Blaylock 1
Courtney Blaylock
Dr. Montgomery
ENGL 398
December 5, 2011
The Role of Sexual Identity and Masculinity in Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain is the account of an illicit and secretive relationship between two
cowboys while working in Wyoming. Their relationship grew over the summer while herding
sheep in the majestic mountains of Brokeback. The role of sexual identity and masculinity can be
seen in several different ways in Brokeback Mountain, but the true question pondered by
researches is whether Jack and Ennis are living a heterosexual or a homosexual lifestyle. The two
male figures are simply masculine men with homosexual desires and heterosexual lifestyles.
The story unfolds with two complete strangers, Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar both on the
search for employment throughout the summer. The two strangers cross paths early one morning
when they both arrive for the same job in Signal, Wyoming. They meet local sheepherder, Joe
Aguirre who is offering two positions herding sheep up on Brokeback Mountain. Joe Aguirre
hires both Jack and Ennis and tells them to pack their bags for the reason that they are heading to
the mountains. Unknowingly, Jack and Ennis have no clue what is ahead of them (Proulx 1-4).
The two cowboys, Jack and Ennis make their way to the high grasslands of Brokeback
Mountain in Wyoming. In the beginning, Jack and Ennis barely speak to one another but their
loneliness eventually turns into something more than they had originally expected. As each day
Blaylock 2
progressed, Ennis’s personality began to expand. Jack was exceedingly outgoing and talkative
whereas Ennis was much more conservative and introverted. He mostly kept to himself
throughout the day. At night time, the two cattle tenders would sit down around the fire and
share stories about their past and where they came from. In the beginning, their relationship was
nothing more than a business relationship merely dealing with the sheep. However, it did not
take a while for the two men to become friends and learn to trust in one another. They divided
their chores around the camp with one another and helped each other out whenever needed. Late
one evening, Jack and Ennis had both consumed an excessive amount of alcohol and Jack made
a sexual pass at Ennis. Ennis was sleeping outside in the cold and Jack invited him into the tent
to warm up. It was apparent that Ennis was hesitant about the sexual gesture at first, but he
followed through with Jack’s wishes and the two cattle herders made passionate and ardent love
on the grandiose hills of Brokeback Mountain. Afterwards, Ennis said to Jack, “I ain’t no queer”.
Jack quickly replied, “Me neither”. The relationship involving Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar
would by no means ever be the same again (Proulx 5).
After taking their relationship to the next level, Ennis seemed to be tremendously
apprehensive. After the two cowboys shared their first sexual experience with one another, Ennis
was quick to inform Jack that he was not homosexual. Ennis explained to Jack that the encounter
was simply a onetime fixation due to his lonesomeness and solitude. However, the two
eventually fall intimately in love with one another and the truth behind their relationship begins
to disentangle and unravel in the midst of Brokeback Mountain. Wretchedly, the end of the
summer is approaching and Jack and Ennis realize they now must detach from one another and
depart in separate directions. This causes a heated argument between the two. Unknowingly,
Blaylock 3
Ennis breaks down emotionally while he watches Jack drive off, uncertain whether or not he will
ever see his lover again (Proulx 6-8).
Ennis marries his longtime girlfriend, Alma. She has no clue of Ennis’s secret
relationship or even the friendship with Jack Twist. Ennis and Alma eventually create a family
together and they rear two daughters. Years pass by and Ennis works low end jobs in order to put
food on the table for his family. Ennis feels as though his days with Alma and the children have
hardly evolved and he frequently finds himself dreaming of his summer love, Jack. Meanwhile,
Jack impregnates beautiful rodeo rider, Lureen Newsome after a one night stand. As a result,
Lureen and Jack marry and begin a life together in Texas. Jack seeks employment with his
father-in-law in equipment sales. Jack does not seem to be happy and it seems as though both
Ennis and Jack’s marriages are taking a turn for the worse (Proulx 9-13).
