Book Discussion: Brokeback Mountain

[Front-Ranger]

Good question, friend. Just off the top of my head, I would say they were waiting for the proper season. Jack must have died in the fall...between August and November, and when Ennis went up to visit the Twists, Mrs. Twist was wearing a heavy sweater (in the movie though). I would guess they were waiting for the spring thaw, because you can't bury anything up in that neck of Wyoming until after it. The zigzag road to Lightning Flat was muddy, which we found out during the Roundup that it was muddy and impassable almost even in June.

'Nother thing is that Mrs. Twist moved carefully as if recovering from an injury, so maybe if she had been indisposed that might have kept them from doing the deed.

And perhaps they had been at loggerheads about it so there was an impasse.

And maybe Persephone and Demeter figure into the equation too.

[Jeff Wrangler]

'Nother thing is that Mrs. Twist moved carefully as if recovering from an injury, so maybe if she had been indisposed that might have kept them from doing the deed.

I forgot about that, something about an operation, wasn't it? Maybe she had her gallbladder out, or something. 

[Front-Ranger]

I'm thinking that the entire story is available on the web somewhere. I Googled "They were raised on small, poor ranches" (the first line) and here's one of the hits I got:

http://filmint.nu/?p=56

[southendmd]

Wow, Lee, that was some essay.  Thanks for finding it.  

I like this:

The story of Jack and Ennis, which reminds us of anguish and desire, of pleasure and grief, calls us to acknowledge human frailty and hope and urges us to try to be a little more knowing, a little more brave.

[Penthesilea]

What Paul said.

I've skimmed through it so far, and liked what I've read. I saved the whole thing (it's 20 pages long! ) and converted it for my kindle. Looking forward to reading it thoroughly.
Thank you for finding and sharing.

[Front-Ranger]

What on earth were the Twists waiting for?

About the ashes, I mean.

I mean, it's more or less essential to the story that at the time of Ennis's visit, Jack's ashes have not yet been put to permanent rest. Yet presumably he's been dead for a while, and the Twists have had the ashes for a while, but they haven't yet put them in the family plot.

So what, I wonder, were they waiting for? 

Jeff, it is impossible to bury anything in the ground in that part of the world from the time of the first killing frost until the big thaw, which may not come until May!

But there are many other reasons. I read a couple of years ago that Matthew's ashes are still in a safe deposit box in Casper, Wyoming, and had not found their final resting place.

[Front-Ranger]

In honor of Throwback Thursday, here is my sister moderator Brown Eyes' list of the meanings of the word pitch that was used in key places in the book. I heard  about a scientist who died recently who had a long-running experiment to prove that pitch, a solid, can drip like a liquid. The pitch had dripped eight times in the course of the experiment, which had started in the 1970s. Sadly, he never saw it actually drip.

1) a black or dark viscous substance obtained as a residue in the distillation of organic materials and esp. tars. (this is the very first definition of all that appear)
2) any of various various bituminous substances
etc.  several definitions along these lines

Here are some of the main verb definitions for "pitch":
1) to cover, smear or treat with or as with pitch
2)to erect and fix firmly in place
3) a) to throw usu. with a particular objective or toward a particular point {~ hay onto a wagon} (b) to throw {a baseball} to a batter (c) to toss so as to fall at or near a mark {a coin} (d) to put aside or discard by throwing
4) a) to cause to be at a particular level or of a particular quality. (b) to cause to be set at a particular angle
5) to utter glibly and insincerely
6) to use as a starting pitcher, to play as pitcher
7) to hit a golf ball in a high arc with backspin so that it rolls very little after striking the green

Here is a second, separate section of verb forms:
1) a) to fall precipitately or headlong (  It's almost like Annie was reading a dictionary when she was writing one particular BBM passage that we all know and love)
1) b) to have the bow of a ship alternately plunge precipitately and rise abruptly
1) c) to buck 
2) to encamp
3) to hit upon or happen upon something
4) to incline downward
5) to throw a ball to a batter

Here is the second section of noun forms:
1) the action of manner of pitching; esp. an up-and-down movement
2) slope (there are many subdefinitions of this)
3) top, zenith (archaic use)
4) a) the relative level, intensity, or extent of some quality or state. (b) the property of a sound and esp. a musical tone that is determined by the frequency of the waves producing it. (there is a lot more to this part of the definition)
5) a steep place
6) a playing field
7) an all-fours game in which the first card led is a trump. (  I have no idea what that means!)
an often high pressure sales talk

etc., etc.

