The mettle of a man

[Front-Ranger]

Another element that's associated with Jack is . . . metal. Why? I don't know, but let's see if we can puzzle it out. We know that Jack is handy with a can opener, and he solved his buck-toothed problem by having his teeth filed down (presumably with a metal file) and steel plugs inserted. There are many associations of Jack with metal (I'll ask goadra to help me list them all!  ) I looked up the word mettle in the dictionary and found this: vigor and strength of spirit or temperament, ardor, staying quality, stamina, courage. I also looked up metal and found that it can be various substances that share the quality of being good conductors of electricity and warmth.

[Jeff Wrangler]

Of course, the thing about the can opener, though, is that's one more thing where from what we see, Jack really isn't as good with it as he thinks he is--or tells Ennis he is (like he says the mare can't throw him, and then she gets lucky--yeah, right, Jack). The only time we actually see Jack use the can opener, what happens? The lid gives way into the can, and Jack gets sauce from the beans all over himself.

Sorry, I guess that's kinda OT here. ...

[serious crayons]

Of course, the thing about the can opener, though, is that's one more thing where from what we see, Jack really isn't as good with it as he thinks he is--or tells Ennis he is (like he says the mare can't throw him, and then she gets lucky--yeah, right, Jack). The only time we actually see Jack use the can opener, what happens? The lid gives way into the can, and Jack gets sauce from the beans all over himself.

Sorry, I guess that's kinda OT here. ...

Very good point, Jeff. I think the idea is that he sees Ennis the same way -- a challenge that, like the mare and the canopener, he believes he can handle. But guess what.

Anyway, back to mettle/metal.

[Penthesilea]

The first thing that comes to my mind instantly, thinking of Jack and metall, is his belt buckle. And the metallic sounding *klink* when he flicks it after peeing, to show it off to Ennis.

Then the typical, also metallic, sound of the keys he drops when his father-in-law throws them to him.

And the fact that the taste of blood in ones mouth is referred to as metallic  and he drowned in his own blood 

[Lynne]

And the fact that the taste of blood in ones mouth is referred to as metallic  and he drowned in his own blood 

I believe it is the iron in blood that gives it a metallic taste, and it was the tire iron that Ennis fears got Jack...

[Front-Ranger]

You're a real thinker, all of you! And there's the harmonica, which doesn't quite sound right, because it got flattened!!

[Ellemeno]

The lighter Ennis borrows from him in the Signal bar.
The coffeepot, but not the bucket.
The axe head and the saw blade.

[Front-Ranger]

When they were told to bring the sheep down from the mountain, AP describes the scene:

...stones rolling at their heels, purple cloud crowding in from the west and the metal smell of coming snow pressing them on.

[Front-Ranger]

Jack is in the business of selling metal farm machinery. As the story begins, he has a truck, but Ennis does not. He shaves with a metal razor and a tin cup, while Ennis has a paper bag and a cigarette (no lighter).

[Front-Ranger]

Yes, goadra, you are right about there being metal associations with Ennis as well. Ennis had a little money in a tobacco can saved up to buy a place with Alma, but he didn't get very far with it. Ennis beat a tune on the coffeepot while Jack sang "Water Walking Jesus." (Aside, I just found out that that song, such as it is, was written by Larry McMurtry's son!)

[Front-Ranger]

I have been going over the story again and I find references to metal in connection with both Ennis and Jack. I am now of the opinion that the metallic references are somewhat like the laundry references and have to do with transformative events. Here's one that I never noticed before. At the end of the dozy embrace flashback, Jack hears Ennis mounting his horse, and hears his spurs tremble. This may be the only reference to spurs in the movie or story, which would be pretty remarkable.

Another reference. At the very end of the story, Ennis puts up the postcard in his trailer (he actually lives in a metal house! with a brass-headed tack in each corner (story doesn't mention a closet). Below the post card he drives a nail, and on it he hangs a wire hanger on which he hangs the two shirts.

[Front-Ranger]

Unfortunately, no, it’s not the only reference: “They’d took a tire iron to him, spurred him up...”

Ouch! Okay, thank you, Goadra.

The metal references in the last scenes are many. Am working on cataloguing them.

[Front-Ranger]

There were metal things in Jack's room. The most heartbreaking was the bronzed shoes. There was also a lamp sconce on the wall in the shape of an anchor.

So, we see that Jack had metal things all around them but either he bungled manipulating them (harmonica, truck, farm equipment, rodeo belt, can opener) or was done in by them (tire iron). Was it that Jack's "mettal" was not sufficient for him to survive or that he didn't have the hardness or armour that Ennis did? Or?

[Front-Ranger]

Interesting observations about the calipers.

