Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
Symbolism: Ennis and the mules
Front-Ranger:
Jack's animal is the eagle, IMHO.
Toast:
I jsut found your post, and here is what I posted recently on the ABCs of Brokeback.:
As I watch the horse and mules and Ennis with the groceries spilled all over the trail, I think of Epona.
Epona - Celtic goddess of horses and mules and asses.
Brown Eyes:
--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on June 16, 2006, 10:17:09 pm ---Jack's animal is the eagle, IMHO.
--- End quote ---
Well, yes, I'd agree for the story but the eagle feather is omitted from the movie. I honestly can't think of a great solution to this for film-Jack. Oh, wait... maybe it's sheep. Maybe this goes back to the whole "sacrificial lamb" idea.
:-\ :'(
Front-Ranger:
When Aguirre's trailer first appears, we hear the cry of an eagle, or at least a bird of prey. Later, we hear it again, echoing in the canyon. There is an eagle above the door of the Black and Blue Eagle Bar. After the reunion, Ennis lies spread-eagled. Other birds appear throughout the movie: the crow flying above the truck, the Thanksgiving turkey. In the story, when Ennis punches Jack, the "ministering angel" lies with wings folded. I'll look for other references, I'm sure there are some. But it wouldn't have worked for Jack to shoot an eagle and brag about it these days, so I surmise that's why it was omitted from the moive.
Penthesilea:
--- Quote from: atz75 on June 16, 2006, 07:16:35 pm ---Cool topic. I think what you wrote in the initial post is a convincing interpretation Penthesilea. So my question is ... if Ennis = mules and relationship = bear, then what is Jack's animal? I think elk is also a symbol for their relationship... I think elk specifically functions as an aphrodisiac (I've posted about this in other thread), but I think elk could be expanded to be a symbol of their love. I think the bear as a symbol of the entirety of their relationship (all the different aspects of making the relationship happen... not just the love) is very good.
--- End quote ---
The idea with the bear as symbol for their relationship is not mine, I read it somwhere (back on TOB, I believe).
As for Jack's animal: I just had this idea about Ennis and the mules, I saw the similarities triggered by what I mentioned in my OP, but didn't think of Jack in this case.
But thinking about it after your question, I agree with what Front-Ranger said: it has to be something with wings. Must not necessarily be an eagle, like she said. But birds in general or even an angel could do it for me.
This fits with the wind as symbol for Jack. Wind/air/sky/birds - on a symbolic level, it's all the same: a being not bound to the ground of the earth (like Ennis is). More free and less bound.
Like Jack is more free to set himself above the rules on the earth: shoot a sheep, f*ck Aguirre, leave his wife, love another man and live with him, leaving his home farm and living footloose on the rodeo circuit, and so on.
After his death this thought can be continued: angel/heaven. In my language, the word for sky and heaven is the same, we have only one word for both. So for me heaven=sky=up above.
And what do humans become after their death? They go up to heaven and become angels.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version