Turković 1

Darija Turković

dr. sc. Lovorka Gruić Grmuša

American Literature

April 28th 2016

Modern cowboys confronting traditional surroundings

Annie Proulx wrote Brokeback Mountain in 1997 and published it the same year in The

New Yorker. Two years later, Brokeback Mountain became integral part of Proulx’s collection

of short stories known as Close Range: Wyoming Stories. The collection contains eleven

stories all of which are focused on portraying Wyoming as crude and wild landscape. Besides

describing the countryside, these stories also aim to show everyday routine of people living

there whose lives are often vacant and monotonous. Protagonists of the stories are, however,

depicted form somewhat different perspective. They are frequently represented as extremely

emotional characters that don’t seem to fit into that raw community and therefore have to

disguise themselves and pretend to be something they clearly aren’t. This can perhaps best be

seen in one particular story of the collection, the one about Brokeback Mountain, which ended

up achieving the greatest success thanks to its movie adaptation from 2005.

The plot of the story is, of course, set in Wyoming and follows the lives of two main

characters Ennis and Jack. The story begins with Ennis’ reminiscence of Jack and the summer

of 1963 which they spent together in the Brokeback Mountain. In the very beginning of the

story, we get to know them as young boys who haven’t even turned twenty years and don’t

have any plan for the future. It becomes clear that they are uneducated since their language is

quite rough, filled with swear words That ain’t the point. Point is, we both should be in this

camp. And that goddam pup tent smells like cat piss or worse. 1Opening of the story,

1
Annie Proulx: Brokeback Mountain. Page 4, PDF version.
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therefore, shows us that Ennis and Jack are just like other people in Wyoming. They perfectly

fit into that community and there is nothing about them that makes us think differently.

As the story goes on, however, we begin to see the differences in Jack and Ennis in

comparison to other characters. During their time in the mountains, they start a love

relationship which lasts for a whole summer. They never explicitly talk about it or try to

explain themselves what is actually going on but we, as the readers, realize that their

relationship is more than just a fling. This becomes obvious on their way back from the

mountains. It is clear to us that they feel empty and miserable due to the fact they have to

separate and go back to their normal and scanty lives, but they feel too proud to acknowledge

their emotions and say that out loud. Instead of that, they pretend as if nothing has happened

and walk away proudly from one another. Showing their emotions and vulnerability seems to

come up as their biggest obstacle there. They are certainly aware of the crude community they

belong to and know very well that they have to disguise themselves in order to stay safe.

Being a homosexual cowboy in Wyoming during the 1960’s was completely unimaginable

and unacceptable. Cowboys were considered to be epitomes of power and masculinity. They

were the ultimate symbol of male strength and dominance and it would be beyond any

expectation to think of them as homosexual. These modern cowboys, however, were

somewhat different and had to fight with their repressed feelings if they wanted to survive in

that narrow minded landscape. It’s not just the community they have to hide from, it’s

themselves, too. The truth is that they were aware of the romance that evolved between them

during that summer, but they were way too presumptuous to admit it. They noticed the

appearance of strong sexual urge every night when they were going to bed together and tried

to somehow justify themselves by saying We’re not no queers. It is a one shot thing.

Nobody’s business but ours.2

2
Annie Proulx: Brokeback Mountain. Page 6, PDF version.
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As the story goes on, we see the changes that came about in the protagonists’ lives. Both of

them ended up in marriage with children. It took four years for Ennis and Jack to meet again

after their affair in the mountains and it’s clear to us that, even though they are now

represented as family men with wives and children, they still feel passionate and excited about

each other. Immediately after their encounter, they recommence their relationship and finally

gain courage to admit that there is something more profound happening between the two of

them. It is in this very part where we, as readers, become aware of the fact that these men

truly and honestly care about each other. Their relationship, though it began as a mere

experimental sex, turned into sensitive and loving intimacy. Moreover, they considered

running away together and starting a new life somewhere far away from narrow-minded

Wyoming where homosexuals were harshly condemned and even killed.

It would, of course, be too good to be true for Ennis and Jack to bring their love to life.

There would be nothing more ideal for them than going somewhere where their emotions and

passion could be expressed freely, but that is not the case here. Wyoming is one of those

places where there is nothing more important than patriarchal tradition. It represents a

community which doesn’t allow many changes, especially if they are related to someone’s

sexual orientation. Throughout the story, it is suggested to us on multiple occasions that

homosexuals, if any was revealed there, were brutally murdered, like old Earl who was

slaughtered with a tire iron3.

Opposition of characters as of those who belong to majority and those who differ can be

seen as an obvious element of epistemology. It refers to the greater number of people who fit

into a general frame of a certain society. In other words, those who belong to majority and

obey the rules of some community don’t have to fear. On the other hand, those who

differentiate from the majority, who don’t accept traditional ways of thinking and behaving,

3
Annie Proulx: Brokeback Mountain. Page 13, PDF version.
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like Jack and Ennis in this story, ought to be punished. Eventually, we find out that Jack’s

death is a consequence of a tire explosion, but we know for sure that there is something more

in it. Ennis is, of course, very well aware of the fact that Jack’s death is a result of people’s

realization that he was homosexual so he ended up in a similar way like the old Earl did.

In the end it is clear to us that Jack and Ennis are no more than simulacra. They are nothing

but a mere image, representation of that type of cowboys we used to know. They are neither

forceful nor strong men as we had initially expected them to be. In this modern story, they are

represented as rather vulnerable, passive and extremely emotional men. In other words, we

see them as people made of flesh and bones. It is also quite obvious now that their dressing up

as cowboys is just a performance they have to give in order to adjust to the harsh and wild

community they belong to. We can look at it as a discrepancy between protagonists and the

time. They are part of a myth which has, throughout the time, lost its significance and turned

into a pattern followed by people who don’t even analyze or contemplate it, just follow it

blindly without any thought.

This story has in many ways broken the rules of traditional literary canon. Firstly, it

represented modern cowboys as sentimental and passionate men whose actions are to a vast

degree divergent than those of traditional cowboys. Secondly, it brings, maybe for the first

time in the context of world’s literature, the poignant and moving story of homosexual

romance and intimacy. And finally, it criticizes quite evidently the narrow – minded,

provincial and bigoted spirit of Wyoming and its residents. Beside those elements, this story

is a true epitome of a postmodern piece which embodies and interweaves some of its most

famous characteristics such as simulacra and epistemology. Undoubtedly, by writing this

story, Annie Proulx has shocked both literary critique and audience and presented a familiar

story in a well known environment, but this time from somewhat different perspective

offering thus a chance of experiencing the story from entirely different point of view.
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References:

1) Annie Proulx: Brokeback Mountain. PDF version. Taken from:

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https://vk.com/doc219407793_339978774?

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