Another person who conjured up metal in his works is Bob Dylan. On this topic I relayed part of an interview with him that talked about metallic sounds:

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=1157.msg83783#msg83783

[Brown Eyes]

Lee,
I'm glad you brought up the topic of spurs and noticed that they're mentioned in the dozy embrace scene in the story.  I've always wondered why this key evocative object associated with cowboys seems to absent from Brokeback.  Clearly the film/ story is filled to the brim with almost all of the major things traditionally associated with cowboys (often deployed in new and surprising ways in BBM)- the cowboy hats (almost a cliche to have one white and one black), lassoes, rodeos, big belt buckles, boots, harmonicas, guns, beans, etc.  These are among the most common associations with cowboys and the spurs seem glaringly missing.  As sharp objects meant to "prick" (for lack of a better word) horses into motion, what is the purpose of this lone reference to a spur in the flashback (at least in the story)?  It's also interesting that Jack only hears the spurs.  Maybe it's just part of their constant coming and going from one another... an ominous note about yet another parting.

[Front-Ranger]

I agree with you that spurs are conspicuous by their absence. Right now I'm reading another story about Wyoming, The Virginian, which is a classic, and the traveller from the East who narrates the story talks about the constant sound of spurs worn by the cow-boys or cow-punchers as he alternatively calls them.

[Front-Ranger]

And Jack's baby shoes were bronzed, as we see on the dresser as Ennis goes into his closet. 

[Ellemeno]

Those caliper legs of Ennis's always struck me.



On the left, inside calipers.  On the right, outside calipers.

[Front-Ranger]

Ha, Clarissa, aren't you the one who compared the Acura logo to a pair of calipers?

Just wanted to repost this entire sentence of Annie's:

The next week Joe Aguirre sent word to bring them down - another, bigger storm was moving in from the Pacific- and they packed in the game and moved off the mountain with the sheep, stones rolling at their heels, purple cloud crowding in from the west and the metal smell of coming snow pressing on them.  The mountain boiled with demonic energy, glazed with flickering broken-cloud light, the wind combed the grass and drew from the damaged krummholz and slit rock a bestial drone. As they descended the slope Ennis felt he was in a slow-motion, but headlong, irreversible fall.

[JT]

I think Jack almost trip over his spurs when he fetched Laureen's hat for the very first time. 

[Front-Ranger]

Another metal item mentioned in the story and movie was wire. Right in the middle of TS1, we are told that Ennis ran full throttle whether fence mending or money spending (I count three metal items in that phrase!) and later on he's running the baler all month. That's why Jack and Ennis have to give up their August together (actually, it turns out, their life together, sob). Jack listens to LaShawn going on about Randall trying to hold a car engine together with chewing gum and baling wire. It's Ennis who's most often associated with the wire, using it to tightly bind or fence something in, so true to his character.

[Lynne]

Truman has found another possible metal/mettle allusion in the Uncle Harold/pneumonia scene in the guise of a crescent:

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=3753.msg148107#msg148107

It supports the idea of 'quicksilver Jack'.

Of course the crescent train-of-thought also leads me to wrenches and then to tire irons.

 

[Front-Ranger]

Thanks! Metal keeps popping up everywhere! This one is truly arcane.

[Front-Ranger]

I just realized that fishing doesn't use much metal. The fly-fishing rod is bamboo, the creel case is straw or bamboo, the line is plastic, and only the sliver of hook is metal. What Jack and Ennis preferred was hunting, using a gun and knife.

[Lynne]

Do fishing rods not have metal eyes every so often to thread the line through?  Modern ones do, I think.

[Front-Ranger]

Somehow I think the use of metal and the use of numbers in the story serve much the same purpose... but I can't articulate what that is exactly...

<Scratches head>

[2robots4u]

Lynne...I'm not a fisherman (did , though, when I was 8-10 yrs old), but I think those rods wioth the eyelets for the line are fly fishing rods.  Someone with more knowledge please respond....Doug
 

[serious crayons]

Just wanted to say, hi Doug! It's nice to see you around. 

[2robots4u]

Thanks Katherine.  I've had a personal issue in Roswell that needed attention, then minor surgery for removal of 2 melonomas, and I just haven't felt "social" for a while.  But I'm slowly getting there....Doug
 

[serious crayons]

then minor surgery for removal of 2 melonomas, and I just haven't felt "social" for a while.

Shit, that's hard. Hope all is well, post-surgery. 
 

[Lynne]

Lynne...I'm not a fisherman (did , though, when I was 8-10 yrs old), but I think those rods with the eyelets for the line are fly fishing rods.  Someone with more knowledge please respond....Doug
 

Hey Doug - good to see you back!  I also hope you're recovering well!

I visited Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishing_rod

"A 'fishing pole' is a simple pole or stick for suspending a line (normally fastened to the tip), with a hooked lure or bait. In contrast, 'fishing rod' refers to a more sophisticated casting tool fitted with line guides and a reel for line stowage."

I think the 'line guides' are the metal eyelets I was thinking of - Do we know if J & E had poles or rods?   

