Celestine~ Wit

Wit relates to Review #2 when the parallels of the characters are made known to the reader. At the beginning of the play when the characters are listed and a note at the bottom says technicians, fellows, students, and code team members should be doubled; Dr. Kelekian and Mr. Bearing should be doubled. The reader is confused because these people are obviously different and there is no logic behind why they should double up on roles. When Vivian first finds out she has cancer and Jason Posner asks her about her life history the reader realizes that Vivian had no life. The only life she had was John Donne poetry and her extended vocabulary. She prided herself on her ability to confuse and not help her students understand what was the meaning of the poetry they read. Without realizing the purpose of doubled characters the reader feels sorry for Vivian because she has to endure this horrible sickness alone.

The first parallel that is made known to the reader is Dr. Kelekian and Mr. Bearing. It is complete irony because like her father Dr. Kelekian does not care about her feelings. When he first tells her about her cancer he speaks to her with a sense of detachment and no remorse. On page 12 Dr. Kelekian tells her, “You must be very tough. Do you think you can be very tough? At this point in the conversation he should have been asking Vivian about her thoughts and how was she going to get through this alone. Dr. Kelekian was very impersonal and only saw Vivian as person with an incurable form of cancer. Dr. Kelekian relates to Mr. Bearing because when Vivian was five and attempted to read a book, “ she fixes on the word soporific.” Vivian asks her father what it means and he blatantly responds and tells her to use it in a sentence and she is confused. Mr. Bearing develops sarcasm when he says, “ What has a soporific effect on me? Let me think; boring conversation, I suppose, after dinner (pg.43).” This begins Vivian’s “enchanted forest of words” and also her isolation from people who do not appreciate and understands what she studies.

Jason Posner is doubled as a student because it shows why humanity does not come before research in his eyes. Vivian is isolated because her thirst for knowledge is her only purpose in life. Having Jason be a past student of Vivian allows the reader to see the similarity between their lacks of concern for others that is why the students are able to push her around like she did them. Jason ‘s lack of interest is shown on page 51 when he wants Vivian to take an ultrasound though she does not feel ready or strong enough to do so. It is amplified at the end of the play when Vivian finally dies and he gets angry when Susie tells him she is “ Do Not Resuscitate”, Jason replies “ She ‘s research (pg. 82).” Jason relates to Vivian because they do not respect other people who do not appreciate their work and have no feelings toward others. Jason’s purpose was research and the idea that Vivian ruined that for him upsets him because needed this research.Once Vivian realizes “ how blithely she humiliated her students, “ she accepts her treatment as what she deserves and thinks she should have given Jason an A.

Baker - Wit (play)

In the play "Wit", the main character, Vivian Bearing, struggles to maintain her dignity as she is treated for terminal ovarian cancer. Throughout the play, Vivian relies on her intellect as a coping mechanism for the pain and embarrassment brought on by her disease. However, it is compassion that ultimately helps Vivian re-examine her life and find enlightenment.

One scene in the play shows Vivian's professor advising her to put aside her paper and go be with her friends. This confuses Vivian, and as she watches other students enjoying each other's company, she muses about the separation a comma causes between two things. The essay by Kathy A Smith points out Vivian's "insuperable barrier," aka the comma, that causes division between Vivian and other people (Smith 4). I think this is important because Vivian has let her intelligence come between herself and her ability to maintain personal relationships.

At one point in the play, Vivian is given a gynecological exam, and Smith points out that Vivian uses Donne's Holy Sonnet to console herself. I think this is really important because it shows how much Vivian has relied on her intellect instead of compassion. In most situations, a person would be looking for the concern of another person to help them through such a difficult time, but Vivian relies on her own mind to keep herself sane. Smith's Essay points out that "the degradation Vivian undergoes has made her uncomfortably aware of the emptiness and fragility of her past" (Smith 8). No one visits Vivian, save for her old professor, and I think at this point in Vivian's life, she is realizing that her intellect is not something that is able to soothe her anymore, but rather the tenderness of another person is. She eventually reverts back to a childlike state, and allows herself to be treated sympathetically by her primary nurse, Susie.

It is not until Vivian recognizes and allows the compassion of Susie that she starts to think back on her life and her treatment of others. She begins to understand the importance of compassion, and by the end of the play, Vivian is finally able to find peace.

Campbell - W;t

Campbell – W;t

Vivian and Fellow, Dr. Jason Posner have a strange interaction during the play in which Jason, a former student of Vivian, is now an oncology researcher.  The Irony here is that Jason is now studying Vivian as she did when studying Donne.  Jason was well aware of the type of person Vivian was in the class room, an all or nothing type of teacher.  Jason acknowledged this when he stated “I made a bet with myself that I could get an A in the three hardest courses on campus.”  Another Irony that was apparent in the play and observed as well in Kathy Smith’s essay, was the protocol that the doctors and nurse mindlessly followed when asking patient how they were doing. The thing is that the patients would more than likely be in a terminal state and the question would almost seem patronizing or appear to be a trick question.  In the play this was addressed by Jason when he was explaining in simple terms, about compromised kidney functions.  Vivian asks if this is his attempt of bedside manner at which time Jason affirms. Jason explains that med students are required to take a whole course on bedside manner and how he thought it was a “colossal waste of time for researchers”.  Here Vivian seems to agree; however, up until this point she had been using her intellect as a defense mechanism. As Vivian progresses further into treatment and the cancer continues to advance, she become more vulnerable and less sure of herself. As Vivian becomes less sure of herself and her intellect no longer provides her with the defense she had come to rely on, she now need to relay on the simple and genuine kindness of humanity as displayed by Susie. Vivian, much like Donne used intellect and wit to explain away or understand death, but in the end death has no meaning. It is simply the end.  This was what Vivian came to realize as she new she was fading away. Additionally, in the end she appreciated that Susie was a true and compassionate person.  Towards the end when the hospital staff were in the process of placing a catheter in Vivian, Susie leaned down and told her “ that this will not hurt a bit.” While there was really no need to do this, Susie felt that this was showing respect to Vivian and all patients passing on.

Bonnin - Wit

In Margaret Edson’s play, “Wit” Vivian, a professor and scholar of 17th century poetry, is ill with stage four ovarian cancer. The play presents Vivian as a strong, determined and independent woman who employs her dominion of word play and metaphysical poetry as her only weapon to combat her reality( or the disease), which will ultimately kill her. However, as her condition worsens the audience observes Vivian’s gradual abandonment of the convoluted and her new preference for simplicity. Vivian’s doctor, Jason, serves as an interesting parallel to Vivian’s character, as they are very similar, and through his treatment of her she is capable of learning some important life lessons.

