Author Topic: Religious symbolism in Brokeback  (Read 15712 times)

Offline Artiste

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Re: Religious symbolism in Brokeback
« Reply #20 on: November 13, 2007, 11:00:36 pm »
Why 30 cents?

Isn't that too much for a postcard then?

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Offline Dal

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Re: Religious symbolism in Brokeback
« Reply #21 on: November 13, 2007, 11:49:52 pm »
Well, I don't know but Ennis regerts, pays 30 coins, sentences himself to life in a trailer jail.  Judas regetted, gave the 30 coins away, and hanged himself.  Just a thought.

Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: Religious symbolism in Brokeback
« Reply #22 on: November 14, 2007, 12:14:46 am »


That is an interesting thing to notice!  Very good observation/ possibility. 
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Offline Lynne

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Re: Religious symbolism in Brokeback
« Reply #23 on: November 14, 2007, 03:35:18 am »
Well, I don't know but Ennis regerts, pays 30 coins, sentences himself to life in a trailer jail.  Judas regetted, gave the 30 coins away, and hanged himself.  Just a thought.

Wow, Dal - profound!  Never put that together before - excellent analysis!!
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Offline Penthesilea

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Re: Religious symbolism in Brokeback
« Reply #24 on: November 14, 2007, 06:48:46 am »

What do you all make of the anchor on Jack's bedroom wall (beyond being a reference to Ennis's name)... Is there more to be said about that in terms of any kind of religious meaning?  Maybe more of a reference to the fish/ water-walking-Jesus theme?

Here's my take on the anchor. I've posted it before on the "Mettle of man" thread, but it fits here better, therefore I just quote myself. (It's not an exact quote, I reworded some sentences.)

The anchor is another Christian symbol (apparently), and (less apparently) one of three in the Twist house that belong together: faith, hope and charity, symbolized by a cross, an anchor and a heart.



Interestingly, in German, we say "Glaube, Liebe, Hoffnung" = "Faith, Love, Hope".
Love instead of charity. A difference at first sight. But the word "charitiy" has his origins in the Latin word "caritas", which is itself the Latin translation for the Greek "agape". Agape is simply love (well, it's not that simple, there are various slightly different interpretations and explanations as to which kind of love is meant - but in the end agape can be equated with love).

We have the cross as symbol for faith in the Twist kitchen. We have the anchor as symbol for hope in Jack's room. And then Ennis finds the heart, the love, The Shirts.





Another interesting detail: the anchor symbolizes hope of heavenly blessedness and withstanding against desperation (and we know a guy who's damned good in standing things). Another positive touch at the end of the movie, another hint of hope for Ennis' future, amidst all bleakness in both, Ennis' life and the Twist house.

Offline TOoP/Bruce

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Re: Religious symbolism in Brokeback
« Reply #25 on: November 14, 2007, 09:08:19 am »
From the thread "Why Brokeback Mountain is a Masterpiece of Art - by ClancyPantsNasty"

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,10346.0.html

“Also, is there significance that Ma Twist's cherry cake has only one cherry in it?”

I believe there is. In a Christian imagery sense, Ma Twist offers Ennis communion. The communion bread and wine are represented by the cake and coffee. Ennis declined the cake, but accepted the coffee. Ennis declined the bread, but accepted the wine. The bread is the body (of Christ) and the wine is the blood. Jack is present in two ways: the ashes (the body) and the shirts (the blood). Ennis came expecting to get the ashes, the body, but the ashes/body will stay in the family plot. What Ennis ended up getting was the shirts, the blood. Again, he declined the cake, the body, but he accepted the coffee, the blood. The cake, representing the body has a single cherry in it, the heart. Ennis cannot take the body, the ashes, or the cake with Jack’s heart in it, but he gets the shirts, the blood -- Lev. 17:11 “For the life of a creature is in the blood”.
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Offline TheravadaAskesis

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Re: Religious symbolism in Brokeback
« Reply #26 on: November 14, 2007, 10:15:02 am »

 Here's a brief explanation of the anchor symbol in Christianity, specifically the Anchor Cross. I found it on a website dedicated to Christian Symbolism, www.christiansymbols.net
 The website has a search feature if there are symbols you come across in BBM and want to understand them better. Anyways, here's the quote

  -THE ANCHOR CROSS – 1. A cross in the form of an anchor. It symbolizes hope and stability in Jesus. The anchor cross is an ancient Christian symbol, dating back to the 2nd century. It was frequently used in the catacombs to decorate the tombs of the dead. Because it was illegal to practice Christianity in the Roman Empire, symbols used in the catacombs were frequently of common objects (anchor, shepherd, dove, etc.) that could hold double meanings. In this way the symbol would not look blatantly Christian, concealing its Christian meaning from all but the informed few.

 I find the connection between the use of the anchors in the catacombs and its appearance Jack's room interesting. Of course, in the case of Jack's room, the meaning is inverted. Christianity is not what needs to be kept hidden from "all but an informed few", but instead Jack and Ennis's love for each other. Maybe here it's meant to symbolize Jack's hope in Ennis, specifically Jack's hope for stability. Notice the anchor in Jack's room is also a source of light.

Offline Artiste

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Re: Religious symbolism in Brokeback
« Reply #27 on: November 14, 2007, 11:27:51 am »
Wow!

Informative!

More...

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