Do we know if they were 'fly' fishing? 

"Fly rods tend to have a single, large-diameter line guide (called a stripping guide), with a number of smaller looped guides (aka snake guides) spaced along the rod to help control the movement of the relatively thick fly line."

I haven't find out yet what the stripping guide/looped guide material is.  The article does say that the fly rods were traditionally made of bamboo, so I doubt they started out with mettle. 

[Front-Ranger]

I don't think they were fly fishing. That's regarded as "sissy" in Wyoming, I think. Y'all are invited to rush in and correct me if I'm wrong!! I think they were using live bait, which would just "fly" off the hooks if they were fly fishing. Plus, they were probly fishing in streams where the line doesn't have to go a great distance. Streams and beaver ponds, I would think.

Looking at some of the pics from the movie this morning, I notice how often there's something metal lying on the ground, either the shotgun, ax, or saw. I wonder whether these items are different for a purpose in the various scenes. Like in the "I ain't queer" scene, the gun is lying on the ground, pointing toward the mountains. We know that the gun is a powerful symbol in this movie. But what about the ax and saw? I recall that in one camp-building scene, Jack is using an ax, while Ennis is using the saw. Do they just represent elements of their personalities??

[Lynne]

But what about the ax and saw? I recall that in one camp-building scene, Jack is using an ax, while Ennis is using the saw. Do they just represent elements of their personalities??

Yes, IMO, they were regular fishing rods with the metal line guides.

I always interpreted the ax and saw symbols (and I'm sure this isn't original, but I have no idea where it was first discussed) as being indicative of their respective movie personalities'approaches'.  Ennis is using the saw - slow and steady progress; Jack is swinging the ax - a more direct, less delicate way of getting the same job done, similar to how he keeps at Ennis until he gets him to open up.

It may be inconsistent for story Ennis who 'ran full throttle on all roads'.

[Front-Ranger]

Yes, story Ennis is definitely different than movie Ennis.

I would like to quote from the prologue of the story, which alerts us right away that metal will be very important in this story:

Ennis del Mar wakes before five, wind rocking the trailer, hissing in around the aluminum door and window frames. The shirts hanging on a nail shudder slightly in the draft.

How many metallic things do you count in those two short sentences? I count five, the trailer, the door, the window frames, the nail, and the hands on the clock that point to five!

[Front-Ranger]

Listening to RodneyFL reading Brokeback Mountain, the phrase "rusty but still useable" lept out at me. Metal appears in the dozy embrace scene, as it should. The rusty phrase is "Time to hit the hay" from Ennis's childhood, said by his mother.

[Front-Ranger]

Jack is pictured in the movie with metal implements often. In one of the first scenes of the movie, he is looking at Ennis in a MIRROR while holding a metal RAZOR, knocking it against a TIN cup. Later in the movie, he is often pictured with his trusty HARMONICA. Still later, he is depicted as the seller of big farm equipment made of tons of metal.

[Front-Ranger]

Let us not forget the flashy metal rodeo belt buckle and the lovely clink clink noise as Jack flicks it, setting off the wonderful series of events that follows!!

 

[Front-Ranger]

Then, later, Jack is burdened down with metal watches and his wedding ring that enchains him. This is a heartbreaking shot from the post-divorce scene, where he is actually fingering the wedding ring, while wearing the rodeo belt buckle.

[Lynne]

Listening to RodneyFL reading Brokeback Mountain, the phrase "rusty but still useable" lept out at me. Metal appears in the dozy embrace scene, as it should. The rusty phrase is "Time to hit the hay" from Ennis's childhood, said by his mother.

Lee - I listened to Rodney's reading today on the way to work and this leapt out at me too - there must be something about the way Rodney says it - I *love* it, btw - way better than the audiobook version, IMO.  I scribbled it on an envelope, so I could check this thread, see if it had already been mentioned.  There were a few other phrases that I 'heard' differently than I ever have before, so I'm off to look for related posts. 

[Lynne]

There were metal things in Jack's room. The most heartbreaking was the bronzed shoes. There was also a lamp sconce on the wall in the shape of an anchor.

So, we see that Jack had metal things all around them but either he bungled manipulating them (harmonica, truck, farm equipment, rodeo belt, can opener) or was done in by them (tire iron). Was it that Jack's "mettal" was not sufficient for him to survive or that he didn't have the hardness or armour that Ennis did? Or?

I knew someone HAD to have discovered the anchor before me!  And sure enough I found Lee's post!   

Tonight at the Castro viewing was the first time I noticed the anchor sconce, and I'm left wondering what it means -  so I hope some folks with some sharp analytical skills can help out.