As Nancy Franklin clearly states it, in the play “Bearing is playing games with words, but words will not save her, as she herself knows” (Franklin). She is a scholar and a powerful one at that, with countless honors and recognitions in her name, but in this case her wit and intellect are no match for cancer. Ironically, Jason, one of her doctors, was once one of her students and admired her for being a hard teacher. Franklin views the juxtaposition of these two characters as an “open-and-shut irony,” seeing as Jason is very much like Vivian in terms of his interest in research and total lack thereof in patients. Jason reminds Vivian of the way she used to treat her students and makes her regret it: “So. The young doctor, like the senior scholar, prefers research to humanity. At the same time the senior scholar, in her pathetic state as simpering victim, wishes the young doctor would take more interest in personal contact. Now I suppose we shall see, through a series of flashbacks, how the senior scholar ruthlessly denied her simpering students the touch of human kindness she now seeks” (Edson, 58-59). However, Franklin also views this parallel as a flaw in the play, seeing as Jason’s similarity to her and the fact that he was her student is all a little too predictable and neat. Still, I believe that it was necessary for Vivian to see herself through the eyes of one of her “victims,” so that she could finally grow as a human in the “eight-month course of cancer treatment” (Edson, 31) that he was now conducting. Her lesson, as she saw it, would be to learn to suffer, but she was also learning about the importance of kindness.

Towards the end of the play the audience sees Vivian unwrap herself from her scholarly armor and seek out basic human interaction. She needs simplicity at this late stage in her disease. She needs peace: “Now is a time for simplicity. Now is a time for, dare I say it, kindness” (Edson, 69). These are things she never gave her students, not even when they were experiencing the loss of a family member, and like her, Jason would be withholding. However, Vivian has Susie by her side, a loving, care-giving nurse, who “embodies the milk condensed form of human kindness” (Franklin), who helps her retain her dignity and her newfound humanity as she passes on to the other side.

Castellon: Wit

The play contained and important educational message. Education is vital for development of critical thinking. Vivian described herself as "A demanding professor. Uncompromising." This may seem problematic for students but it was also a good way to challenge their minds. Jason, one of the doctors treating Vivian and former student, studied English poet John Donne. Donne wrote sonnets about life's complexities such as life, death, and God.

Jason took Vivian's class because he wanted to be well-rounded in all subjects. He claimed that it would make his transcripts look impressive. Unfortunately, the other students did not appreciate Vivian's stringent teaching methods, but it was necessary in order for her to accomplish her goals. One of the poets she taught about was John Donne.

According to Vivian, Donne's "Metaphysical quandaries are addressed, but never resolved." As a professor, she knew it was important to encourage students to read carefully, think, and create their own theories based on the readings. This is why the play is called Wit.

The other characters involved in the play did not seem to have a major affect. Doctor Kelekian was driven by his medicinal research and appeared to be emotionally disconnected from Vivian. Their conversation was limited to shared experiences with hard of hearing students.

Susie, Vivian's head nurse, seemed to take more interest in her mental and emotional well-being. Surprisingly, Jason did not converse with Vivian very much due to his educational upbringing. Vivian felt that he may have picked up his poise from her since she never allowed her personal side to interfere with her professional side.

On the other hand, Jason seemed to be very remorseful when he erroneously called a code blue. Code blue means that the patient is dead or dying and needs to be resuscitated through emergency personnel. Susie attempted to stop him but he kept trying to resuscitate Vivian when he did not hear her heart beating.

Once it was established that Doctor Kelekian ordered a "DNR", Jason's emotions overwhelmed him as he lost his aforementioned poise. Vivian was finally released from her suffering as her cancer had taken her life. On the other hand, Vivian finally entered the other realm and discovered the answers to Donne's questions regarding death and salvation.

Corkern- Ladder 49

Upon receiving the assignment, yet before viewing the film Ladder 49, I thought I knew the answer to the essay question. I was sure Jack Morris’ relationship with his family was more important than his relationship with his firefighter comrades. Again, this was before I viewed the film. I was awfully mistaken. Jack Morris is first and foremost, a firefighter. Every other role in his life is secondary. This is evidenced throughout the entire film. In his very first flashback, Jack remembers his first day as a firefighter. He recalls meeting the guys and the captain, and the instant brotherhood he felt. Facing death, one would imagine that your first flashback would be what is most important to you. As the film goes on, it is more and more clear that Jack has a stronger relationship with his firefighter comrades than with his family. Things that happen at the firehouse elicit more of an emotional response from Jack than things in his personal life. He is deeply affected and changed by the death of his fellow firefighter. To further evidence his commitment to his job and life as a firefighter, he replaces his dead friend and steps up into a more dangerous position within the district. Jack is quite afraid of his own mortality but does not admit that, because the thrill and joy that saving lives brings to Jack could be put in jeopardy. He ignores his wife’s pleas for him to not do anything more dangerous, and tells her that it is not “more” dangerous. As his children grow, Jack senses his son’s fear, and tries to quell it, but never considers doing another job or entering another line of work. After he is injured in a steam accident, and his firefighter buddy severely injured, Captain Kennedy offers him a chance to move on and take a new position- better pay, better hours, much less danger. He talks it over with his wife, and I think briefly considers it, but ultimately decides against it. That decision ends up costing him his life. However, I have to wonder, what kind of life would he have led had he taken the job? For a person like Jack Morris, he was born to be a firefighter, and nothing short of that would have satisfied him. The tragedy is that a wife lost her husband and two young children lost their father.

Hubbard: Ladder 49

"Ladder 49" was truly an inspiring movie to watch. It shows everything that comes with the profession of being a fireman. While watching this film I was able to see how demanding this occupation really is. Firemen are a strong courageous men and women that put their lives on the line for other citizens. They truly have a purpose and desire to save and serve. "Ladder 49" focuses on specific group of firemen in Baltimore, Maryland. The movie begins with Jack Morrison, a fireman who was injured while trying to save a victim from a burning warehouse. The beginning of the movie was actually part of the ending. It also shows a series of flashbacks to show how Jack got to the point where he is now.

Like many other job professions, you have to train in order to master the task at hand. There are some jobs that are not as time consuming and demanding such as being a fireman. Being a fireman is far from your typical nine to five. They are required to stay one are two nights at the station every other day. Jack had to jungle his family ad and his job which was life threatening at times. His wife preferred that he didn't work for search and rescue but she saw his passion to help others and accepted his decision. I don't feel that Jack's firefighter comrades was more important than his family. They both were held in high esteem and valued.


The film was about the life of firemen and the challenges they face so of course Jack had to do his duties instead of being with his family. There were two particular scenes in the movie that showed Jack's desire to save other by any means necessary and how well he was respected for what he does. When Jack calls his chief on the radio and lets him know not to send anymore men and that he his prepared to die in the fire. That is not someone whose main focus is their career and not family. That's someone who is willing to give their life to save many others. Jack's comrades knew that he had a strong love for what he does and was doing it for all the right reasons. Mike's speech at his funeral shows that Jack died a true hero.

