The Ideals of Masculinity & Sexuality in Brokeback Mountain

1880 Words4 Pages

According to common conceptions of machismo, the ideology of masculinity is set upon the stereotypical ideals, which, America has towards the idea of manhood. In the short story, “Brokeback Mountain”, Proulx uses masculinity as the singular focal point within the text. This melancholy tale of two young cowboys, that emerges into a sexual and emotional connection that truly can’t exist. We often see cowboys as virile men saddling a horse or lone men gathering sheep in a valley, but they’re never been depicted as anything other than that. As we’re introduced to Ennis and Jack, they’re nowhere short of the of the common cowboy stereotype. Proulx makes that apparent when she states, “Ennis, high-arched nose and narrow face, was scruffy and a little cave-chested, balanced a small torso on long, caliper legs, possessed a muscular and supple body made for the horse and for fighting” (3). Indicating that young Ennis and Jack are just like any other cowboys. But when young Jack and Ennis meet on Brokeback Mountain, their sexuality doesn’t eliminate their masculinity. It rather confuses it and compromises their sexuality. No matter the acts that these two men may choose to consume their selves to act upon, their masculinity is evident throughout the text. Initially, instead of removing their masculinity, their sexual identity complicates their manhood. “I’m not no queer”, stated Ennis, which makes it evident that these men are aware of their masculinity (7). Aware of the complexity of their relationship Ennis says, “if you can't fix it you've got to stand it”, meaning that he knew the relationship between him and Jack was corrupt but he didn’t know how to stop it. The complicated situation between Ennis and Jack threatened societal norms by...

... middle of paper ...

...Brokeback Mountain” is allowed to defy the societal term we know as homosexuality, in regards to masculinity.

Works Cited

Brower, Sue. ""They'd Kill Us If They Knew": Transgression and the Western." Journal of Film and Video 62.4 (2010): 47-57. Web.

Halperin, D. M. "How To Do The History Of Male Homosexuality." GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies 6.1 (2000): 87-123. Web.

Manalansan, M. F. "COLONIZING TIME AND SPACE: Race and Romance in Brokeback Mountain." GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies 13.1 (2007): 97-100. Web.

Osterweil, Ara. "Ang Lee's Lonesome Cowboys." Film Quarterly 60.3 (2007): 38-42. Web.

Proulx, Annie. Brokeback Mountain. New York: Scribner, 2005. Print.

Valocchi, S. ""Where Did Gender Go?" Same-Sex Desire and the Persistence of Gender in Gay Male Historiography." GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies 18.4 (2012): 453-79. Web.

Show More
Related

  • Characters Filled with Hatred in Movie American History X

    665 Words  | 2 Pages

    American History X is an invigorating movie that takes its viewers on a journey in a well thought and unsuspecting plot. The main character is consumed with hatred for every race excluding white Protestants. When he encounters desocialization/resocialization in a prison, he changes his thoughts and beliefs, and they follow him even after he leaves the prison. Groupthink and deviance are both displayed in this movie thoroughly. While groupthink is accepted in society and portrayed as the norm, deviance is unlawful and disrespectful among the social groups. Race and sexuality play important roles by shaping what’s socially accepted throughout the movie.

    Read More

  • Brokeback Mountain Masculinity Analysis

    1537 Words  | 4 Pages

    Even in Brokeback Mountain, the story of two homosexual men, there is “a reproduction of heteronormative ideas and stereotypes concerning the relationship between the two cowboys and the way the cowboys themselves behave” (de Jesus 2016, p. 40). Despite the fact that both characters are men, they are still portrayed into the roles of a heterosexual couple, where one is distinctly feminine and one is distinctly masculine. Because the pressures on them to conform from other heteronormative characters, they never directly discuss what is occurring between them and one of them even marries a woman to attempt to “[affirm] that he is not ‘queer’ and should not be classified as such” (de Jesus, 2016, p. 48). The accentuation of hypermasculinity often causes an insecurity in men who do not fit these cookie cutter ideas, leading to a need “to prove their dominance, power, and manliness” (Kluch, 2015, p. 365) especially in regards to women. This internal struggle causes a conflict within the hierarchy between what has always been accepted and what is becoming the new

    Read More

  • The West in Film

    2945 Words  | 6 Pages

    In the 1930's Native Americans and women were viewed as inferior races. The films produced during the early part of the 20th century, particularly those starring John Wayne reflected these societal attitudes. The portrayal of minorities in Stagecoach and Fort Apache clearly reflect the views of society at that time. The depiction of the West is similar to that which is found in old history textbooks, em...

    Read More

  • Katherina Hetzeldorfer: A Social Constructionist View Of Sexuality In Medieval Europe

    1902 Words  | 4 Pages

    An in-depth discussion of same-sex female desire is essential to a well-rounded understanding of historical sexuality as well as for representation in historical study for queer-identifying students. Accounts of lesbianism exist throughout history, however, historians have only recently begun studying the evidence of these relationships due to social taboos and fewer available sources than exist as examples of male homosexuality. The field of study on lesbianism in medieval Europe is scant but nevertheless present. Primary sources include laws, court cases, and letters from the period which support the widely held social constructionist view that sapphic relationships existed despite the lack of a unified lesbian social identity; these, in

    Read More

  • Decline of Indian Southwest

    2648 Words  | 6 Pages

    White, David. It’s Your Misfortune and None of My Own: A New History of the American West. University of Oklahoma Press, 1991.