My first impression was that the anchor reference relates to Jack's role in relation to Ennis - that in some sense, Ennis, man of the earth, serves to anchor Jack, who we sometimes interpret as spiritual, air, ephemeral.  It's interesting to note that we see the anchor not long before I think Ennis perhaps feels Jack's presence beckoning him to look into the closet nook.  Jack's earthly, corporeal presence is no longer able to provide a fixed point for Ennis.  Ennis now is left to set his own course - no longer 'anchored' by his relationship with Jack.  That the discovery of the shirts in some sense hoists the anchor leaving Ennis the choices of being adrift or setting his own course.

OK - I know I'm flailing about here.  What do others think??

-Lynne

[Penthesilea]

My first impression was that the anchor reference relates to Jack's role in relation to Ennis - that in some sense, Ennis, man of the earth, serves to anchor Jack, who we sometimes interpret as spiritual, air, ephemeral.  It's interesting to note that we see the anchor not long before I think Ennis perhaps feels Jack's presence beckoning him to look into the closet nook.  Jack's earthly, corporeal presence is no longer able to provide a fixed point for Ennis.  Ennis now is left to set his own course - no longer 'anchored' by his relationship with Jack.  That the discovery of the shirts in some sense hoists the anchor leaving Ennis the choices of being adrift or setting his own course.

OK - I know I'm flailing about here.  What do others think??

-Lynne

I don't think you fall short at all. Your interpretation is thoughful and convincing. It can even be confirmed and carried on with the lamp. The fact that the anchor is combined with a lamp can symbolize that they were each others anchor (something that roots/grounds them, that is a fixing point for them) as well as each others light of the life.

Of course there are other possible interpretations: a quite simple one is that the anchor stands for Jack, reminds us of his hopeful, spirited self (which he managed to develop right there, in this room/house, despite his desolate upbringing). And it can be interpreted as sign that Jack never lost hope totally (for his life, for his relationship with Ennis).


But I have another interpretation: it is another Christian symbol (apparently), and (less apparently) one of three in the Twist house that belong together: faith, hope and charity, symbolized by a cross, an anchor and a heart.

Interestingly, in German, we say "Glaube, Liebe, Hoffnung" = "Faith, Love, Hope".
Love instead of charity. Interesting difference at first sight. But the word "charitiy" has his origins in the Latin word "caritas", which is itself the Latin translation for the Greek "agape". Agape is simply love (well, it's not that simple, there are various slightly different interpretations and explanations to it, as to which kind of love is meant - but in the end agape can be equated with love).

We have the cross as symbol for faith in the Twist kitchen. We have the anchor as symbol for hope in Jack's room. And then Ennis finds the heart, the love, The Shirts.

[Penthesilea]

Another interesting detail: the anchor symbolizes hope of heavenly blessedness and withstanding against desperation (and we know a guy who's damned good in standing things). Another positive touch at the end of the movie, another hint of hope for Ennis' future, amidst all bleakness in both, Ennis' life and the Twist house.

[Front-Ranger]

Chrissi, your posts are heartrending, and yours as well Lynne! I think you two have hit the nail on the head, to dredge up a rusty but still useable phrase LOL!

For a slightly different interpretation, but one that can co-exist with yours, please see the thread I am about to create called the Hidden Ocean.

Wow, the Castro Showing inspired me immensely! Did it have the same effect on you, Lynne? I think it did!

[ifyoucantfixit]

        I feel the anchor also represents Jack need to go, seek and  try to find something far from
his place of origin.  He wanted to travel the seas...."be anywhere but where he was."
        He found his sea...and land...the Island Ennis, and the sea Del Mar.  that was the place
to sink his anchor.   (no pun intended)
         Ennis needed to find his source for an  anchor.  The shirts were his way to finally place
his own anchor.  All the symbols he found in that room, let him understand where he had been.
Maybe even where he needed to go in future.
         I think he realized, it was not all for naught..the words that were never  spoken.
It was said in other terms...He then realized Jack had "loved" him as he had loved Jack.  Even
though they had never spoken those words to each other.
         I am not sure he had known it for sure until that moment.

[Artiste]

Interesting!!

Why do we gay men seek another gay man?

To anchor?

Hugs!!

[Front-Ranger]

Abso-effen-lutely, Artiste. The need for an anchor in this world knows no gender and no orientation. That was the big message of the movie, in my humble opinion. Not only do people of all stripes need a loving partner to anchor them, but they deserve to have it. Our inalienable rights are to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, not necessarily in that order!

[Artiste]

Wow Front-Ranger!!

What makes it so hard to find that person?

How can one be found?

Hugs!!

[Front-Ranger]

Wow Front-Ranger!!

What makes it so hard to find that person?

How can one be found?

Hugs!!

You know, I have really wondered that myself! So many times, I've heard from my gay friends about how lonely they are...and how they are always searching for that special person. But many of these friends of mine have shells so hard that they could never be cracked open. They'd need a mountain to break open that shell to let love in...not saying that I'm any different...we're all in the same boat!!