So, it seems that this word applies to tons of different themes, topics and concepts peppered throughout BBM in very many different contexts.  And, of course the term "to pitch" or "pitcher" also has a sexual slang meaning.

[Front-Ranger]

Friend serious crayons, I noticed you were looking for a discussion of the tar-spreading scene a couple of years ago. I don't recollect such a discussion, but I did find Amazing Amanda's discussion of the many meanings of the word pitch. Here it is for you in case you are still looking after all this time!

This is a great topic Sister Mod!   The instance of this word that comes to my mind immediately is as a verb... in the sentence: " He wanted to be a sophomore, felt the word carried a kind of distinction, but the truck broke down short of it, pitching him directly into ranch work."

Now, looking at my dictionary (a leatherbound Webster's Ninth Collegiate Dictonary) it not only shows multiple definitions for the main word "pitch" (as a noun and a verb), but there are is almost 3/4 of a page full of words that contain the word "pitch" within them.  Some of the words listed that include the term "pitch" are: pitch-black, pitch-blende, pitch-dark, pitched battle, pitcher, pitcher plant, pitchfork, pitch in, pitchman, pitchout, pitch pine, pitch pipe, pitchstone, pitchwoman, and pitchy.

I'm going to highlight some of the definitions here that seem particularly interesting:

Here are some of the main noun definitions for the basic word "pitch".  My dictionary divides the noun section into two very distinct parts (interrupted by the section of definitions on the verb form... this is the first set of noun definitions):
1) a black or dark viscous substance obtained as a residue in the distillation of organic materials and esp. tars. (this is the very first definition of all that appear)
2) any of various various bituminous substances
etc.  several definitions along these lines

Here are some of the main verb definitions for "pitch":
1) to cover, smear or treat with or as with pitch
2)to erect and fix firmly in place
3) a) to throw usu. with a particular objective or toward a particular point {~ hay onto a wagon} (b) to throw {a baseball} to a batter (c) to toss so as to fall at or near a mark {a coin} (d) to put aside or discard by throwing
4) a) to cause to be at a particular level or of a particular quality. (b) to cause to be set at a particular angle
5) to utter glibly and insincerely
6) to use as a starting pitcher, to play as pitcher
7) to hit a golf ball in a high arc with backspin so that it rolls very little after striking the green

Here is a second, separate section of verb forms:
1) a) to fall precipitately or headlong (  It's almost like Annie was reading a dictionary when she was writing one particular BBM passage that we all know and love)
1) b) to have the bow of a ship alternately plunge precipitately and rise abruptly
1) c) to buck 
2) to encamp
3) to hit upon or happen upon something
4) to incline downward
5) to throw a ball to a batter

Here is the second section of noun forms:
1) the action of manner of pitching; esp. an up-and-down movement
2) slope (there are many subdefinitions of this)
3) top, zenith (archaic use)
4) a) the relative level, intensity, or extent of some quality or state. (b) the property of a sound and esp. a musical tone that is determined by the frequency of the waves producing it. (there is a lot more to this part of the definition)
5) a steep place
6) a playing field
7) an all-fours game in which the first card led is a trump. (  I have no idea what that means!)
an often high pressure sales talk

etc., etc.

So, it seems that this word applies to tons of different themes, topics and concepts peppered throughout BBM in very many different contexts.  And, of course the term "to pitch" or "pitcher" also has a sexual slang meaning.

Definitely lots of food for thought!


 

[Front-Ranger]

A word with possibly an equal number of meanings as the word pitch is bean. How many explicit and inferred uses and meanings of the word bean have you found in Brokeback Mountain?