Author Topic: TOTW 13/08: Brokeback Mountain = The Wyoming Death Story  (Read 6808 times)

Offline Penthesilea

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TOTW 13/08: Brokeback Mountain = The Wyoming Death Story
« on: April 23, 2007, 03:37:22 pm »
Edit on April 14th, 2008 for TOTW

Happy new week, BetterMostians!  :D

I had an idea for a TOTW yesterday, but when I started to write it down today, it felt strangely familiar. I went searching and indeed, I had brought up the same topic last year already  ::) :laugh:
Oh well, blame it on age  ;).

But since the topic never hit off and got only a meager two responses, I thought I'd try again and make it a TOTW. I just added the TOTW 13/08 to its title.

For a story of only 28 pages length, Brokeback Mountains contains a lot of references to death, dying, killing, etc. Even taking in account that it's a tragedy, it seems an awful lot of doom. Life in the rural West sure is no bed of roses, eh?
Why do you think Annie Proulx added so much death into the story? Can you think of any more examples? Did you find this number of death references striking (to be honest, it took me a while to notice it)?



On the highway 59 heading south towards Gillette, May 2007


End of Edit


The title of this thread is, as most of you surely have noticed, somehow borrowed from Annie Proulx, who talked about "The Wyoming Death Trip" in her essay Getting Movied.

Reading people's interpretations of the sunken submarine Thresher mentioned in the story, in another thread today, the idea for this thread formed in my mind.
The story Brokeback Mountain is full of death and doom from the get-go on. Just like Proulx's trip with an interested film-crew in Wyoming (hence the headline).
This topic has come up sometimes in various threads, but I think it's so significant it deserves its own thread.
I've gone through (almost) the whole story today and listed up all mentions of death or dying I found. I stopped the listing with the deceased postcad, because afterwards the rest is almost exclusively about death. It would have been too many lines to mention and, to be honest, I didn't want to read the last part.


Direct mentions of death, dying or killing in the story:

  • Ennis' parent's dying in the second sentence of the story (sans prolog)
  • Jack's story of the killed sheep the year before, struck by a lightning storm
  • Ennis shot a coyote first light; the one with balls the size a apples
  • the boys talking about the submarine Thresher "and how it must have been in the last doomed minutes"
  • the death of Ennis' parents is mentioned a second time
  • the fire dies down (causing Ennis to freeze his a$$ off and join Jack for TS1)
  • Uncle Harold was expected to die from pneunomia (though he didn't)
  • Jack fucking starved that year he made only 3000 $$ rodeoin' and met Lureen
  • Ennis in the Siesta: "We do that in the wrong place we'll be dead"
  • Ennis tells the Earl and Rich story
  • Ennis: " If he [E's father] was alive and was to put his head in that door right now you bet he'd go get his tire iron."
  • Down in Texas Jack's father-in-law died
  • The batteries of the transistor radio died at their last meeting
  • Jack expected to get shot by Lureen or the husband (because of the thing he had going with a "rancher's wife")
  • He probably deserved it, said by Ennis (ouch)
  • "all them things I don't know could get you killed if  should come to know them."
  • Jack: "...and then tell me you'll kill me..."
  • Ennis stood as if heart-shot
  • Jack feared Ennis might have a heart attack
  • the postcard came back stamped DECEASED
  • and everything that follows from that point on (eg the spoon handle that was the kind that could be used as a tire iron)

Indirect, partly symbolic threats of death:

  • If the draft don't get me
  • Ennis's headlong, irreversible fall (could also be interpreted far more uplifting: falling irreversibly for Jack, which he doubtlessly did, respectively had already done at that point of the story)
  • Jenny had an asthmatic wheeze and Alma feared for her life
  • Jack was too busted up for the army
  • The boneless blue [of the sky] was so deep, said Jack, that he might drown looking up (and that's ecaxtly what happened  :'()
  • The bear seemed it was falling apart
  • The brilliant charge of their infrequent couplings was darkened by the sense of time flying, never enough time, never enough.
  • Stoutamire was a hell-raiser
  • Ennis was trespasssing in the shoot-em zone
  • The minutes ticked by from the round watch in Ennis's pocket (the race that had begun with Aguirre tossing Ennis the watch)
  • Jack as ministering angel. Angels = clearly not earthy beings


