Hi BetterMostians,
we've seen in movie and story, and heard about it a hundred times in reviews and interviews that our guys are rugged, taciturn and very manly cowboys (don't open the can of worms about the sheepherder discussion again ;)).
Along goes the question what is/was regarded as „manly“, given the time and location of BBM?
And what about the other male characters? Randall, old man Twist (OMT), LD, Aguirre, Monroe and others?
Does BBM buy into the stereotype/prototype of taciturn and distant men? Does it simply portray the reality in doing so? Obviously it undermines the stereotype of gay men being more „feminine“ and straight men being „real tough guys“. The most soft (call it feminine if you want) man on the surface is Monroe, yet he's straight and he gets what he wants: Alma.
Sexuality naturally plays a role in how masculinity is portrayed in BBM. But I want to take a broader look at the concept of masculinity in BBM. Including, but not limiting it to the interplay between sexuality and masculinity.
Another intersting part of this subject is the traditional (or not traditional) role allocation in Brokeback Mountain. And a further subitem are the relationships between fathers and children (again, not limited to Ennis and Jack).
Parts of this have already been discussed in other Topics of the Week or elsewhere in the Open Forum. I'm bringing this up again because I had a strange moment of doubt on some of the things discussed long ago and being seen as a given (more or less) among Brokies. I'll elaborate further in a separate post.
So, after a long initiation, jump in and share what you think about
The concept of masculinity in Brokeback Mountain
(http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m47/Penthesilea06/TOTW/collage17.jpg)