Vitanza - Ladder 49 (Film)

Jack Morris has nothing to envy, he has the job of his dreams, the girl he loves and he is starting his own family, during the first half of the film. As the movie progresses we see the love Jack has for his job. He comes in as the rookie, where captain, played by Travolta, and the rest of his future comrades welcome him with open arms. From this instance on we start noticing the type of bond all the firefighters share within the house, including the captain.

During Jack’s first mission, in which he and the captain enter a house on fire, Jack takes charge of the hose; the captain is assisting him during the process. Once they are through with the fire the camera catches the moment in which both exit the house victorious, and this scene, particularly, gives us an idea of what will be the relationship between the captain and Morris. Even later in the film we see the captain become the godfather of one of Jack’s children, interacting with the kids, putting them to bed after the birthday party and so on. So, the captain takes Jack as his pupil and not only as that, but ends up caring for him and the well being of his family, and Jack looks up to his captain and trusts him above everything.

I believe being in Jack’s position it is hard to give up something you love doing for your family’s sake. This particular issue causes Jack to become this sour husband that does not want his family being around his comrades during hard times; like that time when one of his fellow fighters got burnt by steam. This leads to the scene in which Jack and Linda are discussing the possibility of him transferring to an office, a position the captain offered him. The discussion ends with Linda opposing to the fact that Jack will have to give up what he loves doing best, and it is a little confusing because she wants him to still be a fighter but not have to risk his life at all, yet not feel miserable.

The fact that Jack Morris dies, during his last mission, is a turning point in the story. It is sad he left his children and wife alone, but as he loved his family we know he loved his job just as much.

Baker - Ladder 49

Much is to be said about a firefighter’s relationship with his teammates. As with many professions, teamwork is encouraged, and it often leads to success in the respective fields. Factoring in the terrifyingly dangerous risk that firefighters take every time they step foot inside a burning building, one could argue that the particular field as a whole could not operate effectively or safely without the trust and precision that comes with great teamwork. The leading character in Ladder 49, Jack Morrison, understands the necessity of teamwork in his dangerous field, and as a result, he unintentionally puts his relationship with his fellow firefighters higher than his relationship with his own family.

One example that I find particularly interesting, with regards to Jack’s distance from his wife Linda, is the wedding reception scene. It opens up with the Captain dancing with Linda. It then shifts to Jack sitting at one table with his friends while Linda is at another table. Although he does gaze into his newlywed’s eyes, there is a strange distant feeling – perhaps because they are separated on their wedding day. To close out the scene, Jack gets on stage with his fellow firefighters to sing a song. Linda is watching him with adornment as he is on stage, yet Jack’s eyes never once find her in the crowd as he is too preoccupied with his male bonding. The notion of separation is strengthened by the funeral scene after Jack’s best friend Dennis tragically dies in a fire. The camera shows a close-up of a man who is upset about the death, and his wife is rubbing his back for comfort and reassurance. As the camera shifts to Jack, Linda is standing behind him, and there is a very clear disconnect between the two – they were not holding hands or consoling one another as the other couple was.

Perhaps the most outrageous aspect of Jack’s mixed priorities occurs when he (knowing that his wife is pregnant) begs the captain to give him a more dangerous job. He selfishly puts his love of firefighting above the feelings of his wife. Linda reaffirms her fear of Jack’s dangerous job in the scene where she confronts him after watching him almost die on television. Later, the captain offers him a safer job with a higher pay, yet he turns it down. Finally, in a very touching father-son scene, Jack’s son expresses a general concern for his wellbeing. He is afraid that his father is going to die in a fire or will be gravely injured like “Alex’s dad.”

Campbell - Ladder 49

Jack Morris, In ladder 49, is in my opinion is torn in his relationship between his career as a Firefighter and the bonds that are formed as a consequence of the occupation and his family. As a first responder, Jack has to reconcile his self imposed responsibility to save the lives of other people while placing his own life at risk, with the responsibility of his family.

Jacks relationship with his brother firefighters seems to be one that is one of strong comradery and sharing of personal moments of their whole life where as his relationship with his wife is more compartmentalized not letting her in to all aspects of his life.  The reason Jack does not allow his wife in all the way, is for the fact that he knows she will worry if she were to hear the details of his daily encounters with dangerous incidents.  Jack does this because he feels it is his responsibility to protect his wife from the worry of his duties.  At the same time, this is hard for Jack because he loves his job as a firefighter and it defines who is as man and he wants to share this sense of pride in what he does.  This is somewhat of a circular effect in which Jack and men like can’t share with their wives and families the details of what they do so they confide and share with their feelings and emotions with their comrades.

What I found interesting and can relate to, is that Jack would feel responsible for and personally carry the burden of his friends in comrades deaths and injury, often putting himself in more danger in hopes of sparing one of them.  Which, if you boil down the personality of people like jack who enter in these types of jobs, that is why they do it what they do.  At the same time he is not giving the same consideration to how it will affect his family. This is a struggle that many people like Jack have, How do they justify putting their lives at risk for strangers when they have a family that they are responsible for too. In the movie the viewer gets a glimps of this as Jack realizes that he is not going to make out of the building.  He tells his friend to look after his family, which he know will happen because of the bonds they have forged based on the commonality of the work they do and the stories they only tell to each other.  For myself and for jack, this is how we rationalize putting our lives at risk for others, knowing we may not come home to our families.

Celestine~Week 4

In Ladder 49 the main character Jack Morris is an eager rookie who is taken under the wing of Captain Mike Kennedy at the Baltimore Fire Department. Jack is very anxious to get his career started. When he enters the fire squad his fellow firemen play pranks on him as an initiation process. Once Jack is fully accepted he becomes good friends with Dennis Gauquin. Jack and Dennis develop a strong friendship and spend a lot of time together. In the film Dennis is on the search and rescue team and Jack is outside with his mentor Captain Mike. Dennis’ job is much more dangerous than Jack’s because he is required to enter homes and save people while they are in the fire. Jack meets his wife Linda in the grocery store while he and Dennis is grocery shopping for Engine 33. Dennis is a big flirt and sets up a dinner date with Linda and her friend because he knew Jack was attracted to her. After dating they get married and have two children, Katie and Nicky. Before the birth of their first child Dennis’ dies in a fire and Jack is deeply hurt.

Jack’s character is a man who believes his purpose in life is to save people’s lives. Once Dennis died Jack felt like he needed something new to do. He decides to take upon Dennis job with Ladder 49 as a search and rescue member. Captain Mike Kennedy tries to talk Jack out of it when Jack tells him about it in his office. He offer’s Jack administrative jobs because he does not want his family to loose him and think Jack is being impulsive since Dennis died. Jack thinks it is duty to replace his best friend. Jack’s wife also opposes the change at the beginning but she encourages him to take the job because that’s what he was put on earth to do. As Linda begins to notice, all of Jacks buddies are getting hurt and she does not want her husband to be taken out of her life as well. Eventually, Jack’s son Nicky ask Jack to be safe because Tommy’s son is getting teased since his fathers face was steamed off in a fire. Jack’s reply is “Tommy got hurt because he was saving someone’s life.” At this point it seemed like Jack would consider another position since his son was concerned about his safety but he did not.