[Artiste]

Maybe this might help: it could be because gay men could or can NOT marry a gay man!!??

A lady told me once: it is better to marry since you do not have to look for it (sex, etc.);
so marriage between gay men might help??

Many gays now come to Canada from the USA to get married. Would love to see how such marriages help??!! Any facts yet??

What do you think, is that a possible solution?? Or is it because of social fear, as even in BM movie??

Hugs!!

[Lynne]

Did it have the same effect on you, Lynne? I think it did!

It had some effect, Lee, but nothing as major as other group viewings.  I think it was just because I was too rushed to get there and not having enough time.  Didn't even get to see you for a second!  I was very pleased to have understood something I'd never noticed though - namely, the anchor.  And I liked singing Maker's at the end...usually I wouldn't be so blasphemous, but people (not our crew!) were actually getting up and leaving before final credits.  Good grief!

Another interesting detail: the anchor symbolizes hope of heavenly blessedness and withstanding against desperation (and we know a guy who's damned good in standing things). Another positive touch at the end of the movie, another hint of hope for Ennis' future, amidst all bleakness in both, Ennis' life and the Twist house.

Beautifully put, Chrissi.  Someone (Br. Patrick) said someone else mentioned the anchor as a phallic symbol.  And though I can see that, I suppose, I don't feel it applies here - the moment is too spiritual.

I feel the anchor also represents Jack need to go, seek and  try to find something far from
his place of origin.  He wanted to travel the seas...."be anywhere but where he was."

So true, Janice - Jack was always looking out at that one road - the one he would travel yet always look back.  Shit.

What makes it so hard to find that person?  How can one be found?

Excellent questions, Artiste, but I haven't a clue.  I'm sure it's much much harder for homosexuals than for heterosexuals because of a need to be guarded and circumspect in many/most circumstances, but it's not a given no matter what...

[Artiste]

Thanks Lynne!! And all!!

Sometime, it is a given... but we do not realise it that someone is trying to reach you. My former partner/lover/pal (now deceased) did not respond to my efforts of I wanting to befriend him at first... and finally he surprised me saying that I was what he needed.

Indeed, a gay man must reach out to another gay man... somehow! It may be more difficult than in the straight world, but one can create like an organisation to help others and oneself... I now think. Like in Toronto years ago, someone or two or more organized a Sunday afternnoon tea and many came!! Wish I could find that or do that... example.


Any other ways??

Hugs!!

[Front-Ranger]

There is an organization around here of gay people who like to be active in the outdoors...it's called the Front Rangers, LOL! I think holding a tea is an excellent idea. I happen to know a Torontoan who likes tea...our friend Roland, the sheriff of five forums!! You should get together with him for tea sometime.

[Artiste]

Thanks Front-Ranger!!

Maybe one day will met firstly Roland and ask tea from him!!  I refuse to go to Toronto!!
So maybe he will come to my present Quebec City exhibition of my paintings I created? Or to the next Salon one in November this year or the solo in the end of September/early October 2008?

Yes, I like the idea of meeting other gays for tea!! How to do that??

Lately here, since I am more and more nervous, I am taking coffee in the mornings!! I had refused to take coffee as that scarces me. How to stop it?

Hugs!!

[Front-Ranger]

What is the most important metallic element in the movie/story? I vote for the wire hanger. I was rereading the story yesterday in observance of the 10th anniversary of the publication, and I noticed how Annie used the wire hanger particularly in the last part: in the lake scene, where she used it to symbolize Ennis's "unlocking" of his true feelings just for a moment, the scene in Jack's closet, and at the end where Ennis hung the shirts on a nail from a wire hanger in his closet. What are your favorite metallic elements in the story?

[Artiste]

Hi Front-Ranger! So nice to hear from you!

Wow, you ask a question, Now I am pensive!! ??

Even sex comes to mind about that wire... metal!! ?? But am too shy to detail that!

Hugs!

[Front-Ranger]

Hi Front-Ranger! So nice to hear from you!

Wow, you ask a question, Now I am pensive!! ??

Even sex comes to mind about that wire... metal!! ?? But am too shy to detail that!

Hugs!

In that case, maybe your favorite metal things might be the handles! Specifically the coffeepot handle that is Ennis's only travel destination  !!
 

[Artiste]

Thanks Front-Ranger!

So good it is to hear from you!!

Just returned from my long voyage, and am very tired still after a good sleep!

Since I road my truck for this trip, I guess now that METAL for Ennis as well as for Jack was: the metal of a truck!! They each had trucks!! yes, they did!! We never realise how important trucks are in the BM movie, nor are to us all or most of us to-day??

Hugs!!