    Read More

  • Masculinity In The Other Wes Moore

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The Other Wes Moore” By Wes Moore, reveals how two men can develop differently in the same social environment, and yet and have different intrapersonal views. The two men grew up in the same impoverished city, yet both have different experiences and views of what it means to be a man. The other Wes Moore, living his whole life in a poverty-stricken society, believes that being a man means to be powerful and unforgiving. The author, Wes Moore, living in two different worlds, views himself as a man when he becomes an exceptional leader and responsible for others lives. These concepts both tie into the constructs of masculinity in the United States where men are supposed to be protectors of society. The two Wes’ notions of manhood derive from

    Read More

  • A History of Sexuality

    1957 Words  | 4 Pages

    Halperin, David. "Is There a History of Sexuality?." The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. Ed. Henry

    Read More

  • Masculinity and Sexuality

    680 Words  | 2 Pages

    Reading this research, I could not help but wonder whether or not this sort of aversion towards their own sex had to deal with the constant societal pressure for men not to be “fags” or for them to not look at other men. In a video I watched titled, “Tough Guise,” Jackson Katz and other men interviewed used the term “fag” to describe what one would be called if he did not measure up to a “real man.” Being a “fag” was looked down upon in comparison to being a “real man,” which was described as a guy who was strong, athletic, tough, etc. Additionally, according to Think, hegemonic masculinity refers to the “ideal, dominant standard of masculinity for which men are to aim.” In the United States, popular culture media representations provide a clear picture of ideal masculinity. Boys learn and acquire these masculine characteristics and traits throughout their life by their toys they play with, ...

    Read More

  • Masculinity In The 1900's

    1149 Words  | 3 Pages

    Myers mentioned in his article that this generation of young discouraged, angry men feels abandoned with the today’s norms. Male movie stars and athletes have further influenced the masculine norms. In males perspective, liking a feminine color, doing feminine actions, listening to specified girl music is considered to be less manly. These have greatly affected the likes and dislikes of many men. The entertainment industry has created a big gap between what is masculine or feminine. This has caused a big separation and it's getting worse. Male are taught to be man of the house, strong, and powerful, but sometimes they’re belittled by society that they can’t do certain things and all the power is

    Read More

  • Legalizing Prostitution

    2503 Words  | 6 Pages

    Milstein, Susan A. Taking Sides Clashing Views in Human Sexuality. Ed. William J. Taverner and Ryan W. McKee. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.

    Read More

  • The Challenges of Lesbian and Gay Youth

    2611 Words  | 6 Pages

    “The unprecedented growth of the gay community in recent history has transformed our culture and consciousness, creating radically new possibilities for people to ‘come out’ and live more openly as homosexuals”(Herdt 2). Before the 1969 Stonewall riot in New York, homosexuality was a taboo subject. Research concerning homosexuality emphasized the etiology, treatment, and psychological adjustment of homosexuals. Times have changed since 1969. Homosexuals have gained great attention in arts, entertainment, media, and politics. Yesterday’s research on homosexuality has expanded to include trying to understand the different experiences and situations of homosexuals (Ben-Ari 89-90).

    Read More

  • Sex and Relationship Education (SRE)

    2621 Words  | 6 Pages

    Holland, J., Ramazanoglu, C., Sharpe, S. & Thomson, R. (1998) The male in the head—young people, heterosexuality and power ,London, The Tufnell Press

    Read More

  • How Sexuality is Socially Constructed

    2048 Words  | 5 Pages

    Wilton, Tamsin. "Which One's the Man? The Heterosexualisation of Lesbain Sex." Gender, Sex, and Sexuality. New York: Oxford University, 2009. 157-70. Print.

    Read More

  • Social Construction Of Masculinity

    1809 Words  | 4 Pages

    Masculinity only exists in coherence with femininity. If a culture does not treat men and women as carrier of polarized character types, at least in principal, is not able to have a conception of masculinity, like it is found in contemporary European/American culture. Attention has to be brought to “historical specificity and historical change,” because it “illustrates the social construction of masculinity, the multiplicity of ways in which masculinities can be enacted or lived and the existence and potential of change” (42). A good basis to start discussing what masculinity and femininity constitute out of, is by investigating what men and women do (or how they behave). If gender is cultural, then men and women are able to step into and inhabit masculinity as well as femininity “as a ‘cultural space’, one with its own sets of behaviors” (43). These behaviors include a number of culturally defined characteristics. Male competiveness, aggression, and emotional inarticulateness are said to have their own place in the economic system and stand for masculinity. Still widely accepted is the view that men and women differ fundamentally and that men as well as women have a distinct set of fixed traits that characterizes one as male or

    Read More

  • Gender and Sexuality

    2683 Words  | 6 Pages

    There are different gender identities such as male, female, gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual that exist all around the world. There is inequality in gender identities and dominance of males regardless of which sexuality they fall under. The males are superior over the females and gays superior over the lesbians, however it is different depending on the place and circumstances. This paper will look at the gender roles and stereotypes, social policy, and homosexuality from a modern and traditional society perspective. The three different areas will be compared by the two different societies to understand how much change has occurred and whether or not anything has really changed.

    Read More

More about The Ideals of Masculinity & Sexuality in Brokeback Mountain

Open Document