Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
Ennis and the final card
j.U.d.E.:
--- Quote from: blueremembered on January 22, 2009, 05:19:49 pm ---I find the issue of Ennis' name very interesting. It is surely significant that Proloux gives him an exotic double barrelled surname that refuses to sound American.
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I just wanted to mention that! Maybe it was discussed at length here already, or even somehow explained in the book (which I haven't read in a while), but I am not on the BM board often enough - I was thinking, maybe Ennis did not want to say his last name to a total stranger (Jack), for fear of being ostracized. I mean 'Del Mar' is Spanish. Has it ever been mentionend that Ennis might have been of mixed race and/or nationality? Maybe Mexican. Maybe he made up that story about his folks' car accident, because he didn't want people to know about his ethnic background. Maybe that's why he hated Jack so much for going back to Mexico again and again. Maybe he never knew who his fatherwas and maybe his mother was Mexican and she gave him her last name. Maybe he was ashamed of being different. Double different. And maybe towards the end of the story, he started to accept his differences and eventually embraced the name of Del Mar, even before accepting the fact that he was gay.
But maybe this is far-fetching a bit too much... :P
Brown Eyes:
--- Quote from: oRpHaN_cLoWn on January 22, 2009, 06:46:52 pm ---I just wanted to mention that! Maybe it was discussed at length here already, or even somehow explained in the book (which I haven't read in a while), but I am not on the BM board often enough - I was thinking, maybe Ennis did not want to say his last name to a total stranger (Jack), for fear of being ostracized. I mean 'Del Mar' is Spanish. Has it ever been mentionend that Ennis might have been of mixed race and/or nationality? Maybe Mexican. Maybe he made up that story about his folks' car accident, because he didn't want people to know about his ethnic background. Maybe that's why he hated Jack so much for going back to Mexico again and again. Maybe he never knew who his fatherwas and maybe his mother was Mexican and she gave him her last name. Maybe he was ashamed of being different. Double different. And maybe towards the end of the story, he started to accept his differences and eventually embraced the name of Del Mar, even before accepting the fact that he was gay.
But maybe this is far-fetching a bit too much... :P
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Heya,
I think this idea that Ennis might have already felt a bit like an outsider due to his unusual name makes a lot of sense. For someone as insecure as Ennis, probably anything that made him stand out made him nervous. I also like the idea, suggested in this thread, that Jack's proding of Ennis to say his full name, followed by Jack's jovial acceptance of his full name ("nice to know you Ennis Del Mar") was a first step towards Ennis developing an attraction to Jack and also developing a lot of trust in Jack. I think Jack's acceptance and constant gentle encouragement of Ennis were such important factors in Ennis developing his emotional attachment to Jack.
Front-Ranger:
--- Quote from: atz75 on January 22, 2009, 04:34:21 pm ---Lee, it's interesting that there might be a connection of some kind to another piece of Proulx's writing.
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I went through the book Postcards by Annie Proulx, and the signatures on the postcards that introduce each chapter are very individual. The main character, the eldest son Loyal Blood, signs his name, Yours, Loyal, or Son Loyal most of the time, but when his family writes to him they sign their full names with middle initial included. Once when the mother is writing to a different son, she signs her name Ma (Jewell Blood) as if he might get confused as to which Ma. Now, I think Ennis' signing of his full name is an indicator of his rural, almost illiterate roots.
Brown Eyes:
--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on January 24, 2009, 08:57:38 pm ---I went through the book Postcards by Annie Proulx, and the signatures on the postcards that introduce each chapter are very individual. The main character, the eldest son Loyal Blood, signs his name, Yours, Loyal, or Son Loyal most of the time, but when his family writes to him they sign their full names with middle initial included. Once when the mother is writing to a different son, she signs her name Ma (Jewell Blood) as if he might get confused as to which Ma. Now, I think Ennis' signing of his full name is an indicator of his rural, almost illiterate roots.
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Hi Lee! That's interesting. I have a copy of Postcards somewhere... I'll have to go check it out.
I was thinking more about the use of Ennis's full name and the issue of identity last night again... and it occurred to me that another interesting moment is the phone call with Lureen. When he calls she ask's who he is twice..."Who? Who is this?" Leading Ennis to have to say his name and explain himself in a way he'd never done before with anyone else... including briefly telling about his association with Jack, '63, Brokeback, sheep, etc. In that brief conversation he tells an incredible amount about himself. The whole issue of the full name here at this critical juncture in the film is really quite foregrounded.
Front-Ranger:
Ennis is tested his entire life. My heart goes out to ennibody who lives in a hostile environment where you are constantly asked to live a lie, and to prove you buy into it. Why not just accept that there are all kinds of people and understand that diversity is beautiful!?!
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