preview

Cultural Traditions Of Love Affairs : Annie Proulx 's ' Brokeback Mountain '

Good Essays

Cultural Traditions in Love Affairs
A story in which a conflictive relationship between two characters is featured is Annie Proulx’s ‘’Brokeback Mountain’ which takes place in a mountain in Wyoming, USA. The conflict between the protagonists, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, arises from the unavoidable fact of having feelings for each other, which represents opposing cultural traditions they grew up with. Ennis once told Jack that ‘’There is no rein on this one. It scares the piss out a me.’’(269) There is nothing that can destroy the force of love but these two country boys get afraid of what society thinks and decide to keep it a secret.
In 1963 Signal, Wyoming Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist were offered a summer job shepherding in Brokeback …show more content…

Most of the days spent in the mountain, Jack and Ennis talked about how their parents and family have shaped their behaviors and life. A common characteristic between the two protagonists is the life they had through childhood and adolescence. The boys understood each other when talking about the past and due to this fact they felt more connected during conversations. By telling past experiences they have never shared with somebody else brought feelings even closer to each conversation. One day, the boys started drinking, talking about their parents’ beliefs and once the sun was down they were both drunk. Ennis decided to sleep outside because he had to ride out in the next morning and Jack slept in the tent. As the night was passing by, the climate was changing and it got very cold to the point that Jack heard Ennis teeth chatter. Jack woke up and said ‘’Ennis, quit hammerin’ and get in here.’’(259) The boys were in the tent sleeping during a very cold night, the climate was an opportunity for them to get closer. Jack took Ennis’ hand and guides it inside waking up Ennis and realizing where his hand was. Ennis got to his knees, unbuckled his belt and Jack didn’t turn him down. In the morning, Ennis first woke up and realized his pants were pulled down. Jack woke up and got out of the tent but Ennis did not say a single word. Ennis quickly went to watch the sheep and realizes that one of them is dead. Boys were playing and Jack

Get Access