Taken by surprise, Ennis receives a postcard from Jack informing him that he will soon
be passing through his town and would love to meet up with him. Ennis is instantaneously
fulfilled with unexplainable enthusiasm and nervousness. Almost four years have passed by
since the two cowboy lovers have seen one another. Ennis cannot control his emotions and
without delay, rushes out of the house as soon as he sees Jack’s old pickup truck draw near the
driveway. The cowboys greet one another with hugs and smiles. Their excitement is extremely
strong and powerful. Ennis quickly pulls Jack near the staircase of the barn, and they share a
warm and intimate kiss. Oblivious to the circumstances, Alma is dumbfounded by what she
witnesses. She could not believe her eyes when she saw her husband, Ennis and his dear friend,
Jack intimately caressing one another with their lips. Alma remains quiet about what she
experienced that dreary, monotonous afternoon. It is not until many years later that Alma
Blaylock 4
confesses to Ennis that she knows about their relationship and their so-called fishing trips
(Proulx 11).
Jack and Ennis embark on a fishing trip in order to recover their lost love. The two shared
intimate stories and passionately described how much they missed one another after their
incredible and astonishing summer on the beautiful highlands of Brokeback Mountain. While
away from their families, Jack and Ennis engage in sexual explorations and Jack mentions to
Ennis what it would be like to start a life of their own. Ennis refuses the thought and claims it
would never happen. As the years pass, Ennis and Jack continue to meet up for their alleged
fishing trips. Jack contemplates whether their relationship will ever be anything more than a
measly weekend on Brokeback Mountain. Neither Jack nor Ennis can deny the love they have
for one another but it does not seem to be enough to keep going on with their annual meetings.
The two struggle and begin to angrily converse about their relationship (Proulx 15).
As time passes, Jack learns that Ennis and Alma have divorced. Full of anticipation, Jack
makes his way to Wyoming to seek out his one and only love, Ennis. When Jack arrives, at last,
Ennis is with his daughters. Sadly, he does not seem joyful to see Jack which obviously crushes
Jack’s feelings. Jack was hopeful that he and Ennis could begin a life together. The two cowboy
lovers continue to arrange meetings but things have changed somehow and not for the better.
Jack fights with Ennis because they do not see each other often enough. Ennis asks if they can
set back one of their meetings and their relationship seems to sadly unravel. The two continue
with their ordinary, normal lives and Ennis begins dating (Proulx 19-22).
One day, Ennis receives a postcard in the mail that he had sent to Jack with the wording
deceased stamped on it. Ennis decided to contact Lureen in order to learn the tragic news that
Blaylock 5
would change his life for eternity. Lureen explains that Jack was killed when a tire blew up in his
face. However, Ennis is uncertain of the death of his lover and imagines Jack being murdered by
a gang due to his homosexuality. Gloom overtakes the life of Ennis Del Mar (Proulx 23).
Ennis recalls the countless memories he made with Jack on the beautiful Wyoming land.
Lureen informs Ennis that Jack had previously mentioned the thought of scattering his ashes on
Brokeback Mountain. Ennis goes to pay his respect to Jack’s family and requests the ashes of
Jack’s body. Mr. Twist, Jack’s father refuses and says they will be buried in the family plot.
Jack’s mother allows Ennis to visit Jack’s bedroom and this finalizes the closure of love for
Ennis Del Mar. Ennis takes two shirts from Jack’s bedroom, one which belonged to Ennis
himself and the other that belonged to Jack(Proulx 26).
According to Jim Stacy, Brokeback Mountain is the center of the world amongst Jack and
Ennis (Stacy 25). The mountain is considered to be sacred land to the lovers. It is where their
companionship turned to love. “The longing to return to the mountain is a longing to return to
what was sacred to the men, a source of nurture and permanence. Geographer Yi-Fu Tuan
explains that intimacy comes about ‘in moments of true awareness and exchange. Each intimate
exchange has a locale which partakes in the quality of the human encounter. These places may
be etched in the deep recesses of memory and yield intense satisfaction with each recall…. No
one can deliberately design such places that one can plan, with any guarantee of success, the
occasions of genuine human exchange.’ When one witnesses or experiences a life-changing
event, the place where the event occurs, the place where one happens to be at the time, becomes
the symbol of the event since the experience itself cannot be replicated. People remember where
they were when major and minor events occurred in their lives” (Stacy 24-25). Jack and Ennis
Blaylock 6
will never forget the memories and recollections of their first summer love. This was a lifechanging occasion for the two “star-crossed lovers”.
