But, I've always thought that an equation was set up between the vulnerable sheep and gay men (i.e. Jack and Earl) in BBM. I think the film tries to visually set this equation between Jack and sheep up through the quick jump between the dead sheep and Jack's naked, shivering body by the stream. And, also things like the nice scene of Jack holding the sheep in his lap trying to get something out of its hoof. Ennis is just sitting in the background watching the flock... which in some way includes Jack here due to his proximity and involvement with the sheep. Anyway, Earl is clearly a victim of "predator loss" (the gang of murderers). And, Ennis believes that this is Jack's fate too. And, the reason that Jack dies is that Ennis wasn't there to protect him (too far away... not looking after his "sheep" properly). Ennis believes himself to be the protector and I think that comes out very clearly in the language used by Proulx to describe Ennis's anger that no one was there to roll Jack over following the attack/accident. I also think that Ennis's feeling of responsibility towards sheep in the sense that he sees himself as the protector... comes in the statement when he says "we're supposed to guard the sheep not eat them."
So many insights here, my friend! You are in fine form tonite! I was thinking of the sheep in a rather narrow-minded religious way but you have opened my mind to a new interpretation!
Absolutely, A, a really cool post. And like all great insights, it made me think about the movie in a new way, especially something the line about "bad predator loss."
You know how we think about that trailer scene as being a wedding ceremony, with Aguirre being the preacher/God? Well, it just suddenly occurred to me (as maybe it already had to others) that Aguirre also roughly establishes the form the rest of their lives will take: they'll live separately, on the QT.
They'll get together for
a couple of high altitude fucks breakfast and dinner, but they'll sleep with the sheep (pretend to follow society's rules) hunderd percent, no fire, don't leave no sign, roll up that tent every morning case the Forest Service snoops around -- that is, pretend not to be doing what they're doing in case the people on the pavement snoop around.
Maybe this is all obvious to other people, but it's the first time I've thought about the wedding/trailer scene in quite this way. I've concentrated on the certificate (they came together on paper) and the vows (No! No! Not on your fucking life!) and the ring (the watch), and walking down the aisle (the steps) and the kiss (the handshake). But I've never thought of the wedding service in terms as literally as this.
Two years in, and it's still going ...