[Front-Ranger]

A reference to metal that Meryl brought up in the Brokeback tarot thread was the iron skillet that Ennis cooked Jack's breakfast in. I find it incredibly poignant to think of him cracking the eggs into that skillet, and applying the liberal amount of salt, checking to see if the salt was flowing freely. The iron in the skillet comes from the earth, so was appropriately the domain of Ennis. Iron was also the element that brought Jack down, in reality or in Ennis's imagination. Salt, another product of the earth, was also at Ennis's command, since he knew the "salty words" to The Strawberry Roan."

[Penthesilea]

Do you know how often the tire iron is mentioned in the story? No less than six times.  Six, that's a whole lot for such a short story.

• They'd took a tire iron to him [Earl], spurred him up, drug him around by his dick until it pulled off...
• If he [Ennis's father] was alive and was to put his head in that door now you bet he'd go get his tire iron
• No, he thought, they got him with the tire iron.
• He didn't know which way it was, the tire iron or a real accident...
• So he knew it had been the tire iron.
• The spoon handle was the kind that could be used as a tire iron.
  

The first two are from the motel scene. The next two are from the phone call with Lureen, # 5 is from the Lightning Flat scene and the last one is from Ennis's dream after Jack's death.

The first two are spoken by Ennis. The next three are thoughts of Ennis and the last one is in Ennis's dreams.

All six mentions of the tire iron come from Ennis. I think my last thought overlaps with the current TOTW, the question whether Jack was murdered or died in an accident.

[serious crayons]

I think you should post it there, too, Chrissi. Because as you've listed them here, you can see Ennis' thoughts developing and firming up. Which to me suggests they were in his mind in the first place.

And the last image, of the spoon and the tire iron, "in a cartoon shape and lurid colors that gave the dreams a flavor of comic obscenity" seems -- in my mind -- to really underscore the idea that the idea of Jack's murder is a product of Ennis' paranoia.

[Penthesilea]

I think you should post it there, too, Chrissi.

I think you're right. Will do.

[Brown Eyes]

Hey Chrissi,

That's definitely interesting to realize how frequently the tire iron comes up in the story and it's even more interesting to realize exactly how tied that concept is to Ennis specifically.  I think the tire iron comes to symbolized Ennis's issues in general and I think having this violent/difficult symbol helps illustrate just how painful and difficult Ennis's issues (fears, repressions, etc.) are for him to overcome.

Poor Ennis.

But, back to the amount of space the tire iron takes up in the story... thinking about that, it's a tad surprising how infrequently it comes up in the movie.  I mean, it's dramatically placed in the Earl discussion and in Ennis's vision of Jack's "murder"... but I wonder if the tire iron as an object or symbol in and of itself comes through as strongly for a film viewer as it does for a reader of the story.

I also always think about the motel scene as a big issue that differentiates the film from the story.  The prominence of that scene is just so different in the two forms of BBM.

[Penthesilea]

But, back to the amount of space the tire iron takes up in the story... thinking about that, it's a tad surprising how infrequently it comes up in the movie.  I mean, it's dramatically placed in the Earl discussion and in Ennis's vision of Jack's "murder"... but I wonder if the tire iron as an object or symbol in and of itself comes through as strongly for a film viewer as it does for a reader of the story.

Hm. I'm undecided. One one side, I'd say no, simply because the tire iron is only shown twice (well, actually it's only shown once and one time talked about). But on the other side, during these two occasions, the tire iron makes a huge impact on the viewer. Both are really shocking moments.

I also always think about the motel scene as a big issue that differentiates the film from the story.  The prominence of that scene is just so different in the two forms of BBM.

In her essay "Getting movied" Annie Proulx refers to exact this scene as an example of disagreements between Ang Lee and her:

"In the written story the motel scene after a four-year hiatus stood as central. During their few hours in the Motel Siesta, Jack's and Ennis's paths were irrevocably laid out. In the film that Ang Lee already had shaped in his mind, the emotional surge contained in that scene would be better shifted to a later point and melded with the men's painful last meeting. I didn't understand this until I saw the film in September 2005 and recognized the power of this timing."

The bolded part leaves me puzzled. Do you think we should open a new thread specifically about the motel scene and its differences in story and movie?

[Artiste]

Yes!

Since, it is interesting!

Hugs!

[Front-Ranger]

Hm. I'm undecided. One one side, I'd say no, simply because the tire iron is only shown twice (well, actually it's only shown once and one time talked about). But on the other side, during these two occasions, the tire iron makes a huge impact on the viewer. Both are really shocking moments.

This is one aspect of the fascinating comparison of the tools that Lee likes to use compared to those of Proulx. Lee is very subtle, he substitutes things made of iron, like the iron skillet or the bronzed shoes on the chest outside of Jack's closet. In a very clever double entendre, he actually uses an iron...in the corner on an ironing board in Alma and Ennis's apartment!! What irony!! (groan, sorry I couldn't resist!)

