Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
The short story
Front-Ranger:
That's very interesting, Jeff, about the travel-trailer. Now that you mention it, the trailer seems to be almost a womb-like structure, like AP is "bookending" Ennis's life. And David, you also bring up an interesting point about the sink. This is the second or third time that a sink appears in the story; previously Alma is washing dishes in the sink while outing Ennis at Thanksgiving, and we are given a clue to its significance by her wrenching of the faucet and the gushing of the water as if calling out to its wild cousin, the mountain stream. Methinks the sink is related to that other container the bucket which we know is the vessel for the life-force. Containers are very important in the story. When Ennis is pissing in the sink, he's literally pissing his life away. :'(
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: DavidinHartford on December 05, 2006, 10:39:28 am ---I thought Anne was trying to show us how depressed Ennis was by his situation and environment. Peeing in the sink implied he just didn't give a damn anymore.
--- End quote ---
That's entirely possible. I recognize that sometimes I tend to be quite literal in my visualizations. In this case for me it's just that Ennis is naked when he gets out of bed, it's a cold and windy morning, the trailer doesn't have a bathroom, and he has to relieve himself, so. ...
David:
You are probably right Jeff. An older trailer back then most likely didnt have a toilet. And if you wake up and gotta pee real bad and its cold and windy out I can see Ennis taking the sink shortcut, especially if ya gotta pee and not enough time to get dressed to run for the outhouse.
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: DavidinHartford on December 05, 2006, 11:09:45 am ---You are probably right Jeff. An older trailer back then most likely didnt have a toilet. And if you wake up and gotta pee real bad and its cold and windy out I can see Ennis taking the sink shortcut, especially if ya gotta pee and not enough time to get dressed to run for the outhouse.
--- End quote ---
And at least he turns on the water. ... ;D
In the end all I can really say is that "travel trailer" as opposed to "house trailer" is the visual image that Annie's writing evokes for me--and it amazes me the vivid images that she can evoke with such spare writing. Genius, just genius. ...
nakymaton:
I always imagined an old Airstream trailer, for some reason. (Never been inside one, so I don't know what they've got in the way of sinks. But that's what image the "curved sides" brings up for me.)
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