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

Symbolism: Ennis and the mules

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Brown Eyes:

--- Quote from: Penthesilea on November 12, 2006, 04:49:42 pm ---Maybe we should give Jack a little more credit about his skills in general. I've often read similar things: tossing the keys, not the best bull-rider, not a good shot, etc. This is all correct. But somehow we sound a little bit like OMT: Jack never being good enough in those practical things. He may not be as good as Ennis, but hey, he grew up on a ranch, was used to hard ranch work and I'm sure he coped with it. You don't have to be the best to be good.

--- End quote ---

Thanks (everyone!) for revitalizing this thread!

About this topic of Jack being a little awkward...  I just wanted to clarify that I do agree that Jack is capable of doing all of these things, just not as "efficient" as Ennis.  I think the word "efficient" here is very good.    But, like Clarissa and maybe even Jake, imply maybe Jack's restlessness, etc. cause him to sometimes be too casual or "sloppy" about certain tasks.  Maybe the best visualization of this is the shot where we see Jack and Ennis working to chop up a big tree towards the very beginning of their time up on Brokeback.  Ennis diligently saws away at the wood while Jack swings an ax at it in a more hap-hazard way.  Both methods will get the job done eventually, but one gets the sense that Ennis's method would win the race.  I think the idea of Jack always "trying" is endearing and not meant to be a slight against him in anyway.  In fact, by the end of the film/ story, this constant sense of "trying" has important implications about the continuation of the boys' relationship.  It's Jack who sends the first postcard, who comes back after the post-divorce slight, etc.

Mel thanks for the info about the eagle feather.  I've always been curious about its absence from the film since Proulx mentions it twice.  I didn't realize that simply having a feather in one's possession was against the law or something likely to cause offense.  I can understand why killing an eagle would be an upsetting thing of course.

nakymaton:
I should probably add that there was no Endangered Species Act in 1962, and that a white Wyoming ranch kid probably would not have been concerned about offending Indians (or about shooting any kind of potential predator). So AP's inclusion of the eagle feather in the story is probably in character with the place and the time. (Though I found the detail a bit jarring in 2005, because killing eagles is just so politically incorrect. And AP probably meant to shock people like me when she chose that detail.)

jpwagoneer1964:
I kinda think when Jack was alone, he had very little trouble with the horses or mules, was able to work a can opener without any spillage, never triped, etc.

Mark

Front-Ranger:
FOr anyone who is interested, there is a topic called "On buckets, eagles, impatience, etc" on this forum that discusses the association of Ennis with hooved animals and that of Jack with birds and fish. IMO, we haven't really delived too deeply into the topic, and it could use some more thought, because it is a very rich area that would add to our understanding of the story.

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