Tempted by the Fruit of a Brother
By Jaclyn Ulman, with comments by Anthony Pascale, Caitlin Prozonic, Taylor Kite, Jeffrey Herrigel, and Andrew Tye
Tempted but the truth is discovered
(Squeeze, 1981)
[1] Any preconceived notion of family dynamics in pre-contact time for the Inuit tribe can be thrown away after viewing this scene. Within just a few minutes, the many layers of some of the main characters in Atanarjuat are revealed, for better or for worse. Through a family meeting and the act of adultery, we see that Inuit life was not all Eskimo kisses and smiles, but was rather incredibly complex, and sometimes as ludicrous and bizarre as that of families on modern-day TV dramas.
[2] As the scene opens, there is a close-up of raw meat being sliced in preparation for family dinner. Atuat is feeding her and Atanarjuat’s child, Kumaglak, while everyone else eats, but does not speak. The silence between Atanarjuat, Atuat, Amaqjuaq and his wife, Ulluriaq, is emphasized by the lack of music and sounds of nature in the background. Atanarjuat, very confused by how quiet everyone is, asks what is wrong, and asks why Puja, his second wife, is not eating with them. Atuat, who throughout the film has not complained about anything, even Atanarjuat’s decision to take another wife, begins to explain to Atanarjuat how unhappy she is with Puja, in a very calm manner. According to Atuat, she is lazy, bossy, and is of no help. Ulluriaq supports Atuat by questioning what Puja does while she isn’t helping and asks, “What’s she doing out there? Fucking with spirits?†This particular quote by Ulluriaq shows a hint of Inuit humor, but it says a lot about the role of women in Inuit society. This proves that women weren’t always expected to be subservient, because Atanarjuat, the provider, asked for and respected their opinion, did not become angry with them, and even allowed his brother’s wife to curse and speak frankly.
[3] While Atanarjuat and the women talk, Amaqjuaq does not even look at them, let alone participate in the conversation; he simply continues to eat his meal. When Atanarjuat, who values Amaqjuaq’s opinion, asks his brother what he thinks of Puja, Amaqjuaq says, “I don’t think anything about it. They’re your wives . . . it’s none of my business.†It is when Amaqjuaq says this that his character comes into question. He was clearly uncomfortable with the conversation, or else he would have taken part in it. By making a comment about “his wives†to Atanarjuat, it becomes evident that Amaqjuaq is jealous. (see comment by Anthony Pascale) (see comment by Caitlin Prozonic) Atanarjuat, his younger brother, is very successful. In fact, he is so successful that he has two wives that he is easily able to support. Amaqjuaq may be Atanarjuat’s older brother, but he is still in Atanarjuat’s shadow, and therefore has bitter feelings towards Atanarjuat and his success.
[4] Later that evening, the whole family is asleep in the tent. Puja is sleeping right in the middle, which is not surprising. Puja believes everything revolves around her, and that is how it works while they all sleep. In an earlier scene, Puja tells Atuat to clean the tent while she takes her walk. Puja, Atanarjuat’s second wife, is clearly a selfish woman who believes everyone should adapt to her schedule, her wants, and her needs. (see comment by Andrew Tye)
[5] Puja, who is in between the brothers Atanarjuat and Amaqjuaq, stirs and wakes up. Simultaneously, Amaqjuaq awakens. Puja lifts the blanket to get closer to Amaqjuaq, and the two of them proceed to have sexual intercourse. After only a few seconds, Amaqjuaq’s wife, Ulluriaq, hears their moaning and wakes up. Horrified, she immediately grabs something and begins to hit Amaqjuaq while screaming frantically. The rest of the family is woken up by the screaming, and Atanarjuat looks utterly shocked. At first he hesitates, as he tries to understand what is happening. Once the adultery processes, Atanarjuat grabs Puja, who is hidden under a blanket, by the hair and slaps her. Amaqjuaq grabs Atanarjuat’s arm and stops him from hitting Puja, and the two of them fight. Throughout both of these scenes, there is no music. However, at the very end of the adultery scene, the hysterics of both baby Kumaglak and Amaqjuaq’s wife Ulluriaq provide a huge contrast from the serene sounds of nature and brief dialogue.
[6] Atanarjuat is clearly upset. He cries, “Not you, Older Brother!†Although he is more successful than his brother, he looks up to Amaqjuaq, and they had a great relationship. This act hurt him a great deal. However, Amaqjuaq’s actions are not entirely shocking because of his comment during dinner. Amaqjuaq’s feelings of inadequacy and jealousy got the best of him, and that is why he allowed himself to hurt his brother Atanarjuat in such a way. (see comment by Taylor Kite)
[7] Although Puja is portrayed as a manipulative woman throughout the film, her motivation in this scene is difficult to decipher. What could Puja possibly gain from having sex with her husband’s brother, other than a wrecked family? The adultery proves that Puja always puts herself and her needs first, but Puja’s rationale for committing adultery isn’t as clear as that of Amaqjuaq’s.
[8] The only face we never see in this scene is that of Atuat. Atuat is calmly taking care of the baby, who is crying hysterically. The reason why we don’t see Atuat’s face is because we don’t need to; we know exactly what she’s thinking. She had known all along that Puja was up to no good and is not surprised at all that she would do this to the family. It can’t make Atuat feel good that there is turmoil within her family, but finally the truth about Puja is revealed.
