Breaking Barriers: Exploring Equality in 'Brokeback Mountain' - Essay Sample

Introduction

The depiction of negative attitudes towards people of minority backgrounds has been a significant social issue in US society for centuries. However, the mid-20th century saw a considerable increase in the intensity of these groups to agitate for equality. Such efforts have been captured in literary works extensively. In Brokeback Mountain, Annie Proulx explores the life of two young men, Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar, who make every effort to overcome the various challenges that came their way as they seek fulfillment in their lives. Set in the 1960s in the state of Wyoming, the author gives a clear account of the experiences of Twist and Del Mar and how they strive to deal with socio-economic issues around them. Throughout the text, Proulx uses contrast to reveal how Twist and Del Mar struggle to assert their identity as gay persons in a society that strongly disapproves such relationships.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Right from the onset of the story, the author describes the different lives that Twist and Del Mar live both in their respective home states and the experience in the ranch in Wyoming. As they begin to get along on the farm, the two men show great emotion for each other and make contrasting references to their situation away from home and the reality at home. Away from home, the two have the freedom to explore their sexual desires compared to their homes where such acts are frowned upon by society. On some occasions when Ennis is not available, Jack travels across the border to Mexico to meet his sexual desires since such environment was more accepting of people with same-sex orientation in contrast to his rural home. While the two having a conversation about gay desires, Ennis asks Jack about the best way to respond to homophobia. In reply, Jack, "It doesn't happen in Wyomin, and if it does I don't know what they do, maybe go to Denver" ( Proulx 14). The description shows the unfavorable conditions at home of birth for the two young men. Such literary style enables the author to convey to the audience the level of intolerance against people with same-sex orientation and how such individuals are struggling to overcome the challenges of the identity.

Besides home, Proulx uses contrast in the way both Ennis and Jack respond to the attitudes of society towards gay people. Despite being gay, Ennis went ahead and married Alma with whom they bear two girls. Similarly, Jack marries a lady from Texans named Lureen. Although such steps suggest that the two men gave in to the demands of the society in which they were born, their trajectory in making their identity known to people is contrasting. In the case of Jack, he moved away from home and settled in Brokeback, and this is place he wants to be buried. Ennis says' "He used to say he wanted to be cremated, ashes scattered on Brokeback Mountain" (Proulx 22). Indeed he makes clear to the father that he prefers to be buried away from Wyoming. The decision to fight discrimination from within the family, as well as the immediate environment, may have contributed to his death. In contrast, Ennis is much aware of the homophobic attitudes of the father and the locality at large. He, for instance, notes once incident where his father got know about a murdered gay rancher, which makes him confess the inability to break away from home. The two behaviors of the main characters are essential in developing the theme of the story as it represents the consequences of being gay in a homophobic society on the one hand and the dilemma faced by gay people to fight for their rights on the other.

The different economic status of Jack and Ennis after both got married further used to advance the theme of struggle against discrimination among gay people. While both young men were born poor, Jack's father-in-law passed away, and Lureen, the daughter inherited his estate, making Jack escape poverty. The author notes, "He had some money now and found ways to spend it on his buying trips" (Proulx 16). Conversely, Ennis is struggling to survive, and he has child support obligations to meet, as seen when he tells Jack that "You got a wife with money, a good job. You forget how it is being broke all the time"( Proulx 19). Despite the contrast, it is evident that both men continue to struggle to live since their sexual identity keeps hampering their ability to get out of economic problems. Such outcome indicates that financial challenges are not the real issues facing the characters but the desire to engage in romantic relationships of their choice.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the author has employed contrast as a literary stylistic device to show the struggles of gay people in a conservative society. If Proulx intended to demonstrate the social challenges that gay people undergo in the quest for their identity, she has succeeded quite well in this objective. The author contrasts the economic lives of Jack and Ennis after marriage to reveal that their struggles go beyond monetary benefits. The contrast about staying home and departing home has also shown the dilemma that faces the people with minority sexual orientation. Overall, the text captures the woes of gay people in the 1960s on how they responded to discrimination from conservatism.