Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
TOTW 01/08: Do you think Jack was murdered or was it an accident?
Artiste:
Thanks garycottle!
Gary, you say: The tragedy still remains even if Jack was killed by gay bashers. Ennis pushed Jack away because he thought by doing so he was saving Jack. But, if Jack was gay bashed, what Ennis did was make him face the enemy alone. Which is the tragedy of the closet. In hiding from our haters, we also hide from one another, so when trouble comes, we stand alone. If Jack was intentionally killed, Ennis was not right in refusing that sweet life, because if Ennis had been there, he may have been able to save Jack. No matter how Jack died, Ennis may have been able to do something if he had been there. That's the tragedy.
Gay people face real dangers. And so gay people are afraid. Both of these things are awful, but the tragedy lies in how we let these things keep us from banding together.
...
Gary and to all too, I could not have said it better!! That is what I have been trying to say all along too!! But I got negatives from some, when it comes from protecting oursellves from gay bashing!! Why? Why?
Hugs!!
...
southendmd:
--- Quote from: Penthesilea on January 08, 2008, 03:22:29 pm ---All six mentions of the tire iron come from Ennis.
--- End quote ---
Great point, Chrissi. (Isn't it great to be able to search the story?)
I'm reminded of one of my favorite IMDb discussions: Ennis's Maledictions with CaseyCornelius. Briefly, there are three:
1) "You probably deserve it" in response to Jack's statement that he feared getting shot by Lureen or "the husband" every time he slips off to see the ranchman's wife.
2) Most importantly, the Mexico response, "All them things I don't know could get you killed if I should come to know them".
3) "Why don't you" (quit me).
I would add 4) "I can't stand this anymore, Jack" at the end of the Lake Scene, just before the dozy embrace.
In my opinion, Ennis psychologically kills Jack. Why? Because Jack has broken their pact that they're not "queer". Notice their last night together, they're talking about their "women", Ennis's Cassie and Jack's rancher's wife. But, Jack ventures the "truth" with "...sometimes I miss you so much I can hardly stand it." Awfully close to "I love you".
The closer Jack gets to "queer", the more distressed Ennis gets. Thus, Mexico is the last straw. If Jack is queer, so is Ennis, and he can't stand that.
Ennis is predetermined to believe queer = violent death, because of Earl (and his expectation his father would have come into the motel with the tire iron).
In the story, the sequence goes from: Lureen's call--->believing tire iron--->end of call--->didn't know if it were tire iron or real accident--->OMT mentions the other fella--->now he knew it was the tire iron.
So, as Chrissi points out, all the tire iron references come from Ennis. I think the murder is a projection on his part.
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: southendmd on January 08, 2008, 04:34:34 pm ---1) "You probably deserve it" in response to Jack's statement that he feared getting shot by Lureen or "the husband" every time he slips off to see the ranchman's wife.
--- End quote ---
Interesting point, Paul! I either didn't notice or didn't remember Casey's comment on this. I've always seen Jack's prediction of getting shot as a foreshadowing of him getting killed (by whatever means), but for some reason I'd never thought hard enough about "You probably deserve it."
In one way, Ennis really DID think Jack deserved it -- well, deserved it might be too strong a word. But Ennis felt that what he and Jack were doing was wrong. And by stepping out with the ranchman's wife, whom we really know was a man, Jack was doing something that, if it didn't deserve killing, at the very least could easily lead to killing.
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: ineedcrayons on January 08, 2008, 04:44:27 pm ---In one way, Ennis really DID think Jack deserved it -- well, deserved it might be too strong a word. But Ennis felt that what he and Jack were doing was wrong. And by stepping out with the ranchman's wife, whom we really know was a man, Jack was doing something that, if it didn't deserve killing, at the very least could easily lead to killing.
--- End quote ---
Hmm. I wonder if Ennis could have been projecting onto Jack his own feelings that he, himself, deserves it? :-\ :(
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: southendmd on January 08, 2008, 04:34:34 pm ---In my opinion, Ennis psychologically kills Jack. Why? Because Jack has broken their pact that they're not "queer". Notice their last night together, they're talking about their "women", Ennis's Cassie and Jack's rancher's wife. But, Jack ventures the "truth" with "...sometimes I miss you so much I can hardly stand it." Awfully close to "I love you".
The closer Jack gets to "queer", the more distressed Ennis gets. Thus, Mexico is the last straw. If Jack is queer, so is Ennis, and he can't stand that.
Ennis is predetermined to believe queer = violent death, because of Earl (and his expectation his father would have come into the motel with the tire iron).
In the story, the sequence goes from: Lureen's call--->believing tire iron--->end of call--->didn't know if it were tire iron or real accident--->OMT mentions the other fella--->now he knew it was the tire iron.
So, as Chrissi points out, all the tire iron references come from Ennis. I think the murder is a projection on his part.
--- End quote ---
This is very elegant, Paul. And I agree about Jack breaking their pact that they're really not queer, this is just a one-shot thing, nobody's business but theirs.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version