Comments
I think that this idea is very interesting, although I do not entirely agree that Amaqjuaq's actions throughout this specific scene make it evident that he was jealous of his younger brother, Atanarjuat. Upon seeing this scene for the first time, I saw Amaqjuaq's lack of participation in the conversation about Puja and her whereabouts to be evidence, not of his jealousy, but of a potential ongoing affair with his sister-in-law. It seemed to me, through the way in which Puja initiated the intercourse, upon having just awoken and without any words, that the two individuals had already come to an understanding about what would be taking place that morning in the family tent. I believe that if this were an isolated incident, it would have taken more than Puja silently easing into Amaqjuaq’s blanket for him to risk ruining his relationship with his brother as well as with his wife. When the family discussed the situation earlier in the day and Amaqjuaq was silent, I believe this was because he had already been having an affair with Puja and possibly even had developed some feelings for her, on some level or another. Having said that, Jaclyn’s hypothesis that Amaqjuaq was jealous of his younger brother seems to be possible as well, as it is true that Atanarjuat is able to provide for two wives and a child, thus making him seem rather successful. My only contention is that, from the looks of it, the brothers shared the responsibility of caring for their families as they hunted together and ate together. If this is true, maybe there is not as much evidence for Amaqjuaq’s jealousy as previously believed.
Though I do agree that Amaqjuaq’s actions were more than questionable, I have yet another point of view as to the incident with Amaqjuaq and Puja. I find it hard to believe that Amaqjuaq would be so conniving against his brother that he would specifically cheat with Atanarjuat’s second wife. The two brothers seemed so close, so why would he endanger that relationship? Is it possible that Amaqjuaq was confused and only half-awake that fateful morning in the tent? Could it be that maybe he thought it was his own wife next to him and not Puja? As for the conversation with Atanarjuat and Amaqjuaq during the meal, I took Amaqjuaq’s avoidance of the question more as a simple way to evade drama in his brother’s family. Puja seemed to insert herself into the family, and I could see where that would affect both families negatively, especially since Puja did nothing to help the other women. Also, there was resentment towards Oki’s family, and Puja was Oki’s sister. Amaqjuaq was even afraid that Oki was trying to kill him at one point. Why would Amaqjuaq want part of Oki’s family in his own family? Is it possible that Amaqjuaq did not actually approve of Puja’s presence, and he did not want a useless wife there hindering the two families? I considered the scene with them having sex as a pure mistake, and that Amaqjuaq had no intention of that happening, but Puja did it purposely to break up the family and cause trouble so Oki could get the revenge that he wanted. I suppose I am probably being a tad naïve, but I considered the bond between the two brothers too strong to break just because of jealousy and a seductress.
Although obvious, I think the symbolism of Puja being in the middle foreshadows events to come. Aside from the fact that Puja is in the middle of the two men she ends up having sex with, I do think the makers of the film emphasized the cultural importance of sleeping arrangements. When Puja goes to tell her family about what has happened, her father and the rest of their family are in a tent with blankets arranged in a similar fashion to the way Puja was lying when she committed the adultery. Most modern families do not all share the same room, as is traditional in Inuit culture. I think the makers of the movie used this to emphasize the importance of tradition and cultural norms in Inuit culture. All families, regardless of how many wives are in the family, are expected to sleep together, while still remaining faithful to their families. This further shows Puja's selfishness and disrespect for the Inuit tribe. Respect for the group is particularly important for the Inuit, who seem to thrive and fail as a unit--when one person has food the tribe eats and when no one does, no one eats.
On a similar note (although not from this specific scene), when Puja goes to her family's tent, amidst her prolonged sobbing, she repeats that "she doesn't know what happened" and that it "wasn't her fault," demonstrating a clear ignorance of the reality of the situation. This shows Puja in the same selfish, immature light in which we have seen her throughout the movie.
The whole "communal" living/tent situation, while clearly a part of Inuit culture, is bizarre to me. Further, with families all sleeping in the same area, I am surprised that it is not more commonplace for adultery and multiple wives. Atanarjuat's reaction demonstrates that the Puja/Amaqjuaq situation was shocking and not normal. But I just don't see how that could really be because their living situation almost asks for something like that to occur. Maybe I am placing too much contemporary context in the situation, but I still find the events following the adultery to be so unsettlingly portrayed in the film. Not to mention, the polygamous theme goes against this, as well. Having two wives does not necessarily indicate to me that the Inuit people really value each and every wife they have. If they did, what would be the point to having two wives? All in all, my point is that I was a bit confused and thrown by the extent to which the characters reacted to Puja and Amaqjuaq's act. Today, of course, we live in separate homes in separate rooms, and the communal living is really a thing of the past. That said, today this situation would make more sense. (see comment by Jeffrey Herrigel)
I agree with Taylor’s concern for the confusing family values and soap opera reminiscent adultery and wife swapping that occurred in the film. Atanarjuat was also definitely not expecting something like that to occur; if he was, he probably wouldn’t have been sleeping so well in his tent naked with his two wives and brother. That being said, he seemed very hurt when his second wife cheated on him with his brother, but doesn’t he realize how his original wife must feel when he decided to add Puja to his marital license? For a man who is portrayed as the protagonist, and a just one at that, sparing the lives of the evil doers at the end of the movie, his readiness to sleep with another woman while he is away hunting and his hypocrisy when his wife takes on another lover is disappointing. For a man who is supposed to be the hero, this is a fairly large character flaw. I have no reason to doubt the authenticity of this action, just a desire to observe the sociological peculiarity of it. However, in the patriarchal society when this legend took place, the hypocrisy of Atanarjuat’s actions may not have been considered hypocritical but common place or even expected.