The film Ladder 49 showed the viewer that Jack’s relationship with his fighting comrades was more important to him. Jack joined the fire department because he wanted to save lives and nothing else mattered. It was obvious that Jack loved is family deeply but his love for the force was stronger and his wife knew that. Though his comrade’s attempted to talk him into administrative positions that would prevent him from entering burning houses and ensure he would be around for his children, Jack did not want the easy way. Jack died doing what he loved and that’s what mattered most, he knows his family was safe because they were not the people fighting for their lives in a fire.

Baker - Ladder 49

In the movie Ladder 49, the main character, Jack Morrison, struggles between his job as a firefighter and his responsibility as a husband and father. While I do not think that Jack loved his fellow firefighters any more than he loved his wife and children, I do think that he prioritized his job of saving other people's lives above the emotional well being of his family. That is not to say that he did not care about how his job affected his family; I just think he placed more importance on saving people's lives.

There is one scene in the film which demonstrates Jack's desire to continue rescuing others. In this scene, Jack survives a potentially fatal situation while he was saving someone's life, and he comes home to find his wife upset after she watched him risk his life on the news. She asks him, "Do you see me right now?" By this question, she is asking if Jack understands that when she gives birth to their child, his job will become even more dangerous in the sense that his death would also affect the child, potentially leaving him/her without a father.

I do think that Jack understands what she is saying and knows that what she is saying is valid, but at the end of the day, I think his job is more important to him. He tells her, "I saved that man today." When he walks away after that statement, he is letting her know that is the most important thing to him.

There is another scene where Jack tries to explain his feelings about his job when he is talking to his son about the injury of his fellow firefighter. His son tells him that he does not want his father to get hurt, and Jack tries to reassure his son that he has been trained to do this job. He says, "We're not afraid because we do it to save people. It's worth it to save people, right?" I think this question sums up Jack's feelings on why he does what he does. He loved his wife and children, and I do not think he placed more importance on his firefighting comrades, but I think to Jack, there was ultimately no better feeling than saving another person's life.

Bonnin - Ladder 49

In the film Ladder 49 we watch Jack grow from a simple rookie to a brave firefighter, loving husband and caring father. At the beginning Jack saw putting out fires as a job he loved, but a job nevertheless. However, later on we see how working as a firefighter and saving lives evolves into a passion and then a duty he can’t walk away from. Even though he cared deeply for his wife and children the film presents his dedication to rescuing lives and to his fellow comrades as central to his life and, one could even argue, as being more important to him than his role as a husband and a father.

When Jack goes out on his first date with his future wife she asks him about his job and he tells her that he loves it, but in the end he explains, “it’s a job.” One can assume that although he loved his job, at this point in his life it still did not define him as a person. This immediately changes when his friend Dennis dies in a fire. Having experienced the death of someone dear to him, rescuing lives passes from being a mere job to a more personal objective or passion. When Jack and the rest of the team make a promise to be back on the truck in honor of Dennis their perspective on the job takes an entirely different form. He has made a promise to his comrades (dead and alive) that he is incapable of breaking.

In the film Jack chooses his profession over his wife and his family early on. When his wife is still pregnant she tells him she is scared: “I can’t sleep. I keep having that dream about the red car turning up in front of the house when you don’t come home.” To which he replies: “I saved that man today” and walks away. It is clear that rescuing people has become his number one priority in life. It is not that he doesn’t care about his wife’s concerns, it is just that he cares more about the helpless people in the fire and about his duty to stand by his comrades.

About ten years into their marriage he is still carrying out rescue-search operations. He finally considers changing jobs when one of his friends gets seriously burned and his family’s constant worrying start eating away at him. However, his wife doesn’t allow him to change jobs based on them because she recognizes that it makes him happy. He then responds: “When Mike asked me today if I still loved this job the way I did and for the first time in my life I didn’t know what to say.” One could interpret this statement in various ways, but seeing as he never did change jobs it is evident that his feeling towards the job have changed. It has in fact become much more than a profession. Rescuing people was now central to his existence and he was willing to risk it all, his wife, family and even his life, for it. So, in the end it could be argued that his mission to save people became more important to him than the relationship to his family and to his comrades.

O'Keefe: Brokeback Mountain (Short Story)

Annie Proulx’s Brokeback Mountain examines the complex relationship between the concept of a spectral (as opposed to binary), nuanced view of sexuality and the puritanical, simplified concept of sexuality accepted by the conservative, male-dominated American mainstream of the time. The movie, through the relationship between Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, and further through the relationship between the aforementioned couple and their respective wives and families, looks at how mainstream culture, through the delineation of and establishment of an “us” and “them” type system of exclusion, disenfranchises, ostracizes, and generally weakens those deemed threatening to mainstream values and those who hold them. Those unlucky few who are outside of the norm have generally, in the U.S., been those that threaten the established societal structure that pervades throughout every level of authority in this country, white patriarchy. As a result of this perceived threat, the mainstream society has lashed out against these outsiders in the forms of racism, and, most pertinent to this particular story, sexism and homophobia.

The very structure of the world in which Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar live, work, and love in is based upon the idea that sexuality, and possibly to an even greater extent, romantic love can only and should only exist between a man and a woman. We see that due to the society they had been living in (prior to their excursion on the secluded Brokeback Mountain) and the values projected onto them that even after having engaged in clearly homosexual, yet, for them, seemingly natural and spontaneous activity they found it difficult to come to terms with exactly how to classify or label their actions and themselves. One of the only exchanges we’re shown that takes between Del Mar and Twist after their sexual relationship begins consists of Ennis stating that he’s “not no queer,” with Jack replying that, he, in fact, isn’t homosexual either. These sentiments, despite their actions, may in fact be true, but it would be impossible for them to express themselves fully given the foreign nature of such a situation and the fact that their view of the world simply did not leave room for their to be anything between heterosexuality and homosexuality. It is important to note that homophobia appears to present itself not so much as a fear of homosexuality per say, but rather as a fear and misunderstanding of anything outside of the strict, orthodox notion of heterosexuality.

Another interesting aspect of the story is that Jack and Ennis, despite living in fear of and trying to escape the persecution and derision of a homophobic society, themselves perpetuate certain aspects of the white male-dominated society that in their hearts they wish they could be separate from by perpetuated sexism in their own homes. In the scenes in which Ennis interacts with his family he is depicted as a quite typical (“fishing trips” aside) white American patriarch that is, to a certain extent, domineering over his wife and family. It’s intriguing to see someone in both roles; that is, he is certainly the outsider type “them” in terms of his sexuality, however, he is simultaneously seen on the other side of the fence, the “us” in terms of his stance on relations between the sexes.