In her essay "Getting movied" Annie Proulx refers to exact this scene as an example of disagreements between Ang Lee and her:

"In the written story the motel scene after a four-year hiatus stood as central. During their few hours in the Motel Siesta, Jack's and Ennis's paths were irrevocably laid out. In the film that Ang Lee already had shaped in his mind, the emotional surge contained in that scene would be better shifted to a later point and melded with the men's painful last meeting. I didn't understand this until I saw the film in September 2005 and recognized the power of this timing."

The bolded part leaves me puzzled. Do you think we should open a new thread specifically about the motel scene and its differences in story and movie?

Sure, great idea!!

[Brown Eyes]

This is one aspect of the fascinating comparison of the tools that Lee likes to use compared to those of Proulx. Lee is very subtle, he substitutes things made of iron, like the iron skillet or the bronzed shoes on the chest outside of Jack's closet. In a very clever double entendre, he actually uses an iron...in the corner on an ironing board in Alma and Ennis's apartment!! What irony!! (groan, sorry I couldn't resist!)

OOooooooooooo brilliant Sister Mod!  I love this concept of substituting things made of metal/ iron in the film.  Awesome.

[Artiste]

Your comments are all interesting.

I figure that the two men (Ennis and jack) are both strong men, each in their way, alone and together too!!

Is that the mettle of a man to you all??

Hugs!!

[Front-Ranger]

Hm. I'm undecided. One one side, I'd say no, simply because the tire iron is only shown twice (well, actually it's only shown once and one time talked about). But on the other side, during these two occasions, the tire iron makes a huge impact on the viewer. Both are really shocking moments.

This is just my opinion of course, but I think some of the implements in camp and in the kitchens, etc. were chosen to echo the tire iron. For instance, in this photo, notice how the ax handle is actually coming out of Jack's head. And there's a sharp pointed instrument pointing directly at an <ahem> part of Jack. In other scenes, there is an ax or a saw on the ground pointed at Jack.

[Brown Eyes]

This is just my opinion of course, but I think some of the implements in camp and in the kitchens, etc. were chosen to echo the tire iron. For instance, in this photo, notice how the ax handle is actually coming out of Jack's head. And there's a sharp pointed instrument pointing directly at an <ahem> part of Jack. In other scenes, there is an ax or a saw on the ground pointed at Jack.

Hi Lee, I think this observation about the cooking utensils (and the ax, etc.) is really good.  Especially, since in the story... in Ennis's dream at the end a spoon transforms into a tire iron.

[Front-Ranger]

Thanks, friend! I forgot to mention that there is a knife, in its scabbard, pointed at Jack in the left foreground. It is out of focus. The more I stare at this picture, the more creeped out I get!! Notice how in the background there is the rump of a horse, a leather saddle, and some freshly killed meat of an elk. It's almost like one of those medeival paintings by Hieronymous Bosch (spelling??). Kind of like, from dust we are made and to dust we returneth.

[Brown Eyes]

Thanks, friend! I forgot to mention that there is a knife, in its scabbard, pointed at Jack in the left foreground. It is out of focus. The more I stare at this picture, the more creeped out I get!! Notice how in the background there is the rump of a horse, a leather saddle, and some freshly killed meat of an elk. It's almost like one of those medeival paintings by Hieronymous Bosch (spelling??). Kind of like, from dust we are made and to dust we returneth.

Yeah, I think you're definitely right.  All these details definitely seem to be either foreshadowing or perhaps indications about something to do with the thoughts/worries/issues for the two characters.  And, in this scene it's interesting because this is a very happy scene... one of their moments of happiness... perhaps something that we tend to think of as an "ideal" moment of happiness on Brokeback... and yet there's all this dangerous, ominous stuff surrounding them.  I think this idea of happiness always paired with fear or warning maybe comes up again and again in the film.

The amount of background detail (and details that seem highly significant) seen in this image, remind me of all the stuff in the background in the bar when Jack and Ennis first meet.  Of course behind Ennis in that scene, there's the big cow skull with the coiled rope and then further behind him is the dart board with all the darts pointing towards Ennis (as if they've come from Jack's direction).  And, Jack is essentially "sitting on a ray of sunshine."  I think the darts and the sunshine are all about Ennis beginning to fall for Jack (cupid's darts, etc.).  And, the skull and rope are perhaps sort of obviously about Ennis's fears/confusion/ complex issues, etc.



p.s. Hieronymus Bosch (c.1450-1516) was actually a Renaissance- era painter from the Netherlands... He was amazing and definitely a unique artist.  And, I can definitely see what you mean about of details being reminiscent of some of his compositions. Lots of links to museums that post images of his works from their collection can be found here: http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/bosch_hieronymus.html  This is actually an awesome website to know about for finding images and quick info about art/artists.

