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Brokeback Mountain

Decent Essays

Brokeback Mountain, both as a short story (Proulx, 1999), and film (Lee, 2005) explores the notion that the use of various settings to develop issues and themes allow the audience to gain a grater understanding of the characters. Just like the nature that controls the ranch and mountain lifestyle, the force of desire that comes so naturally guides every significant action Ennis and Jack experience in Brokeback Mountain, even when they know the specific actions are against their better judgment and against acceptable social dictums. From Proulx’s strongly descriptive language, to (2005)’s use of various landscape shots, the audience is able to relate issues and themes to the characters. The high rnages and peaks of Brokeback Mountain, that …show more content…

Throughout both the short story (Proulx, 1999) and the film (Lee, 2005), Ennis frequently professes his inability to break away from his home and upbringing. To Ennis, home symbolises safety, conservatism, status quo, and acceptance, whereas distance from home in this story becomes associated with progressiveness and risk. This is depicted by (2005) consistently throughout the film, but especially in the scene where Elma finally confronts Ennis about Jack. This scene sends the strong message that to Ennis, home is no longer a safe place, especially with the memory his father drilled into him as a young boy, by showing him the victim of a gay bashing and affirming that Homosexuality was wrong and you would be punished, he will no longer be accepted. This thought is displayed in the close shots of Ennis’ reaction to Elma. In the film, Lee (2005) used very tight framing of both characters to display the tension that was brought on. The framing of this scene allows the audience to simultaneously witness Alma’s pent up pain and Ennis’ rising fear and fury when she finally admits that she was aware of his affair. When ELee (2005) (2005)nnis visits jacks home after he dies, it is clear that just like Ennis’ father, jacks father expressed the same views. This is shown when Jack’s father informs Ennis that Jack’s ashes will not be put onto Brokeback Mountain, …show more content…

Throughout both the film and the short story, significant settings help tell the audience about Jack and Ennis’ relationship. Proulx allows her characters to range far and wide, but there's always an intense combination of beauty and loneliness wherever they go. Brokeback Mountain itself is always defined by "the great flowery Meadows and the coursing, endless wind" (9), while the "lavender sky emptied of colour and the chill air drained down" (23), but still when Jack and Ennis first arrived, they where detached from the beauty and dwelling in their own loneliness. Just like Brokeback Mountain, Ennis and Jacks love for one another is raw and beautiful, but also lonely, just like the isolation experienced initially on the mountain. This is a place without a lot of people, and even seems fairly indifferent to the presence of people. Brokeback Mountain was never revisited by the characters, although it was always spoken about and planned to be revisited, suggesting that in the end, it was a place of escape, a safe place that will always remained, in Jack and Ennis’ mind untouched and remains beautiful holding special memories. The use of Proulx’s descriptive language of settings and Lee’s (2005) panoramic landscape shots, allows the audience to gasp at the beauty of locations that the characters have visited, allowing the audience to connect to the location and events that are

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