Even though the film “Brokeback Mountain” focuses primarily on the lives of its male characters, Ennis and Jack, and their relationship to each other, it utilizes the characters of Laureen and Alma to comment on the female’s role within the family during the 1960’s. Throughout the film Alma is portrayed as the submissive wife. However, we are shown a different side of Alma when she comes out of her shell and confronts Ennis about his homosexuality at the Thanksgiving dinner. In this scene she is no longer portrayed as a weak voiceless woman, but as a strong individual capable of posing a threat to Ennis.
While Alma was married to Ennis she kept the secret of his homosexuality hidden from everyone. She didn’t even let him know she knew. One could argue that she did this because she was either physically afraid of Ennis and of being left as a single mother or that she kept his secret out of love. In the scene where she finally tells him that she knew his fishing trips did not involve fishing with “Jack nasty,” the character of Alma is transformed from a woman who Ennis pities at times to a powerful force capable of destroying his life. The fact that she doesn’t tell him that she saw them kissing the day she met Jack, but instead uses her love note on the fishing rod as evidence of his affair, makes the viewer much more sympathetic to her. She had in fact loved him and had even tried to deny to herself what she had witnessed that day, but now she had solid evidence. In this scene Alma had first said to Ennis that he should find someone to remarry, to which he responded “once burned…” insinuating he was the victim in their relationship. It was then fitting that she make him aware of reality; their relationship had not worked because he was a homosexual. Ennis again utilizes violence to defend himself against being branded a homosexual by yelling and forcefully grabbing Alma’s arm. In the scene one can see that even though she is terror stricken, he has no real power over her and he is forced to leave the house.
When Ennis exits Alma’s house he leaves as a vulnerable homosexual man. Their exchange in the kitchen has left him powerless before her for the first time. She no longer needs to take his physical and emotional abuse, as she is set free.
2 comments:
Good point that Alma challenges Ennis about his lifestyle, but do not forget that Alma has the same homophobic reactions that many people in her time and place had. Her attitude is a critique of the way homosexual men are demonized and dehumanized.
I agree with everything Bonnin has stated in this blog post. It is a very good point that Alma never admits or uses the fact that she witnessed Ennis' deception against him, but instead she uses her own personal evidence. As Alma begins to confront Ennis, she stated that the fishing box or pole had never been used because it still had the tag on it and the condition remained brand new. At this point you can see Ennis is realizing that Alma knows and he is beginning to breakdown; then she proceeds to tell him about her note that was never read because he never went fishing. I can see how Professor McCay says that 'Alma's attitude is a critique of the way homosexual men are demonized and dehumanized,' because she refers to Jack as 'Jack Nasty,' but then again, I just see Alma's attitude toward Ennis as a woman who has been betrayed for years and has finally found an opening to express what she has been holding on to since the day she realized who Jack really was.
It is hard for people to allow a life of betrayal and lies to continue on, even though the truth has been reveled, just because the society they live in won't allow truth to be accepted.
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