[Front-Ranger]

I don't think we have talked about the hanger. The clothes hanger is a time-honored metaphor in film. Can you think of some examples? I can. I remember the hanger controversy in "The Graduate" where Mrs. Robinson asks Benjamin to hang up her dress and he replies, "wood or wire?" Then there is the infamous scene in "Mommie Dearest" where the daughter is beaten with a hanger by her mother (probably quite exagerated). But nowhere in my memory is the clothes hanger elevated to such depths of meaning as in Brokeback Mountain where, first, Annie Proulx uses the wire hanger to unlock the heart of Ennis Del Mar, though momentarily, after which it is "torqued back into its original position" and later, the immortal bloody shirts are crucified on a wire hanger on a nail in the closet of Ennis Del Mar, in his shrine to Jack, love, and the power of the mountain.

[Front-Ranger]

This past weekend I was thinking of this thread as I visited my friend Chuck's Wyoming cabin. There were 7 gates, all bound by barbed wire, on the way to his cabin, and it was my job to hop out of the truck and open them, closing them again securely after the truck passed through. I only snagged my hands one time, but the wound is a lovely reminder of the time I spent in the wilds of Wyoming.

[Lynne]

Yesterday, I heard another 'metal' reference in the short story audio...The narrative talks about a 'slow corrosion' that begins to work between Ennis and Alma after the reunion.

Neat...I love this thread.

p.s. Hieronymus Bosch (c.1450-1516) was actually a Renaissance- era painter from the Netherlands... He was amazing and definitely a unique artist.  And, I can definitely see what you mean about of details being reminiscent of some of his compositions. Lots of links to museums that post images of his works from their collection can be found here: http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/bosch_hieronymus.html  This is actually an awesome website to know about for finding images and quick info about art/artists.

Thank you for the Hieronymus Bosch information, Amanda.  I am actually familiar with his work from a different source.  Michael Connelly, a mystery/thriller writer, has named one of his signature characters Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch.  Harry is a policeman for whom 'Everybody counts or nobody counts.'  It is Harry's mission to protect the innocent and right wrongs; he frequently finds himself amidst the worst evil and depravity of which mankind is capable.  (http://www.michaelconnelly.com/)

I certainly think that both the Earl and Rich flashback and Jack's death as seen by Ennis descend to a similar level of inhumanity that Bosch depicted.

[Artiste]

          I certainly think that both the Earl and Rich flashback and Jack's death as seen by Ennis descend to a similar level of inhumanity that Bosch depicted.
 
 
             
...........

More please...

au revoir,
hugs!

[Front-Ranger]

My friend who is a collector of BBM memorabilia was bemoaning the fact that he had misplaced the hanger on which his shirts had been delivered. It made me think of this thread, so I went in search. I found it three pages deep on the Open Forum. BUMP!

[brokebackjack]

lmao

least you found it!

[optom3]

Well what a lovely time I have had on this thread, a real gem. Have to go and mull it all over and see if I have anything to contribute.

I love this bumping threads, it has drawn me back into BBM instead of just posting on blogs.

[Front-Ranger]

Thank you kindly, friend, and we look forward to any rusty or shiny bright metallic truths you might think of!

[Front-Ranger]

We've barely mentioned many of the metallic objects in this story...only a passing mention of the can opener, and nothing about the "sharp serrated knife" that Mrs. Twist was plying on an apple at the end.

[Front-Ranger]

And what about Jack's belt buckle? Did it make him into a human lightning rod?

[Front-Ranger]

In China, there are five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Wood produces fire when it is burned, fire produces earth (ashes), earth produces metallic ores, metal produces water (dew which forms on mirrors), and water produces wood (nurturing trees). This concept must have been in the back of Ang Lee's mind when he worked on the imagery for Brokeback Mountain.

[SFEnnisSF]

In China, there are five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Wood produces fire when it is burned, fire produces earth (ashes), earth produces metallic ores, metal produces water (dew which forms on mirrors), and water produces wood (nurturing trees). This concept must have been in the back of Ang Lee's mind when he worked on the imagery for Brokeback Mountain.

No doubt.  And this in particular has always facinated me.

[Front-Ranger]

Another person who conjured up metal in his works is Bob Dylan. On this topic I relayed part of an interview with him that talked about metallic sounds:

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=1157.msg83783#msg83783

Neil Young is another songwriter who conjures up the jingle jangle of metal in his songs. One of his most famous songs is named "Heart of Gold" and another, "Long May You Run" which he sang at the closing ceremony of the Olympics in Canada says, "With your chrome heart shining in the sun."

[Front-Ranger]

We've barely mentioned many of the metallic objects in this story...only a passing mention of the can opener, and nothing about the "sharp serrated knife" that Mrs. Twist was plying on an apple at the end.

In fact, the apple always occurs in close connection with metal in this story and movie. Ennis eats apple pie with a metal fork, Ma Twist cores an apple with a sharp serrated instrument, and the coyote with balls the size of apples meets its end through a bullet fired from a gun.