Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
P.O. Boxes, Mailboxes and the No. 17
jpwagoneer1964:
--- Quote from: latjoreme on August 14, 2006, 11:56:57 pm ---The better he hid them, the more suspicion they'd arouse if anybody found them. If he put them inside the truck seat, he'd worry about getting in an accident and having them discovered by the rescuers or something.
--- End quote ---
I don't think anyone would look for them there, and if his truck was wrecked he would have a chance to retreve his things from it. Also I think he would have like the idea that they were with him wherever he went. I don 't think a place like this would cause him worry. Alma probably rarely if ever drove the truck on her own and no one else had access to it.
Having said that, I dont think it was a big issue keeping them from Alma. They were innocuous enough, were picture poscards and Ennis could have kept them anywhere in the open, desk, dresser, etc.. He had no reason to suspect Alma knew Jack was anything but a fishing buddy.
Brown Eyes:
Well, Ennis certainly knew that Alma knew about the postcards since she was the one to announce the arrival of the first one. And, both Ennis and Jack were aware that Alma (and others) would be reading the postcards. I think the only thing that would be "suspicious" would be a stock pile. In the story Ennis goes out and buys a new postcard with Brokeback on it to use in his shrine. He even makes the shopkeeper order one since it's not in stock. I like that detail because it's so deliberate. He is conscious that he's constructing a little shrine. It's almost as nice of an idea as the notion of keeping all the old ones for sentimental value.
:'(
jpwagoneer1964:
--- Quote from: atz75 on August 15, 2006, 11:16:20 pm ---Well, Ennis certainly knew that Alma knew about the postcards since she was the one to announce the arrival of the first one. And, both Ennis and Jack were aware that Alma (and others) would be reading the postcards. I think the only thing that would be "suspicious" would be a stock pile. In the story Ennis goes out and buys a new postcard with Brokeback on it to use in his shrine. He even makes the shopkeeper order one since it's not in stock. I like that detail because it's so deliberate. He is conscious that he's constructing a little shrine. It's almost as nice of an idea as the notion of keeping all the old ones for sentimental value.
:'(
--- End quote ---
Before the shirts I think that stack of post postcards was Ennios's most prized possesion.
nakymaton:
I just had another postcard-related thought.
It just struck me how horribly, tragically impersonal it is to find out about a loved one's death by getting a postcard returned with the word "deceased" stamped across it. Not even handwriting to convey the message... a rubber stamp, used because it can send the same message over and over again...
:'( :'( :'(
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: nakymaton on August 16, 2006, 10:14:06 am ---I just had another postcard-related thought.
It just struck me how horribly, tragically impersonal it is to find out about a loved one's death by getting a postcard returned with the word "deceased" stamped across it. Not even handwriting to convey the message... a rubber stamp, used because it can send the same message over and over again...
--- End quote ---
Yes, that would be terrible. I saw the movie with a friend who is a letter carrier. She insists the P.O. wouldn't do that -- just stamp it "deceased" and send it back. But I mentioned that in a post a long time ago and someone industriously looked it up somehow and found that it was common practice up until some certain time, which I believe was after 1983.
In any case, I think they would have just delivered the postcard to Lureen. So this is a bit of cinematic license. It's lucky for Ennis, though, because then he would never have found out. (Unless Lureen saw the Riverton postmark and took the initiative to track Ennis down, but that seems unlikely.)
Would he have shown up in November and waited in vain for Jack? Would he assume Jack had quit him? Would he call the house in Childress to find out what happened?
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