Annie Proulx is an eminent American journalist and writer, who has devoted herself to writing career and in turn, received quite a few prestigious awards, including Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, National Book Award for Fiction, etc. (Flanagan, n.d.) O. Henry Award was also given to her thanks to the publication of one of her masterpieces in 1997, which was called “Brokeback Mountain”, a short story raising an issue of homosexuality against homophobia. In this essay, I would prefer to pass my comments on the plot constructed in this short story as well as the characters and the messages conveyed.
To start with, what really shines through the plot is the simplicity in combination with emotion which, in turn, stirs realism. Readers tend to be struck
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Brokeback Mountain is considered as a character-driven story; therefore, how the characters are formed, including their reactions and feelings, is of critical importance. I was struck by the way Annie Proulx made up her characters. She did not intend to create her own characters possessing admirable traits; instead, the two main characters were just uneducated, poor young men, who struggled to find their jobs. They even neglected their own responsibilities as shepherds, and later on, told lies to their wives just with the intention of staying together. However, flawed as they might be, I believe that this characterization helps the readers feel as if these characters were real, and thus, arouses considerable sympathy from them. Furthermore, what strikes me is the fact that the author mainly focuses on the principal characters and obstacles they encountered (May, n.d.). By saying that I mean Proulx particularly draw readers’ attention to how Jack and Ennis articulated themselves and how they dealt with internal conflicts. Although other characters such as the two men’s wives, their boss, etc. only play minor parts, they still act as supporting roles, which help the storyline run smoothly. Moreover, it is these characters that reflect homophobic society, which has a heavy toll on the two men’s relationship. In other words, all characters in the story are …show more content…
Through her careful characterization, the author wants to pass on two moral messages in hope that people would be more tolerant towards diversity and individuals should be more sincere with their orientation. These two lessons are considered valid in Vietnamese context due to specific social and cultural
The main focus of the 1989 film Steel Magnolias is a relationship between a mother and her daughter and how that relationship touches and affects the lives of others. The film features some stellar acting. Sally Field plays the mother M’Lynn Eatenton and Julia Roberts is her vivacious daughter, Shelby. The rest of the Eatenton family are Shelby’s younger brothers, Tommy and Jonathan and their father Drum, played by Tom Skerritt. The supporting cast features Shirley MacLaine as Ouiser Boudreaux, the cranky neighbor with Olympia Dukakis as Ouiser’s lifelong friend Claree. Dolly Parton plays Truvy, everyone’s beautician and Daryl Hannah as Annelle, Truvy’s recently hired employee. Dylan McDermott plays Shelby’s fiancé, Jackson Latcherie. The
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.
the plot in the story, the minimalistic style, and theme, the author better develops and conveys
For this Case Study I chose fictional character Will Hunting from the award winning movie Good Will Hunting. Will Hunting was born in a poor region of south Boston, Massachusetts, an orphan, who lived with a very abusive alcoholic foster dad. As a kid, Will was subdued to frequent physical abuse by his foster dad, between getting beat with a wrench, and having cigarettes put out on him, Will dealt with a lot at a young age (James A. Frieden).
Throughout the 1950’s, the United States belonged to the Leave It To Beaver era. Families were structured around a strong, hard working father and a wonderful homemaker mother. Children were brought up with solid ideologies on what society expects from them and were warned about living a different and dangerous life. Only one-year separates Tennessee William’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room from there publishing dates during this decade of unwavering beliefs. These texts were seen as extremely controversial during their time due to their themes of homosexuality. Sexual orientation was an awkward topic during such a “to the book” time period and these texts pushed the limits, making them remarkable and memorable works. Both Tennessee Williams and James Baldwin explore the panic men experience while trying to comprehend what sexual orientation they belong to and highlight the masculine gay man. These texts also examine the woman’s role in the mist of it all.
It is often said that the people one surrounds themselves with can reflect things about themselves, such as their beliefs and ideals. One’s friends and acquaintances can reveal subconscious attractions to people that fulfill their ideals or agree with the things they say, but these relationships can also help one discover their personal philosophies by reinforcing opposing views. Indeed, in J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, the way Holden reacts to and interacts with secondary characters reveal his established philosophies and the values he holds most dear to him.
Another major display of a shift in gender roles is the infamous anal rape scene. Ed and Bobby, who is the most effeminate of the group, are taken captive by two (likely) inbred woodland men. These men, pariahs to society, become embodiments of the defilement of nature experienced earlier in the novel, the trash in the river and the poultry processing plant. To Dickey, Man’s encroachment upon nature has not only led to the industrialization that plows fields and fells forests, or littered the wild with our excess and excrement, it has made humanity unable to reunite itself with nature. Once man has defiled a region with our technology and our influence, we may never go back “Dickey's novel suggests that there is no free territory…” (Entzminger). These mountain men have ostracized themselves from society, searching for a way to shake off the shackles of cultural expectation. However, in their attempt to become one with nature they have simply perverted it.
The movie Good Will Hunting an American Drama Film was directed by Gus Van Sant, and starring Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver and Stellan Skarsgard in 1997. This movie is about a man named Good Will Hunting who was a genius but chose not to live as a genius because of fear of past experiences and the ill treatment he received when he was in foster home. Some of the other characters in the movie were supportive and some were not supportive of him. This essay discusses Good Will’s personality traits and his interaction with the other characters in the movie. Good Will Hunting possessed the following personality traits, namely: independence, intense interest in a problem, and the need for stimulation.
the emotions of the readers. He successfully gives a vivid image in which the audience can begin
Sexuality and personal growth has and always will be a topic of conversation in real life and even in fiction short stories. The idea of sexuality has just recently not only became an open idea to discuss but one to also write and publish about. Both Alice Munro and John Updike both illustrate the idea of sexuality and personal growth in very different ways. “The Found Boat” by Alice Munro, deals with sexuality in an aggressive manner while “A&P” by John Updike, deals more with the idea of sexuality rather than sexuality itself. They also have very similar elements of fiction that include (but is not limited to) characters, theme and conflict. The characters relate in both
Within modern-day America, there are certain societal standards based on sexual relationships. Within the poem, the narrator, a young woman, questions why she has to “wear the brand of shame; /whilst he amid the gay and proud/still bears an honored name” (Harper 26-28). Within her poem, Harper exposes the hypocrisy of the
Not only do the roles of the characters compel a reader, they also illustrate the
All of the characters presented in the movie have a distinct personality, making the viewer engage deeply in the heart pumping action and drama.
For a first novel, the prose was lovely, and the mystery and alienation came through in the story that always danced over and across a line of fantasy, leaving multiple avenues to interpret parts of the story. It was intangible as ice or snow in the sun, melting and reforming.
The Western genre is undoubtedly one that is governed by the traditional male 'hero' and its masculine stereotypes. Rarely does the genre break away from this mould, however Ang Lee's renowned film Brokeback Mountain defies the set expectations of the Western and its celebration of masculinity. The film depicts the tragic love between the two central characters 'Ennis del Mar' and 'Jack Twist', set against the backdrop of the American