Often times in research, Jack and Ennis are described as being star-crossed lovers. The
relationship between the two cowboys has been frequently related to Romeo and Juliet written by
William Shakespeare. Characters in each story share a forbidden tragic love for one another. The
story of Jack and Ennis has also been related to Titanic. According to researchers, the movie
poster for Brokeback Mountain was designed to reflect the movie poster of Titanic (Patterson
269).
Many individuals question the role of masculinity and sexual identity in Brokeback
Mountain. According to David Leavitt, there is not a single thing or idea that portrays gayness in
the story. “Nothing in Brokeback Mountain cries ‘gay’. Neither of the heroes eschews sex with
women; they simply assert that they prefer sex with each other” (Handley 29). Just because one
chooses to have sex with one person over the other does not make them gay. Not once in the
story of Brokeback Mountain is the word gay used. It is simply two masculine men in love with
one another. They refer to one another as “friend”. As with the word gay, the word lover is never
used either. When the two cowboys exchange kisses, their teeth hit and this is an example of
masculinity according to David Leavitt (Handley 29-30). It is rather uncommon for two cowboy
like men, who work in the fields and with cattle to lead a homosexual lifestyle. However, Jack
Twist and Ennis Del Mar lead anything but a homosexual lifestyle. Both men live typical
masculine lifestyles consisting of marriage, children, and employment except for their annual
visits to the mountains.
Blaylock 7
Questions surround the thoughts of whether or not the two cowboys are homosexual. It is
difficult to say the two sheep herding lovers are gay considering they never came out even
though Ennis’s wife knew what was going on the entire time. Very few researchers will entertain
the idea that Jack and Ennis are bisexual (Patterson 180). Amy Andre, bisexual activist, does not
understand why critics and theorists will not view the relationship of Jack and Ennis as a
bisexual affiliation. According to Amy Andre, “Brokeback Mountain is not a movie about gay
people, and there are no gay people in it. There. I said it. Despite what you may have read in the
many reviews that have come out about this new cowboy feature film, Brokeback Mountain is a
bisexual picture. Why can’t film reviewers say the word “bisexual” when they see lead
characters who have sexual and romantic relationships with both men and women? I am unaware
of a single review of Brokeback calling the leads what they are – a sad statement on the
invisibility of the bisexual experience and the daunting levels of biphobia in both the mainstream
and gay media” (Patterson 180). Eric Patterson argues whether or not the marriage between Jack
and Lureen and Ennis and Alma was made by “choice” or merely by “decision”. However, the
two do not exemplify an influential difference.
According to Patterson, “To call what Ennis and Jack do in marrying their wives a
decision or a choice doesn’t make much sense, given the pressures on each of them. In a world
unlike our own, in which different types of sexual attraction along the spectrum weren’t subject
to judgment and often to condemnation, and instead in which all were equally accepted and
supported by society, Ennis and Jack would have the freedom to explore and understand their
particular sexualities, and might well be together. But in a society filled with hatred and violence
against same-sex love, and constant pressure to conform to the “norm” of heterosexuality, this is
Blaylock 8
impossible, and both go ahead and marry women” ( Patterson 180-181). Another question
surrounding the love of Jack and Ennis is whether or not the characters are real in their roles.
Announcing one’s gayness or as society refers to, “coming out of the closet” is not
always a trouble-free task. According to David Halperin, queer theorist, “If there is something
self-affirming or liberating about coming out of the closet, that is not because coming out enables
one to emerge from a state of servitude into a state of untrammeled liberty. On the contrary: to
come out is precisely to expose oneself to a different set of dangers and constraints, to make
oneself a convenient screen onto which straight people can project all the fantasies they routinely
entertain about gay people, and to suffer one’s every gesture, statement, expression, and opinion
to be totally and irrevocably marked by the overwhelmingly social significance of one’s openly
acknowledged homosexual identity. If to come out is to release oneself from a state of
unfreedom, that is not because coming out constitutes an escape from the reach of power to a
place outside of power: rather, coming out puts into play a different set of power relations and
alters the dynamic of personal and political struggle” (Stacy 124). Ennis feared that his
homosexual desires would be identified by others. He was frightened by a childhood memory
that his father had told him about a gay couple who had been viscously murdered due to their
sexuality. This may possibly be an example of why Ennis and Jack never made their relationship
with one another public. However, some researchers and theorists believe that if left up to Jack,
he would have made their relationship open to knowing.