Some of these are in both, story and movie. And although I related only to the story, naming of further examples from the movie is welcomed. This thread can be about both, story and movie.
« Last Edit: April 14, 2008, 09:44:15 am by Penthesilea »

Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: Brokeback Mountain = The Wyoming Death Story
« Reply #1 on: April 25, 2007, 09:29:10 pm »
You're right, Chrissi... Brokeback Mountain is an epic tragedy, and by definition must be all about the paramount issues of life, death, and the struggle to find meaning in life in the face of unfeeling, impassive, Nature. The solution is in the power of love to transform our meager existence on this Earth into something worth having, worth lvining thru all the pain and searching. Regarding your request for death examples from the movie, here is an example:


"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline loneleeb3

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Re: Brokeback Mountain = The Wyoming Death Story
« Reply #2 on: May 10, 2007, 01:38:03 pm »
Quote
The boneless blue [of the sky] was so deep, said Jack, that he might drown looking up (and that's ecaxtly what happened  )

OMG!!! I had never picked up on that before!
Wow!
Brings tears to my eyes thinking about it. :'(
"The biggest obstacle to most of us achieving our dreams isn't reality, it's our own fear"

"Saint Paul had his Epiphany on the road to Damascus, Mine was on Brokeback Mountain"

Offline Penthesilea

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Re: Brokeback Mountain = The Wyoming Death Story
« Reply #3 on: April 14, 2008, 09:28:01 am »
*bump* for TOTW

Offline Dal

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Re: TOTW 13/08: Brokeback Mountain = The Wyoming Death Story
« Reply #4 on: April 14, 2008, 12:38:42 pm »
Nice observations, Penthesilea.  Don't forget 'you shot my airplane out a the sky' and 'One a my friends got  his  oil checked with a horn dipstick and that's all she wrote.' 

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Brokeback Mountain = The Wyoming Death Story
« Reply #5 on: April 14, 2008, 04:23:34 pm »
You're right, Chrissi... Brokeback Mountain is an epic tragedy, and by definition must be all about the paramount issues of life, death, and the struggle to find meaning in life in the face of unfeeling, impassive, Nature. The solution is in the power of love to transform our meager existence on this Earth into something worth having, worth lvining thru all the pain and searching. Regarding your request for death examples from the movie, here is an example:




For some reason it strikes me as funny that Jack's using a hibachi to grill those steaks. Somehow that just seems so ... suburban.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: Brokeback Mountain = The Wyoming Death Story
« Reply #6 on: April 14, 2008, 05:09:58 pm »
For some reason it strikes me as funny that Jack's using a hibachi to grill those steaks. Somehow that just seems so ... suburban.
Kind of like someone using an electric knife to carve the Thanksgiving turkey, tehe??

"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Brokeback Mountain = The Wyoming Death Story
« Reply #7 on: April 14, 2008, 06:31:58 pm »
Kind of like someone using an electric knife to carve the Thanksgiving turkey, tehe??



Sure enough!  ;)
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

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Re: TOTW 13/08: Brokeback Mountain = The Wyoming Death Story
« Reply #8 on: April 15, 2008, 05:44:18 pm »
What is the first premonition of Jack's death in the movie? It was the very first thing that happened once Jack arrived on the scene...he got out of the truck and he... kicked the tire!!   :(

"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Artiste

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Re: TOTW 13/08: Brokeback Mountain = The Wyoming Death Story
« Reply #9 on: April 15, 2008, 10:09:22 pm »
But no one talks about the gay guy murdered, which Ennis saw as a dead man!

Why?

Offline loneleeb3

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Re: TOTW 13/08: Brokeback Mountain = The Wyoming Death Story
« Reply #10 on: April 16, 2008, 11:42:06 am »
Quote
Jack: "...and then tell me you'll kill me..."