O'Keefe: Introduction

Hello, my name is Michael O’Keefe. I’ve just finished the third year of my undergraduate studies here at Loyola, and am majoring in Philosophy. I was born and raised in New Orleans, though I plan on moving and experiencing other parts of the country and, with luck (and income), other parts of the world, after college. This isn’t to say I’ll never return, as people who leave here seem to eventually do, because I consider this city to be unique, and I think it’s difficult for one to not get culturally jaded living in as interesting a place as New Orleans. As far as hobbies go, I’ve got a few of them: mainly (and this one sort of extends beyond the realm of hobby) I compose, perform, record, and listen to music; I read (anything aside from worthless pulp novels); I try to watch movies as often possible (really anything from the inception of cinema, to foreign short films, to campy 80’s flicks); I bike and swim; I hang out and go out with people; and I eventually plan on getting into filmmaking.

In the future I plan on continuing to make music and continuing to work somewhere within that field. I make music ranging from folk songs to ambient compositions to completely electronic tunes (which is the field I’ve been focusing on lately). Regardless of what type of music I’m working on at the time, I try to make each piece unique and something that couldn’t really fit into the framework of a given genre or scene. I feel that recorded music as a whole is currently going through a period of stagnation due to the fact that artists are tending to make excessively derivative, unoriginal works, so I try to do the opposite and produce interesting music that could stand on its own in the larger musical landscape and that, perhaps, could even be relevant and interesting in the future.

Castellon: Ladder 49

I did not get the impression that his relationship with the firefighters was more important than the relationship he had with his wife. I think that his two main concerns were financial stability and work performance. It was evident that he enjoyed doing his job, despite having lost one of his coworkers, because he told Linda in a scene that he had doubts about taking a desk job offered by Captain Kennedy. In that scene, Kennedy echoed Linda's concerns and told Jack that his occupation was the reason that he and his wife had divorced.

Jack was unwavering; he liked the adrenaline and the satisfaction of saving someone's life. The proof comes in a scene when a man was stuck outside a ledge of a burning building. Jack tied a rope around his waist and was lowered to save the man's life despite concerns from his fellow firefighters and the public. That scene displayed his initiative, confidence, passion, and courage.

For any man or woman who dreamed of being a hero as a child, this is the best and most legitimate way to become that person. Currently, thousands of people are miserable at their jobs because they do not enjoy it. Jack truly enjoyed his job; therefore it would make sense for him to want to take the risks and perform his duties to the best of his abilities. Linda had her reservations about his occupation but she understood that it was his passion and he would not be happy doing anything else.

Obviously, the hours and the demands of the job left him tired and mostly unavailable to attend school games and other activities. The movie depicted seldom bonding between Jack and his children. If anyone received little attention from Jack, I would say it was the kids. I wouldn't say he neglected them due to the nature of his job. In fact, he did converse with his son and specified that he was needed and people depended on him to save lives. Despite his untimely death, the message he left behind will serve them a lifetime, pursue your passion.

Vitanza: Falling Man (Novel)

Don DeLillo does an extraordinary job in Falling Man. The technique used in the writing process and the way the novel goes through the lives of each character is by far one of the mot interesting stories I have read.

The story begins with the aftermath of 9/11, and the impact it had over the citizens of New York, specifically Keith, Lianne, Justin, Nina, Martin and Florence. These characters are all linked in a way, for example; Keith is married to Lianne, they have a child named Justin etc. The relationship all of these characters have with each other is very peculiar, starting with Keith and Lianne. Nina, Lianne’s mother, is constantly reminding Lianne of her poor choice for a husband, from this remark we conclude what type of man Keith is, and not because he is a bad person, but due to his stoic state of character. Keith seems to have this ideal of life in which if something happens then let it happen, very nonchalant if I may say so.

After 9/11 the fear spread through out the people of New York is seen specifically in Justin and his friends, the siblings. When Lianne takes Justin to play with the siblings she and the siblings’ mother listen to the kids speak of this so called Bill Lawton, which later in the story we realize it is Bin Laden, which was a jaw dropping fact to me. The kids are not only terrified because of this Bill Lawton, but they are also on the look out for planes, using binoculars, spending hours looking at the sky. This portraying of fear in the novel is precisely what every New Yorker and U.S citizen felt like at the time, and possibly still today.

Not only is the story centered in the lives of these New Yorkers, but also on a group of Palestinians that reside in Marienstraße, Hamburg in Germany. Though the story of these characters, (Hammad, Amir among others), is very brief in comparison to the immensity of the novel, the right amount of information is given to the reader, and in an interesting way, in order to connect the complete story of what is known today as 9/11.

Bonnin- Falling Man

The novel “Falling Man” begins and ends with Keith’s experience of the hellish aftermath of the September 11^th terrorist attack of the World Trade Center. At the beginning of the novel it is evident that Keith is experiencing the attack or the collapse at a very personal level. However, the reader later discovers that the narrative at the beginning omitted information that was key to our understanding of Keith’s experience and behavior following the attack. As time progresses, Keith’s character evolves and one could even argue that he finally comes alive. The ending is not only significant in that Keith finally acknowledges his friend’s death and that of others around him at Ground Zero, but it is also a redemption of the beginning because he can finally walk away from the collapse as a new man.

Keith was working at the site at the time of the attacks and was one of the fortunate men and women who were able to safely exit the towers before they collapsed. Keith took a briefcase from the tower that led him to another survivor called Florence. When they met he told her that he had once wanted to be an actor, but that he had never gotten past being an acting student. Ironically enough the novel presents Keith as a man who acted out his entire life. He settled for a life and job that did not suit him, and following September 11 he went back to poorly acting as a father and as a husband. In the novel there is an interesting interplay between Keith’s life and that of the trained actor who carries out the “falling man” stunt: These men, both educated actors, fall in their acts.

In Keith’s rendition of the husband there are infidelity, distance and lies. The actor’s fall, on the other hand, is seen by Lianne as a “falling angel and his beauty was horrific” (DeLillo 231). Soon after the actor’s death Lianne decides she is ready to leave Keith and go back to the way things were before the towers collapsed. In this way the actor’s death signifies the death of Keith as an actor and his simultaneous rebirth as his true self. He is set free from all attachments. He was a professional poker player constantly traveling, but constrained by his emotional baggage and relationship to Lianne. When the acting ended he is finally able to live out his life.

In the end the author brings the reader back to September 11 and to Keith’s experience. One finally sees that his grief also stemmed from the loss of his close friend Rumsey who he was unable to save. It is as if Keith was revisiting his memory of the incident and he is finally able to stop denying that his “world” did end. He acknowledged the carnage around him and can finally liberate himself from that day. Keith saw the same shirt falling from the sky at the beginning and at the end. However, at the end he can finally accept that it was not a shirt it was a human who died: “Then he saw a shirt come down of the sky. He walked and saw it fall, arms waving like nothing in this life” (DeLillo 256).