In Brokeback Mountain, Jack is identified as the character that portrays a gayer persona.
He represents a role of a more feminine individual even though he is a cattle rancher. Jack’s
character is more loving and affectionate than Ennis’s character. Jack would more than likely
live the homosexual lifestyle. He constantly questioned Ennis about getting a place of their own
Blaylock 9
and starting a family together. Jack does not seem to be concerned by the outlook he may
possibly portray to others concerning his sexual identity. He is described as the woman figure in
the relationship (Patterson 219). However, Jack is the one who made the first sexual pass at
Ennis. Amy Proulx actually describes both Jack and Ennis as being “homophobic”. According to
Harry M. Benshoff, there is a huge misperception to the generic title of Brokeback Mountain.
The movie is often referred to as the “gay cowboy movie”. Benshoff claims that the generic title
of the film, if one at all, should be titled “A Straight Cowboy Movie” (Griffin 227). “Aside from
their occasional sex together, both Ennis and Jack are quite publicly and obviously heterosexual,
and the film focuses primarily on the daily routines of traditionally heterosexual institutions such
as dating, marriage, child rearing work, and extended family get-togethers. So which labelheterosexual or homosexual- actually comes closer to describing Ennis and Jack” (Griffin 227228). Many individuals feel as though the answer would be a homosexual label due to the two
cowboys engaging in anal sex. However, others would argue that the two men were simply
lonesome during their stay on Brokeback Mountain and sought out companionship from one
another. Uncertain, some individuals question whether the cattle ranchers represented
straightness to conceal their queerness (Griffin 234).
What was it that made Ennis hide his feelings about his sexuality? Was it the horrific
childhood memory that constantly reoccurred in his mind? Mr. Del Mar, Ennis’s father, told
Ennis and his brothers a story of two gay men that were allegedly “shacked up” together on the
mountainside. The two men were brutally murdered and Ennis’s father demanded that his boys
get a good look at the dead bodies in order to prove his point against homosexuality. Ennis, at a
very young age, was brought up to hate homosexuality and this may be one reason why he hid
his sexual identity so well (Handley 287).
Blaylock 10
Sexual identity significantly differed among Jack and Ennis. Many individuals question
Jack’s actual cause of death. Was it really how Lureen described it or was Ennis’s vision correct?
Ennis toyed with idea that Jack was murdered by a gang who learned of his sexual orientation.
Maybe, Jack’s murderer had something in common with Ennis’s father who despised
homosexuals and was possibly involved in an atrocious act of death upon a homosexual couple.
Some even believe that Jack may have died of AIDS or possibly Lureen’s father purposely had
Jack murdered. Only Jack himself knows the truth behind his murderer or simply the truth to his
death (Handley 291).
No matter what the label was, heterosexual, or homosexual, Jack Twist and Ennis Del
Mar shared a true underlying love for one another. Their sexual uniqueness and identity did not
prevent them from discovering affection on the majestic hills of Brokeback Mountain. One
cannot put a label on love and that is what the two cowboys, Jack and Ennis shared together in
the summer of 1963 in Signal, Wyoming.
Blaylock 11
Works Cited
Brokeback Mountain. Dir. Ang Lee. Perf. Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michele Williams, and
Anne Hathaway. Paramount Pictures, 2005. DVD.
Griffin, Sean. Hetero: Queering Representations of Straightness. New York: Suny Press, 2009.
Print.
Handley, William R. The Brokeback Book. Nebraska: Lincoln and London, 2011. Print.
Patterson, Eric. On Brokeback Mountain. New York: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc.,
2008. Print.
Proulx, Annie, Larry McMurtry, and Diana Ossana. Brokeback Mountain: Story to Screenplay.
New York: Scribner, 2005. Print.
Stacy, Jim. Reading Brokeback Mountain. North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2007.
Print.