Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
The mettle of a man
Front-Ranger:
I have been going over the story again and I find references to metal in connection with both Ennis and Jack. I am now of the opinion that the metallic references are somewhat like the laundry references and have to do with transformative events. Here's one that I never noticed before. At the end of the dozy embrace flashback, Jack hears Ennis mounting his horse, and hears his spurs tremble. This may be the only reference to spurs in the movie or story, which would be pretty remarkable.
Another reference. At the very end of the story, Ennis puts up the postcard in his trailer (he actually lives in a metal house! with a brass-headed tack in each corner (story doesn't mention a closet). Below the post card he drives a nail, and on it he hangs a wire hanger on which he hangs the two shirts.
Front-Ranger:
--- Quote from: goadra on November 02, 2006, 11:18:52 pm ---Unfortunately, no, it’s not the only reference: “They’d took a tire iron to him, spurred him up...”
--- End quote ---
Ouch! Okay, thank you, Goadra.
The metal references in the last scenes are many. Am working on cataloguing them.
Front-Ranger:
There were metal things in Jack's room. The most heartbreaking was the bronzed shoes. There was also a lamp sconce on the wall in the shape of an anchor.
So, we see that Jack had metal things all around them but either he bungled manipulating them (harmonica, truck, farm equipment, rodeo belt, can opener) or was done in by them (tire iron). Was it that Jack's "mettal" was not sufficient for him to survive or that he didn't have the hardness or armour that Ennis did? Or?
Front-Ranger:
Interesting observations about the calipers.
Another person who conjured up metal in his works is Bob Dylan. On this topic I relayed part of an interview with him that talked about metallic sounds:
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=1157.msg83783#msg83783
Brown Eyes:
Lee,
I'm glad you brought up the topic of spurs and noticed that they're mentioned in the dozy embrace scene in the story. I've always wondered why this key evocative object associated with cowboys seems to absent from Brokeback. Clearly the film/ story is filled to the brim with almost all of the major things traditionally associated with cowboys (often deployed in new and surprising ways in BBM)- the cowboy hats (almost a cliche to have one white and one black), lassoes, rodeos, big belt buckles, boots, harmonicas, guns, beans, etc. These are among the most common associations with cowboys and the spurs seem glaringly missing. As sharp objects meant to "prick" (for lack of a better word) horses into motion, what is the purpose of this lone reference to a spur in the flashback (at least in the story)? It's also interesting that Jack only hears the spurs. Maybe it's just part of their constant coming and going from one another... an ominous note about yet another parting.
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