Campbell - Falling Man

  In the Falling Man, Don Delillo takes the reader through the terrifying glimpse of the despair and desperation representative of hell in the moments after the jihadist commandeered plane struck the towers. This is seen through the eyes of Keith who worked in one of the towers.  At one point in the book Keith is described as the archetypical male who is a man’s man, a confidant and stoic person that other men look to and aspire to be; however, this quality is also described as a reason for is lack of understanding or intimacy of woman he is close to.  This was an important point to make in my mind because it helps and link Hammad and Keith and explain how they arrived at this crossroads of life and explains Hammad’s eventual submission to Amir and acceptance of his place in the brother hood.  I though this was also important and relevant to how the book ended which described Hammad’s last moments before intersecting with the beginning moments of Keith’s experience with the attack on the towers. I think this illustrated, for the reader, that one man was realizing his destiny and salvation in what he believed to be the ultimate sacrifice for God which set another man on a course to salvation.

  Keith was a lot like his wife Lianne’s dementia patients in regards to his recollection of the events and moments after the planes struck the towers and he ended up in Lianne’s doorway. Like the dementia patients was in a fog and could not seem to get a round turn on the memories.

When Keith found Florence, the owner of the briefcase, he found himself able to find and locate the missing parts or his recollection of those hellish moments.  It was not until the end of the novel, that the reader was given a more in-depth glimpse into Ketih’s hell in those moments after the planes struck the tower and how he came to be in possession of the briefcase.  Both the tragic events and the brief case lead him to the two places he could begin his road to salvation. Returning to his family and finding Florence. 

  I fell the book ultimately and unfortunately demonstrated that we in the west, are viewed by others in the world through the lens of the media and our film industry.  Often time both sensationalize the immoral decadences, deviance, greed, self gratification and worst our society has to offer.  Furthermore, the book tries to contrast the dominance and power of America an all of our technology with those in less developed countries who successfully used our reliance on technology and false sense of security while at the same time utilizing low tech personal contact to circumvent detection and inflict an act of justified, in their eyes, attack against an immoral and imperialistic oppressor.

Hubbard: Falling Man

The novel Falling Man written by Don Delillo, opens up with the main character Keith Neudecker, a survivor of the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York. Keith was a lawyer that worked in the World Trade Center and who was in the tower at the time of he attack. Fortunately he was able to escape with hardly any injuries. Even though Keith was hardly hurt physically, he was emotionally and mentally torn. After escaping the attack he was in a state of denial, not grasping what had just occurred. While walking to his apartment that he previously shared with his son Justin and wife Lianne, he was in a disarray. His mind was puzzled and his thoughts were scattered. Keith experienced redemption in the opening and closing of the novel.

While still trying to cope what has just taken place, he was offered a ride by an electrical contractor, it was at that moment that he felt a bit of life. He went back to his wife who he had been separated from for about a year and a half. He continues his life as if nothing ever occurred. Before the 9/11 attack, Keith sort of lived a sheltered life. He lived close to his job and didn't venture off much from his family and job. He found a new hobby in traveling to Las Vegas to play poker. He grew very happy and loved being a professional poker player. I saw poker to make him more happy than his marriage did. He never spoke to his wife about the attack instead he developed a sexual relationship with a woman named Florence. He met her after the attack after he mistakenly picked up her briefcase while escaping the tower. Maybe he had redemption in the end because of his guilt for having an affair.


Keith may have also experienced redemption in the end when he talks about his friend whom he played poker with and also worked with. His friend was also in the tower at the time of the attack but unfortunately wasn't ale to escape. Keith attempted to help him but he just couldn't get him free from all the debris that had fell on him. He returns to his hobby of traveling to play poker, where he feels a since of freedom and solace.

Baker - Falling Man

In Don DeLillo’s Falling Man, the main character Keith Neudecker finds both redemption and downfall throughout the aftermath of his experience during the incredibly traumatic day of September 11, 2001. The novel begins with a recreation of the moments just after the attack occurred. Keith was working in one of the towers and managed to escape the catastrophe with relatively minor physical injuries. What the doctors at the hospital that he later visited could not quantify or assess was his vast emotional damage.

As Keith emerges from the hazy cloud of rubble and debris, it is quite apparent that Keith is in a state of vertigo and mystification. He meets a man who offers him a ride, and in his confusion, he reverts to a primal, second-natured comfort of his wife and son (whom he has been separated from for a year and a half). Throughout his tenure in the residence, Keith maintains his “reticent” ways, as so described by his wife Lianne’s mother Nina. He does not discuss with Lianne the occurrences of 9/11. Instead, he bonds (sexually) with another woman named Florence whom Keith only met after the attack when he returned her briefcase that he had inexplicably taken home.

Perhaps the most upsetting aspect of Keith’s downfall occurs when he is deliberating whether he should or shouldn't tell Lianne about his brief affair with Florence. “He would tell her about Florence. She would say, After we’ve just renewed our marriage. She would say, After the terrifying day of the planes has brought us together again. How could the same Terror? She would say, How could the same terror threaten everything we’ve felt for each other, everything I’ve felt these past weeks” (Delillo 162). Keith knows that Lianne has fallen back in love with him, yet he decides to ignore the inconvenient fact by choosing a life of travel. Ultimately, Keith had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to fully reconnect with his wife and son, yet his passing on that opportunity signifies his downfall as a husband and a father.

Fortunately for Keith, there is a selfish, personal redemption that emerges from the tragedy of 9/11. Prior to the accident, Keith tried his hardest to keep things simple and localized, “He had lived here (in his apartment) for a year and a half, since the separation, finding a place close to the office, centering his life, content with the narrowest of purviews, that of not noticing” (DeLillo 26). After several years spent living with Lianne and their son Justin, Keith finds himself traveling frequently to Las Vegas to participate in large poker games. As he expands from his sheltered, localized life and his small, weekly poker game with a few buddies, he finds true happiness as a professional poker player and traveler, but this selfish redemption comes at a high cost for his family, “There was no language, it seemed, to tell them how he spent his days and nights. Soon he felt the need to be back there (DeLillo 197).”

I chose the picture of the flag in the rubble because I loved the imagery of good/bad, and I think it really relates to the dual natured triumph/downfall of Keith’s life post-9/11.

Baker - Falling Man

Falling Man begins with Keith walking away from the wreckage of the World Trade Center on September 11. He notices the chaos that is going on around him in the streets, and the looks of horror and despair on the faces of the people surrounding him. He does not, however, recount his own experience of escaping the tower.

When Keith returns to the home of his estranged wife, Lianne, and his son, Justin, he is essentially returning to a place that makes him feel secure. The only time he visits the apartment he lived in during his separation from Lianne brings about a feeling of detachment; Keith refers to the person who lived there in past tense. He creates a dichotomy of the person he was before and after the September 11 attack. As Keith is leaving his old apartment, he says "I'm standing here." My interpretation of why he repeats this is his way of reassuring himself that he is alive and not still in the collapsing tower.

