Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum

I Never Paid Attention to "The Paper Bag"

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Front-Ranger:
Just a little over six years ago, I was leaving the museum in Casper, Wyoming, after hearing Annie Proulx speak for the first time. My new friends and I were on our way to eat at the Wonder Bar, but we had a little time to spend before dinner. We decided to go over to the library next door which was having a sale of old books in its basement. I bought a raggedy paperback of The Virginian and a Life Magazine from the '60s and another book, and EDelMar bought a stack of books, one about the general store in Lysite whose owner he knew. He put the books in the cab of The Truck and then we walked down the sidewalk towards the bar. He paused as he was about to dispose of the paper bag the books had been wrapped in into a trash container and then gave it to me. "Would you keep this for me?" he said. "I like the way it rustles." I accepted the bag reverently and stowed it in my own car along with my purchases. Later, I gave it back to him.

CellarDweller:

The paper bag in the beginning of the film held what was important to him, his extra change of clothes.   At the end of the film, it held extra clothes that represented his relationship with Jack, which by then had become the most imporant thing to him.

Monika:

For me the paper bag represent a circular movement. In the beginning, all Ennis has is a paper bag with clothes. And inspite of everything, that´s all he is really left with in the end too. In the end, Ennis hasn´t really evolved much since we first see him, paper bag in hand, jump down from that semi-trailer - he is still in Wyoming, still working 24/7 and is still afraid of his own shadow.

"...high-school drop-out country boys with no prospects, brought up to hard work and privation."

Sason:
The paper bags are also a bookend, containing the whole movie.

The first one at the very beginning of the film, the last one in the next-to-last scene.

RossInIllinois:

--- Quote from: CellarDweller on November 04, 2012, 10:56:41 am ---The paper bag in the beginning of the film held what was important to him, his extra change of clothes.   At the end of the film, it held extra clothes that represented his relationship with Jack, which by then had become the most imporant thing to him.

--- End quote ---

Yes Indeed!

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