The last paragraph of Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx reads as follows: “There was some open space between what he knew and what he tried to believe but nothing could be done about it, and if you can’t fix it you’ve got to stand it” (55). This paragraph is the perfect melancholy end to a melancholy story. Throughout Brokeback Mountain Annie Proulx rejects strong emotions generally. At least, with regards to the situation Jack and Ennis find themselves in. The reader is presented time and time again with language that suggests that while Ennis is not happy with his current life, he also doesn’t truly wish to change it. Whether it be from fear or what the reader might consider internalized homophobia Ennis is content to live a life in the middle of happiness and sadness.
This emotional state is exemplified in the final paragraph. We find the character attempting to reconcile the “space between what he knew and […] tried to believe” suggesting that while Ennis knows he handled his relationship with Jack poorly, and he has regrets, he also knows that he can’t change the past. That what is done is done, and that he must instead stand the whirlwind of emotions which consume him.
It here where I will potentially coin a third emotion which is discussed in this course, rather than “Queer Joy” or “Queer Anger” Ennis Del Mar exemplifies “Queer Melancholy” an emotional response which exists when one remembers the experience of Queer Joy, and feels Queer Anger yet is unable to do anything about the later or re-encounter the former.
In this Annie Proulx makes strong commentary about Queer Life in the so-called “fly over states.” A life which allows for small moments of Queer Joy, but with no course for retribution when those joys are violently ripped from one’s life.
I think it is interesting that you characterized feeling queer melancholy as being specific to rurality/”flyover states.” The term is a useful one for this story especially, but I think it can be experienced anywhere at anytime, and it not exclusive to rural queer people. The reason Brokeback Mountain is so evocative for people who read it is because it is either relatable to them (or someone they know) in some way, or it speaks to larger themes of the queer community’s history that are then brought to the forefront of their mind.
Making the connection between Queer Melancholy and rural lifestyles is definitely an interesting idea that ties in with some of the things we’ve discussed in class, especially concerning Eli Clare’s work. In Losing Home, he called the audience to action, pointing out how the ones that really need the funding and resources are the queer people in small towns where more ordinances are being passed against them and more queer people are being targeted. Brokeback mountain speaks to so many because it is that bridge between urban queer people and rural queer people. Once the story was out there, the story spoke to our commonalities, and the heartbreak of losing a love through a hate crime is something not uncommon for queer people to experience. I feel like Brokeback Mountain is, at least in terms of awareness, doing some of the work Eli Clare was looking for, bringing the queer community together and talking more about the cultures of queerness in rural lifestyles.
“Queer melancholy” is so interesting, and rings so true. I think that it makes sense that it would be hard to find a middle ground of contentment with queerness. We often talk about radical joy in the face of oppression, but what about normal life? The idea that what exists in between is some kind of melancholy makes sense– a kind of paralysis of emotions, knowing that to be queer can be joyous and heartbreaking. What I wonder here is about the “so what.” Although Dennis doesn’t seem to want to move in either direction, does that suggest that Proulx herself thinks that queer people should live melancholic lives? Is there a way to overcome this and truly just be content?