Tools of Characterization

Characterization in Brokeback Mountain

Clothing

A cowboy hat instantly lets you know that the man wearing it is a cowboy…or fancies himself one. "Cowboy" is in the name. It isn't an Accountant Hat or a Salesman Hat. It's a cowboy hat. As soon as we meet Jack and Ennis, we know they're cowboys. The denim emphasizes the point.

The clothing is more important for the women, though. Alma and Lureen are very different women, and their clothing shows it. Alma often wears dull, muted colors. When we first meet Lureen, she's in bright red. Ironically, it's mousy Alma who discovers her husband's secret. Dynamic Lureen is oblivious until the very end.

Speech and Dialogue

The "Del Mar" in Ennis Del Mar means "from the pond," however, Ennis Del Marblemouth would be a more appropriate name origin. Ennis talks with his mouth closed, as if he is always gritting his teeth. He talks low and he mumbles. It's difficult to understand him.

Here are a few of Ennis's memorable quotes from the first thirty minutes of the film.

ENNIS: I'm sick of beans.

And:

ENNIS: S***.

And:

ENNIS: They did the best they could after my folks was gone, considerin' they didn't leave us nothin' but twenty-four dollars in a coffee can. I got me a year of high school before the transmission went on the pickup. My sis left. She married a roughneck, moved to Casper. Me and my brother, we got ourselves some work on a ranch up near Worland until I was nineteen and then he got married. No more room for me. That's how come I end up here.

And let's not forget:

ENNIS: Mmm.

Whoa, let's back up a second here. What's with that giant paragraph of Ennis talking about his family? That speech is almost as long as all of Ennis's prior lines combined. Up until that point, Ennis is closed off emotionally, and as a result he is difficult to understand.

By contrast, Jack talks a lot, and he wears his heart on his sleeve. Jack starts to wear on Ennis and warm him up, which persuades him to open up across the campfire. It's a key moment of vulnerability and tenderness in their relationship, which shows us that their love isn't just physical. It's emotional, too. Let those words flow, Ennis!

Actions

Lureen analyzes the actions of our two protagonists so we don't have to. One year, she says to Jack,

LUREEN: You know, you been going up to Wyoming all these years. Why can't your buddy come down here to Texas and fish?

This innocent comment makes Jack realize that his relationship with Ennis might be a one-way street. Jack initiates their first encounter in the tent. Jack tracks Ennis down four years later. Jack always travels the distance to see Ennis. Ennis doesn't even meet him half way.

Ennis doesn't take initiative until he attempts to retrieve Jack's ashes after his death. By then, it's too late.