Analysis Of Brokeback Mountain

The movement of the gay and lesbian population in the United States is one that has been in progress since the early 1900s, and is still facing overwhelming controversy and backlash today. The push for gay liberation in a country founded on Christian morals and beliefs has subsequently led to struggles over equality of marriage, adoption, jobs, and healthcare. One side of the controversy argues that every individual deserves the same rights, while the opposing mindset argues that being homosexual puts you into a group of people that is different, and will therefore be treated as such.

In the 1980’s and 1990’s, society wasn’t the most accepting of places for people who were different from the “social norms”. Now I know, people today still struggle with trying to fit in and be “normal” but it was different. Being a gay man living in San Fransisco at the time, which had a large gay population, Richard Rodriguez had a hard time dealing with the discrimination he faced. Richard Rodriguez was an American journalist who wrote and published a memoir about his life as a gay man. In October of 1990, Rodriguez published his memoir “Late Victorians” in Harper’s Magazine, a critically acclaimed publication of the time. In his memoir, Rodriguez describes what it was like to realize he was gay and watch as the country changed to become a more accepting place. He does this by setting up how things can change and then explaining the actual ways things change for the gay population.

Janie’s first husband, Logan Killicks, is a wealthy old man. In the beginning of their marriage, he treated her alright, but then he called her spoiled and expected her to work like a slave in the fields. Janie’s second husband, Joe Starks, started out poor and treated Janie with

Life for most homosexuals during the first half of the Twentieth century was one of hiding, being ever so careful to not give away their true feelings and predilections. Although the 1920s saw a brief moment of openness in American society, that was quickly destroyed with the progress of the Cold War, and by default, that of McCarthyism. The homosexuals of the 50s “felt the heavy weight of medical prejudice, police harassment and church condemnation … [and] were not able to challenge these authorities.” They were constantly battered, both physically and emotionally, by the society that surrounded them. The very mention or rumor of one’s homosexuality could lead to the loss of their family, their livelihood and, in some cases, their

First, I applaud the movie for daring to tell a story that nobody else presumed creating. Even in 2005, this was a pretty prohibited thing to discuss. To its credit, the movie follows the original story fairly close, but a details were left out that made all the difference.

Janie went on a long journey to obtain womanhood. Janie grew up living with her grandma, who always wanted her to get married at a young age. Janie eventually did marry Logan Killicks when she was 18 years old. However, she hated living with him. He was described as a shallow, unlovable human being. This was when Janie became a woman because she realized that marriage does not assure love. Janie then married Jody Starks. At first, he seemed like a good person because he offered her a new life, but over time grew worse. Jody would constantly restrict what Janie could do, and would beat her for simple errors. It was not until late in their marriage that Janie finally spoke out to Jody of the way he treated her. Jody would soon die, and Janie

When Nannie sees Janie kissing Johnny Taylor, she immediately breaks them up because she is trying to save Janie from making a bad decision. She says, “Janie, youse uh ‘oman, now, so… yeah, Janie, youse got yo’ womanhood on yuh… Ah wants to see you married right away” (12). Since Janie still has her womanhood, Nannie wants Janie to be married so her womanhood is not stripped away from her. Janie’s grandmother was raped around the age that Janie is right now and she does not want Janie to have the same fate. Nannie thinks that by marrying Janie off at a young age it will not only protect her from other men, but it will also allow her to live a hopeful and prosperous life. After an argument between Janie and

';(pg. 40-41). Joe publicly humiliates Janie constantly saying she is as low as mules. Joe feels that his marriage is a part of his image, a part of his job. He does not marry her for love.

Janie’s relationship with her second husband, Joe Starks, is perhaps the most damaging. In the beginning of their marriage, Janie is proud and admiring of the successful, strong man she marries and runs off with. At first, it seems as though Janie has executed a successful breakaway from her unfulfilling life with Logan Killicks, and transitioned to an exciting, happy life with Joe Starks. Unfortunately, Janie and Joe’s marriage retracts from the infatuated love it once was, into a

“...the truth isn’t quite the sort of thing one tells to a nice, sweet, refined girl…” (Wilde 16). In this scene, the men discuss Jack’s lie about having a brother so that he can leave the city for the country, and if he tell his lady, Gwendolen, about the lie. Jack does not want to do so, but in the end, the secret comes out.

Throughout the book, Jack is heavily influenced by the male figures in his life. His father leaving his mother left

In the past decades, the struggle for gay rights in the Unites States has taken many forms. Previously, homosexuality was viewed as immoral. Many people also viewed it as pathologic because the American Psychiatric Association classified it as a psychiatric disorder. As a result, many people remained in ‘the closet’ because they were afraid of losing their jobs or being discriminated against in the society. According to David Allyn, though most gays could pass in the heterosexual world, they tended to live in fear and lies because they could not look towards their families for support. At the same time, openly gay establishments were often shut down to keep openly gay people under close scrutiny (Allyn 146). But since the 1960s, people

She implies they are these two badass cowboys who love each other, but unfortunately society wins, which makes it complicated for them to move forward and be happy together. For example, When Jack and Ennis were on their last get together, they were having a dispute about not seeing each other as usual because of Ennis not being able to make time, Jack says to Ennis “You know, friend, this is a goddamn bitch of a unsatisfactory situation.” (Proulx40). Tension between the two rises, their messed up situation of many years only pulls them away which adds up to Jack’s frustration. He adds “You’re too much for me, Ennis, you son of a whoreson bitch.

Brokeback Mountain, being the more homosexual romance-oriented Western that it is, subverts a large number of the typical traditional elements of the Western film genre as a whole, this one especially, by having another male be in the position of the love interest of the hero. Although this subversion in particular is very problematic for Jack, as it puts him in the shoes of being associated with all things relating to femininity in the relationship. For example, Jack is the one who makes the first move when seducing Ennis, using his own allure and sexuality into tempting Ennis when he calls him into the tent, leading Ennis down somewhat of a risky path. Ennis, however, is portrayed as somewhat of a saint, his being repressed and restrained by social standards, saying to Jack, “You may be a sinner but I ain't yet had the opportunity”. Another interesting typical thing in the Western genre that was altered was that instead of Indians being the villain, the enemy is that of a ignorant and oppressive society–a society that would kill Ennis and Jack for being “different”, Ennis says to Jack, “this thing takes hold of us at the wrong place, wrong time and we're dead,” which shows how much they both worry about it–but the two cowboys still have to find some way to pull through and struggle to find their true selves in this society, but it is also that fear which causes the devastating events

He seems to get the identity confused than Jack. Ennis’s inner conflict with his homosexual identity is appeared in the moment when he relays to Jack he geels guilty about his secret relationship, he feels himself as homosexual when people look at him. In the other scene, when Ennis resists Jack about having sex in the tent, he says it is temporary and no one can know about it. However, suddenly, Ennis says that he has fiancee and he is going to marry her. It seems that Ennis still believe that he could be happy with a normal heterosexual life which are has wife and children. Fortunately, he is not happy with the life that he has with Alma, he find herself does not love his wife. However, he goes back to the moment when he was with Jack in the Brokeback Mountain. Ennis never reveal himself as homosexual to Alma, otherwise, he continues his secrect relationship with