Still one of the hardest scenes for me to watch!  :'(
"The biggest obstacle to most of us achieving our dreams isn't reality, it's our own fear"

"Saint Paul had his Epiphany on the road to Damascus, Mine was on Brokeback Mountain"

Offline optom3

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Re: TOTW 13/08: Brokeback Mountain = The Wyoming Death Story
« Reply #11 on: April 16, 2008, 12:13:33 pm »
To me the underlying premise of the whole story is death.What I mean by that is the death of dreams.In particular Jacks' dreams of a "sweet life"
He loses all his optimism en route, which is part of what is so devestating to behold. I think most of us have dreams for our future one way or another.When some of those dreams start to die,I feel a little part of us does too.
It is interesting when at the final meeting ,
the very last vestige of hope/dreams that Jack has clung on to,is seen to die, we discover that not long after he has physically died too.
What Ennis is then left with is just dreams.Albeit of a different type.He dreams of Jack when asleep and it is mainly that which seems to keep him going.The dreams also warm his day,unlike Jack who was permanantly cold at their meetings.
I find it interesting that when Jack is still alive he comforts himself by draming forward to some sort of life with Ennis.When Jack dies Ennis is in effect dreaming back to the time when Jack was still alive.

Offline BlissC

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Re: TOTW 13/08: Brokeback Mountain = The Wyoming Death Story
« Reply #12 on: April 17, 2008, 07:18:53 am »
I find it interesting that when Jack is still alive he comforts himself by draming forward to some sort of life with Ennis.When Jack dies Ennis is in effect dreaming back to the time when Jack was still alive.

That's a good point. Dreams play an important part in the story - and in a way the whole story's a dream because after the prologue we're reading the panels of Ennis's dreams. Even in Ennis's dream though there's death - "...but the can of beans with the spoon handle jutting out and balanced on the log was there as well, in a cartoon shape and lurid colors that gave the dreams a flavour of comic obscenity. The spoon handle was the kind that could be used as a tire iron..."

...borrowed from Annie Proulx, who talked about "The Wyoming Death Trip" in her essay Getting Movied.

Reading people's interpretations of the sunken submarine Thresher mentioned in the story, in another thread today, the idea for this thread formed in my mind.
The story Brokeback Mountain is full of death and doom from the get-go on. Just like Proulx's trip with an interested film-crew in Wyoming (hence the headline).

There is no escaping from death in the story, and as I've said to a few people recently who've asked me about being a Brokie and the film, it isn't a love story at all, it's a tragedy, as F-R said, an "epic tragedy", and I think I recall AP herself describing BBM as a "Greek tragedy".

Reading "The Wyoming Death Trip" for the first time I found it interesting that she specifically talked about rural Wyoming and death (it reminded me with Jeff's comment about Jack cooking seeming so "suburban") and the way that in rural life death's a part of the way of life.

The story is very gloomy in many respects, and does concentrate on death an awful lot, but I wonder if the story's maybe not intentionally about death, but simply about the way of life and the cycle of life and death and how that's just a part of life on one level. The story's in many ways an ordinary story (I don't mean that the prose or anything about the story's 'ordinary' because we know it isn't) in that it's the story of two people who happened to meet - two people amongst millions of others. Maybe there are countless other people sharing a similar story (and certainly from some of the messages posted on the official BBM site I remember from not long after the film came out it would seem there are), and life and death and problems with life and marriages, and children, and work, and insecurities and dreams, and everything else are common to most people. What makes the story special to us is that we're given a glimpse of the emotions and the heartache behind the story, but there's sure to be more Jack and Ennises out there, death will be a part of life for all of them, as it is for all of us.


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Offline Clyde-B

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Re: TOTW 13/08: Brokeback Mountain = The Wyoming Death Story
« Reply #13 on: April 17, 2008, 09:06:09 am »
Chrissi, thank you for pulling all these references out of the story for us, that was a lot of work.

I have tried to read this story several times to figure out how Annie Proulx made it work, but everytime I try I get lost in the story and lose my purpose.

I'm glad you didn't!

We know from the very beginning of the story that something happened between Ennis and Jack Twist, because they are no longer together, but we don't know what.  What was the relationship between these two men, and what happened to Jack Twist were the questions that kept me reading.

For me, Images in a story, and the words knit together to make up those images, are like butter in the refrigerator.  They take on the flavor of the words and images surrounding them.

These images of death pile one on top of the other and have a kind of cumulative effect.  They give the story a gritty true-to-life feel, and they create an air of forboding that this is not going to end well.

The further I got into it, the more I wanted to it to end happily, but the more I felt it would not.  These death images fuel that sense of impending tragedy.

When Jack actually dies, the timing of his death is surprising, but his death feels inevitable.  I think all these death images contribute to that feeling of inevitability.