Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
P.O. Boxes, Mailboxes and the No. 17
jpwagoneer1964:
--- Quote from: Ellemeno on January 10, 2007, 10:28:27 am ---Mark, is this a real quote from somewhere, or a pretend thing?
--- End quote ---
No, it's just my take on this scene. Any number chosen someone would come up with a hidden meaning. 36 <> 63 the year Jack and Ennis met, 12 1 2 respective number of children an on and on.
My mom a college english treacher once attended a interview with a famous author. In one of here stories in order to set the scene she described a spider crawling up the wall. The reader had dozens of questions about the meaning of the spider. She replied 'Its just a spider crawling up the wal!'.
Mark
Brown Eyes:
Well, walking home from work today... for some reason I was thinking about Ennis and that mailbox (who knows why really ::) ). And I just kept thinking... just the simple fact that he gets a mailbox at all is a big deal. Lee makes us look at him dealing with that mundane ol' mailbox for quite a long camera time. Why? Why of all things are we meant to look at a mailbox for so long? Not only that, but Ennis walks away from it turns, and looks at it himself (thus re-enforcing the idea that the movie-viewer is supposed to find something important/ interesting regarding that mailbox). If the protagonist focuses on it, the viewer is more than likely going to follow his actions (it's almost an automatic response from a viewer... especially this late in the film after we've been conditioned to identify with Ennis for the bulk of the story).
So, the only thing I can think that's super significant (and, Mark, you'll be happy to know this doesn't have to do with the possible symbolism of no. 17, etc.) but it's just the plain fact that Ennis has changed. Through the whole film- the previous 20 years of Ennis's life or the entirety of his relationship with Jack he hasn't had a mailbox. The fact that he did something different is a sign of some sort of evolution in his character.
Does this make sense?
I guess we could debate the point of whether Ennis had a mailbox at any of his other previous residences (we're not always shown this particular detail all that carefully)... but I think we're meant to believe that in all the times past he's collected his mail through p.o. boxes at the post office.
opinionista:
--- Quote from: latjoreme on August 13, 2006, 07:01:48 pm ---OT but, now that you mention it, I've kind of wondered why they didn't fish. I mean, they had all that time on their hands, what else do they have to do?? ::)
OK, you don't need to answer that. But really. They go horseback riding. They go hunting. They've got all the fishing tackle with them. Why not?
Maybe because if they did, Alma wouldn't have any evidence to throw at Ennis later.
--- End quote ---
I also wondered the same thing. Why didn't they fish if they did everything else? I guess it wasn't something they really liked to do. After all, Ennis comes with the "he was a fishing buddy" lie on the spur of the moment, when he receives Jack's first postcard.
As for the postcards writing, I think they didn't write long letters because, unlike women, men in general don't do that. At least I've never met any man who would write a long, detailed letter, unless they're at war.
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: atz75 on January 30, 2007, 11:43:57 pm --- Through the whole film- the previous 20 years of Ennis's life or the entirety of his relationship with Jack he hasn't had a mailbox. The fact that he did something different is a sign of some sort of evolution in his character.
--- End quote ---
But evolution in what direction? Is it a sign that he has become more open to communicating with others? Or less, because it means he can avoid trips into town? My feeling has always been that it's an implicit invitation to Jack -- he's hoping for "postcards," so to speak. Perhaps he's belatedly open to Jack's communication. The fact that he carefully adjusts and examines the letters the same way he does in the "tent don't look right" scene underscores that interpretation, for me.
jpwagoneer1964:
--- Quote from: opinionista on January 31, 2007, 05:00:14 am ---I also wondered the same thing. Why didn't they fish if they did everything else? I guess it wasn't something they really liked to do. After all, Ennis comes with the "he was a fishing buddy" lie on the spur of the moment, when he receives Jack's first postcard.
--- End quote ---
who says they didn't fish? We see Ennis exiting his truck with all of his gear, and I'm sure fish would have supplemented their meals on the campouts.
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