Brokeback Mountain Sexuality and Sexual Identity

Proulx gets right to the point here, doesn't she? It's obvious from the beginning that Ennis and Jack have a thing going on, what with the mention of pleasure and dreams; now it's just a question of filling in the details as the story goes on.

There's a casualness to the invitation that suggests it's really no big deal here. We're out in the wilderness, it's cold, sure let's huddle together for warmth. But it also suggests that they're both pretty comfortable with each other at this point. But that doesn't lessen the shock when "comfortable" turns to "intimate."

There are early signs of the characters' relative reaction to their sexuality here: Ennis is fighting, Jack is plowing forward. That's pretty much the way it goes for the entire story, as Ennis always tries to keep it quiet and Jack seethes under the restraint. You might argue that Jack's more comfortable with his sexuality than Ennis is, or you might argue that Ennis is just more realistic. Either way, it's clear that they're not quite on the same page.

Clearly, their bodies know something that their minds don't, as the intensity of their physical chemistry just overwhelms them. But it's also clear here that these two are a match made in heaven, what with that simile suggesting they fit together like a lock and a key.

At least this meeting lets them realize their feelings for each other haven't diminished. After all, if you redline all the way to a romantic rendezvous, we'd say your feelings are pretty clear. But still, check out Jack's attempt at denial here.

If we're to believe Ennis here, he's not gay… except for when it comes to Jack. That may very well be an accurate way to describe himself. But it also may very well be a denial-instinct that society has inflicted upon him.

Interesting turn of a phrase from Joe, right? He's suggestive without being explicit. He also doesn't seem surprised, so we might guess that Joe has seen this kind of thing before from other people.

The story of Earl and Rich tells Jack and Ennis that their love isn't entirely unprecedented. While that might seem like heartening knowledge that would give them hope that their relationship can work, the way society treated Earl and Rich also serves as a warning.

Lureen knows, like a lot of people. And since she's never met Ennis, it implies that Jack's been stemming the rose with more than just Ennis over the years. That's a clever way of giving us that fact without coming right out and saying it, and that suggestive, unclear language is a hallmark of Jack and Ennis's relationship, which can never be explicit and out in the open.

The parallel structure of the second half of this sentence reminds us that their sexual relationship is, at the end of the day, also a deep indicator of their love for each other. This isn't just some affair. This is true, messy, and doomed love.