Beans --
noun. Ennis liked BetterMost beans, while Jack preferred elk. Ironically, Jack wasn't very good at shooting elk, but boasted of being "good with a can opener." Neither man knew himself very well it seems. Beans are an old Asian symbol of virility. The bean may also have a similar significance in Western culture as illustrated by the fable "Jack in the Beanstalk" where a young man brought uncontrollable growth and ultimate destruction to himself by planting a few magic beans.
Here is a discussion of the symbology of "Jack and the Beanstalk", an English fairy tale. I don't really agree with some of it, for instance, I think the beanstalk is not a symbol of Jack's social climbing but rather of his ambition, his adolescent sexual desires kicking in, or just any situation that gets out of control. But there's one part that seems very Brokeish to me:
The name Jack is commonly used in fairy tales as a symbol for a clever but unreliable character who starts off poor and stupid with an unpromising future, but ends up rich and respected by using his wits
Now, go to
The Straight Dope for a hilarious discussion on Melville's quoting of the "Pythagorian Maxim" against eating beans. Maybe I should also post about this in "Jack and the Wind"!
beans, coffee -- noun. A subset of beans, coffee played a role in both the story and the subsequent movie. The site
dreamforth suggests that drinking coffee indicates the need for thought or taking a more realistic look at a situation (aka "wake up and smell the coffee"). A coffeepot indicates romantic interest. Note the placement of the coffeepot over Ennis' torso as he sleeps on the ground just before Jack calls him to come into the tent. Coffee is bitter, and Alma sat in between a coffee cup and a sugar holder, unable to choose between the bitter and the sweet, as she cried while Ennis went off to be with Jack in the mountains.