I think Keith returns to Lianne because he has lost his sense of self, and he is grasping for something that makes sense to him and is stable. To him, Lianne and his son represent those attributes. However, the person Keith was before the attack is described to be someone who likes danger and risks, and I think that is one of the reasons he engulfs himself in his poker games. He describes his life during his separation to Lianne as being "content with the narrowest of purviews, that of not noticing." He was happy focusing on his work and poker and nothing else.

It is not until the end of the novel that Keith begins to return to the person he used to be. At this point, he is traveling to play the poker games that he loves so much, even if it means leaving his family behind. I think he redeems himself by the end of the novel in the sense that he returns to the person he essentially is. He feels the pull to travel to his poker tournaments and lose himself in the anonymity of the games, and he does not stay with Lianne for the sake of feeling safe anymore.

By the end of the novel, Keith is finally able to come to terms with his survival. He is able to describe what happened to him while he was in the collapsing tower on September 11, and I think that is where he finds his redemption.

Celestine -Falling Man

Don Delilo begins the novel with Keith outside of his law office after the towers were suddenly hit by planes. Keith is disoriented mentally and is not aware of what is really happening around him. He could see that something terrible happened but did not understand how this happened in a blank of an eye. While he continued walking around the city he felt dead because it was not possible that this scene was reality. Keith did not feel alive until he got into the electrical contractors truck and realized he was going home to Lianne and Justin.

At the end of the novel Keith is back in a similar situation except he has recollection of details. Keith is finally acknowledging what occurred the day the towers went down and explains it to the reader vividly. As the novel progressed random information was thrown at the reader and the reader was left confused because it was obvious that some information was omitted. There was not a clear way of understanding why Lianne and Keith divorced and how come Keith did not relate to Florence though they experienced the same tragic event.

The ending of Falling Man is redemption of the beginning because Keith finally opens up to the reader and gives them an insight on what happened to him personally on September 11. What makes the end redemption of the beginning is Keith is now free from guilt. Keith’s guilt comes from him having an affair while married to Lianne which is represented when he and Florence have casual sex multiple times. The most important guilt that Keith felt his having his good friend and colleague Rumsey die in his arms and he could not do anything about it. On the day of the attacks Keith was so overwhelmed that he blocked out certain traumatic events so he could make himself feel better.

The final chapter brings clarity to the entire novel because the omitted information is finally available for the reader. No one understands why Keith returns home especially Lianne and her mother Nina, since the end is redemption of the beginning Keith went home because it was a place where he could feel safe and comfortable. He knew Lianne would not force him to open up about what occurred the day the towers went down. When the man fell off the train tracks in front of Lianne this was a representation and foreshadowing event of Keith falling back into her life and needing her help to put back the pieces in his. To Keith, Lianne was his rescuer and she helped him to rid his guilt because she accepted him back into her home and her bed with no problems.

Castellon: Falling Man

At first, I thought, why isn't this guy running for help or trying to help others? At this point, he seemed like a zombie walking through dark clouds of ashes with blood and debris on his person. I am assuming that he was in a state of disbelief or shock from the event that took place.

On the other hand, it is really easy to criticize others in the aftermath of events but in real time situations it is much more difficult to make decisions during chaos. In battle or war, the term fog of war is commonly used to describe confusion, shock and ambiguity due to the ongoing chaos. Although this particular situation doesn't involve war, it is safe to say that Keith may have been exhibiting the same feelings as an infantry man/woman in battle.

I think that we all have experienced some kind of personal or public tragedy. It is hard to anticipate any type of reaction because we don't experience a tragedy of this magnitude on a daily basis. Although, Martin, Nina's boyfriend, makes a good point when he stated that other parts of the world are not accepting of change such as the technological advances western society has embraced over the years.

At the end of the novel it is revealed that Keith was inside one of the World Trade Center towers. Keith tried to save Rumsey after the terrorists crashed the plane into the building. Apparently, some type of apparatus or debris had fallen onto Rumsey leaving him paralyzed or seriously injured to the point where he could not mobilize on his own.

During this point, Keith tried to lift him or roll him out of the office but it was useless. Eventually, he left him there hoping that a firefighter or other rescure personnel would come to his aid. I think that Keith could have pulled another person to help him get Rumsey out of the office.

I believe that the story found redemption in Keith's character in the end. Although he didn't save Rumsey, he displayed enough courage to make the attempt.

O'Keefe: Brokeback Mountain (Film)

In the film adaptation of Brokeback Mountain, we see the character Alma Del Mar portrayed as a neglected wife who, for good reason, begins to question the fidelity and sexual orientation of her husband, Ennis. Her suspicions arise the first time she comes into contact with Ennis’ former ranching and, unbeknownst to her, sexual partner, Jack Twist.

Prior to their reunion, Ennis preps Alma for his liaison with Jack by first declining her invitation to go out to dinner and then explaining to her that they will most likely be spending the evening drinking. This interaction leaves Alma feeling somewhat despondent, however, her attitude truly takes a distinct shift for the remainder of the story when, upon opening the front door, intending to greet the man she had envisioned as Ennis’ platonic ranching buddy from a few years back, she instead gazes upon a startling and, certainly, unsettling sight: her husband and his “friend” locked in a passionate embrace and, apparently, in the middle of a long and intimate kiss. Alma is absolutely shocked by this turn of events; she steps back, mouth agape, flabbergasted by what she had just seen unfold, and reenters the house for a moment of reflection. One could only begin to imagine what could be going through her mind as she takes stock of her relationship with Ennis and her very way of life up to this point. She is surely aware that her life will be irrevocably changed and different, regardless of whether or not she acts on her new and confusing discovery. Alma then collects herself as best as possible just prior to her husband’s entrance whereupon he formally, yet briefly, introduces her to Jack Twist, who himself looks a bit shell-shocked by what had just transpired. Ennis, who is clearly elated, excuses himself and his friend and lets Alma know that they may not even return home that evening.

This scene, upon first impression, leaves this viewer feeling disdainful of Ennis and his behavior. We see him as leading a sort of double life that, once it has come to light, will cause a great deal of emotional grief for his wife. With the seeming glut of bravado (or perhaps more correctly, lack of awareness) with which Ennis embraces Jack outside of his home it seems as if he almost has ill intentions, or at the very least, little regard for Alma. It is later elucidated throughout the story that Ennis is far more conflicted and the situation is far more complex than it first appears, as Ennis seems to not come to terms even with his own feelings for a number of years of to come. Alma frees herself from the relationship through the divorce yet she still must deal with him as the father of her children. In a later scene, she confronts Ennis verbally about him and Jack and she is clearly still hurt by their relationship. She may still love Ennis, but she must continue to accept that a relationship with him is not possible, and that this is something she must deal with even after their divorce.

