Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
getting hit hard by offhand revelations (story discussion)
Penthesilea:
--- Quote from: mlewisusc on December 01, 2006, 10:58:50 am ---Yeah, I think the green salad/pizza analogy is a good one, P!
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Glad I was able to get my point across.
--- Quote --- One nit to pick with the end of your argument, however: Alma's lines regarding loneliness were from the film.
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Oops. This totally slipped my attention. Okay, cancel my remark about Alma from the movie.
You, as well as Jeff, listed enough evidence from the story to confirm my thoughts: the high-time supper, paw the white out of the moon, the slow-motion, headlong, irreversible fall, each glad to have a companion where none had been expected.
--- Quote ---of course, much of the story's sadness comes from the tragic irony that when Ennis found the one person who could satisfy all his desires, his cultural imperatives, both in the community and in his own head, instilled by his father (back to the tire-iron wielding Inner Parent) stopped him from embracing the only connection left that could satisfy.
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True. And so sad.
What makes me also even more sad is the painful lonliness that pours out of Annie's description of Ennis's life after Jack's death: the prologue and the very last paragraph of the story (from "Around that time Jack began to appear in his dreams..." on).
mlewisusc:
Given the amount of fanfiction written of the variety where Ennis gets to find someone, and live "happily ever after" in a melancholy way, kind of a bittersweet trance of a life Jack created for Ennis by Jack's "sacrificial" death, it's no wonder to me that so many people feel put off by the story after they fall in love with the film. From an optimistic perspective, the story sucks. It's a ringing, bitter condemnation of either or both of (a) society's homophobia; and/or (b) Ennis's own lack of strength. At the same time, it's a pretty amazing depiction of a deep, but flawed, love between two people, and a short, sharp, insightful analysis of human character. The point is, Ennis is screwed at the end of the story, emotionally, and I don't see any redemption coming his way.
The film, of course, gives us the hope that his experience with Jack will open him up to other loves in his life (e.g., attending Jr.'s wedding). I see my own prejudices, founded in the story, making my way into the interpretation of the end of the film. I certainly DON'T believe Film Ennis EVER finds another man, let alone a Jack replacement! I think he only gets bittersweet solace from the resolve not to let work get in the way of his loves anymore.
Sorry, now I'm the one going on about the film. Point is, the story is arguably unrelentingly bleak; the film gives some light to Ennis's tragedy.
BTW, I'm on my non-Mac machine here at work and I can't fiqure out how to spell check this thing! If someone could let me know how. .
nakymaton:
--- Quote from: mlewisusc on December 02, 2006, 12:42:11 am ---From an optimistic perspective, the story sucks. It's a ringing, bitter condemnation of either or both of (a) society's homophobia; and/or (b) Ennis's own lack of strength. At the same time, it's a pretty amazing depiction of a deep, but flawed, love between two people, and a short, sharp, insightful analysis of human character. The point is, Ennis is screwed at the end of the story, emotionally, and I don't see any redemption coming his way.
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Yep.
But I think there's a heck of a lot more insight into human nature in that bleak story than in reams of happily-ever-after (fanfic or original fiction, BBM or completely unrelated) fantasies.
(BTW, mlewis, you don't know this about me, but I can get really nasty when BBM fanfic comes up, so I try to avoid talking about it in this thread.)
welliwont:
--- Quote from: nakymaton on December 02, 2006, 11:23:54 am ---Yep.
(BTW, mlewis, you don't know this about me, but I can get really nasty when BBM fanfic comes up, so I try to avoid talking about it in this thread.)
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Is that why you did not reply to my post way back there, Mel, because I am a reader of fanfic? ???
mlewisusc:
--- Quote from: nakymaton on December 02, 2006, 11:23:54 am ---Yep.
But I think there's a heck of a lot more insight into human nature in that bleak story than in reams of happily-ever-after (fanfic or original fiction, BBM or completely unrelated) fantasies.
(BTW, mlewis, you don't know this about me, but I can get really nasty when BBM fanfic comes up, so I try to avoid talking about it in this thread.)
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Agreed. Tragedy is the highest form of drama (or storytelling) per Aristotle, right? As a BRIEF comment on fanfic, I dipped my toe in back during the height of my BBM obsession because I JUST NEEDED MORE. Excepting Jeff W's great short stuff, I pay no attention now - I'd rather re-read the story and see what new insight I can glean.
This made me glance up at the title of this thread - getting hit hard by offhand revelations. I'm now looking for those revelations from the rest of you, rather than letting them hit me from the story. I'm noticing several lines and comments in the story that I don't really "get" but various threads are opening them up to me.
To return to the tragedy/insight theme, would you then say that the BBM story is a "cautionary" tale or just an exposition of a wrenching situation? By cautionary, I guess I mean, "Don't act like Ennis - embrace your true love" or "Don't act like Mr. Del Mar with your kids."
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