details from the (short story's) motel scene.

One note on the TOTW's account: I'll be having house guests and hence there'll be no TOTW next week. And we'll have lots of fun because my guests will be our own Leslie(MaineWriter) and her daughter! Yee-Haw! :D

Now have fun with the motel scene :).

Gabreya:
Nice!!!!!!!!!!!

mariez:
Some great ideas to ponder, Chrissi.  Yes, the motel scene is the centerpiece of the ss, but in the movie the greater focus is shifted to the lake scene.   :(

I'll be back when I've had time to gather some thoughts - I do agree about Jack's injuries being a metaphor.  AP wouldn't have gone into such detail without an underlying meaning, I don't think. 

Marie

Front-Ranger:
Yes, there's more space given to the Siesta Motel than to Brokeback Mountain!! I like the part where Jack starts his litany of woes with "Got some crushed vertebrates." You bet, Annie. There's crushed vertebrates all over in this story and littering Wyoming and the world! Getting hit by the hammer of life, as AP likes to say.

shortfiction:
I can see why the screenwriters left out quite a bit of the motel scene; it would have been a bit too long and perhaps too talky for a films.   I still wish they had left in some bits of it, though.

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