Hubbard: Brokeback Mountain Week 2

One particular scene from the movie that I thought was most sympathetic to Alma was the scene Jack Twist came to visit Ennis del Mar. Like many women would have assumed, Alma thought that Jack was just a good old friend from Ennis' past. In the scene, Jack comes to visit Ennis and greets him with lots of excitement and joy. It was evident that both men still had an emotional attachment towards each other. There was so much passion in their eyes when they hugged and each seemed to have a glow about them after seeing each other after the few years they were apart. For a split second they really wanted to kiss but I noticed the second thought of discretion. Ennis pulled jack to the side and gave him the kiss of all kisses. Unfortunately, Alma had to witness her husband showing this level of affection towards a man.

Alma was deeply moved by what she had just witnessed. No woman wants to see their husband kissing another man; the thought of that causes confusion to the mind. I wondered if the situation would have been more accepting if he would have been a woman instead of a man. In some cases woman can live with the fact that their husband has had an affair, of course it's by all means wrong but it doesn't challenges the masculinity of the man. At that moment there were probably numerous things running through Alma's mind. The fate and future of her marriage and family was most likely the first thought. It was hard for her to accept the fact that her husband who is suppose to be the head of the household and her lifetime companion, was having sexually relations with another man. She now realized that Ennis was living to separate life styles.

Alma was hurt and felt disappointed in her husband. The man she said "I do" to, planned to spend the rest of her life with and fathered her children was in love with another man. If she didn't care about Ennis and not loved him, she wouldn't have been moved that way she was. That scene changed their relationship and Alma no longer scene him as the Ennis del Mar she married.

Baker - Brokeback Mountain Film

In the scene where Jack first visits Ennis since their time on Brokeback Mountain, Alma displays a quiet torment when she discovers that Jack and Ennis are sexually and emotionally involved. The scene begins as Jack and Ennis huge each other on first sight. It is quite apparent that Ennis and Jack are trying to hide their relationship – the two initially hug then quickly seek cover behind the house before the sexual antics begin.

In the book, the scene is portrayed in a way that makes the reader assume that Ennis is fully aware of Alma’s presence; thus, the reader is filled with a particular loathing toward Ennis because of the audacity that he has to perform such an unfaithful act while his wife is present. It is completely degrading to Alma, and she has a right to feel oppressed. In the movie, however, Ennis never realizes that Alma is watching him kiss Jack. The movie’s approach to the scene eliminates the oppression that Alma would have felt had Ennis known that Alma was watching.

Nonetheless, Alma has a lot to worry about upon witnessing the scandalous sight. Her initial reaction portrays a flood of emotions – feelings of betrayal, disgust, and confusion consume her. Is Ennis a homosexual? Is Ennis going to leave her for another man? As Alma struggles to breathe, she shuts the door and retreats to the kitchen. Hanging her head and stumbling to the counter, she attempts to compose herself. The reader is left with one question: why does she have to compose herself and hide her secret when Ennis is the one in the wrong? In today’s world, she would have likely exposed Ennis and divorced him on the spot, but in the 1960’s, such a reaction would not have been tolerated. At that time, men were in power, and Alma would never have won a battle of he said/she said without any witnesses. A man’s word was the law, so Alma was essentially powerless in the matter.

The fact remains that an unfair double standard rules their relationship – Ennis is allowed to cheat on his wife without fear of consequence, but Alma is not. If the situation was reversed, Ennis would have exploded with anger and divulged his knowledge of her infidelity on the spot. The reader garners a respect for Alma’s strength as a person. She quiets her outrage for the sake of her marriage and their children – a display of self-control that is not easy.

Vitanza: Brokeback Mountain (Film)

Ennis and Jack maintain their relationship a secret for many years, or so they believed. From beginning to end we see how problematic it was for a homosexual couple to be together. Not alone for the fact that society didn’t allow it, but because, as individuals, Ennis and Jack felt somewhat looked down on.

Chauvinism was a state of pride, especially for southern cowboys, and Ennis was taught precisely that as a young kid. We can examine both characters and see how different yet alike they really are. Jack, on one hand, wants to be with Ennis above everything, build a life together get a ranch and so on. While Ennis, has this barrier that doesn’t allow him to express what he truly desires, and whenever Jack talks to him about moving in together all Ennis pictures is that dead cowboy his father took him to see many years ago. So, though they want the same thing, their willingness is what separates them from being together.

During their first time in Brokeback, Ennis and Jack have a physical confrontation, which started out as game. The shirts they were wearing during the confrontation are pictured above, and I believe they represent more than just a pair of shirts, a relic of their relationship dare I say. When Ennis finds out Jack has died he decides to visit Jack’s parents. At the Twist household Ennis finds his shirt and Jack’s, hung together. When we see both shirts Jack’s shirt is over Ennis’s, then in the picture above they are switched. The moment Ennis takes to contemplate both shirts tells a lot about how he regrets things turned out, and probably wishes to take it all back at that precise moment. The symbolism in the shirts alone describes the feelings both characters have for each other. Probably it did not mean as much to Ennis as it did to Jack at first, but once Ennis finds both shirts it becomes all that’s left of Jack and what would’ve been. During the last scene of the film Ennis mutters: “Jack, I swear…” which is left unfinished for us viewers to interpret it. This line, in my opinion, is the closest Ennis comes to telling Jack he loves him.

Corkern- Brokeback Mountain Film

In the film, Brokeback Mountain, one of the scenes that really stood out to me as being one that's sympathetic to the women's point of view was when Alma, Ennis’ wife was outside hanging laundry. She gazed out longingly as Ennis drove up from being away from what appeared to be quite some time. By the time he gets inside, she is in the kitchen washing more clothes. The house in is disarray and her children are screaming and crying in the other room. It is clear to me that Alma feels lonely and isolated. She is numb to the cries of her little girls, and allows Ennis to care for them as she finishes the household chores and gets ready for bed. Not much dialogue is in this scene, but the tones and facial expressions are enough. Alma is dissatisfied with her life. She knows something is missing in her marriage, though she won’t realize just what that is until she sees Ennis embracing and kissing another man. From her attitude and desire to have a closer bond to her husband, she already has a sense that he is not fully hers. After the children are put to bed, it is Alma who reaches out to have a physical relationship with her husband. He does not appear to be interested initially. Alma Del Mar suffers silently as she does her duties as a wife and a mother, but she desperately wants more. She wants more out of life, more from her husband, more for her children. In the few words that are exchanged in this scene, one of the things Alma does is ask Ennis if they can move into town. She feels isolated, and fears that her children will grow up isolated as well. One of her main reasons for wanting to move is so her children can have friends to play with. While this may be an overlooked scene to some, I found it one of the most telling scenes in the film, and the lonliness she faced is something that still affects many stay at home mom’s even today.