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TOTW 06/08: Did Ennis die at the day described in the prologue?

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Penthesilea:
Morning, BetterMostians!

Before we delve into this week's topic, I'd like to post a refresher: you are welcome to make suggestions for a TOTW! You got a specific scene, which never got totally clear to you? Maybe a small line from the SS you continue to mull over?  Or you wonder about a character's motivation in a specific moment? Or maybe you're just curious about your fellow Brokies' opinions about something related to the movie or story? - PM me or Katherine (Ineedcrayons), we're happy to put your question into focus for a week.  :)


Last week I strayed a bit on other BBM related sites and stumbled across a theory/thought which never crossed my mind before and which I've never seen mentioned anywhere. I'm not sure on which site I read it, but think it was on IMDB. This is another question we won't be able to 'solve' in any way because we just have too few information, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on it anyway.

Did Ennis die at the day described in the prologue?

Jeff Wrangler:

--- Quote from: Penthesilea on February 25, 2008, 11:26:21 am ---Did Ennis die at the day described in the prologue?

--- End quote ---

No. But it sure would be interesting to read why someone would think that.

Lynne:
This is a really intriguing idea and I can see why it might occur to someone, I think.

I don't have my short story handy (bad Brokie!) but it seems to me that AP goes to great length to describe the details of the morning as beginning like any other for Ennis - his routine of reheating old coffee, peeing in the sink.  One event that makes the day different is that he is going to be moving on and might have to stay with his married oldest daughter.  But you get the impression that his work is largely unreliable and that even this may be a repeat of something that's happened in the past.

The bright spot is Jack's appearance in his dreams which he can use to 'stoke the day' and he hoards them, panel by panel.  I have the impression that it is a special day because Jack does appear to Ennis in dreams - that this not an everyday occurrence.  And there are people who think that departed loved ones communicate with those about to die, perhaps to offer comfort, or ease the journey, or perhaps it's the fragile but distinct demarcation between life and death becoming blurry...

If you couple the metaphor of Ennis packing up and moving on with Jack's appearance in his dreams, I think you could make the argument that this is Ennis' last day.

Fascinating question - thank you, Chrissi!

Penthesilea:
This topic was just a passing comment, mentioned only in a side-sentence of a post which then moved on to another subject matter.
At first, I was like hunh?  :o ???

But the question stuck with me. I took my copy of the STS book and read the prologue again with this question in mind.

The prologue begins and ends with the wind rocking Ennis's trailer. And in between the wind is mentioned a third time. We associate the wind with Jack, so we can interpret the wind accompanying Ennis as Jack's spirit. The wind is a powerful presence in this short part of the story, and it is depicted as very strong, as rocking the trailer, hissing, booming, roaring. In short, it makes a lot of noise, almost like it would call out to Ennis. Is the wind (=Jack) calling Ennis on this day? Many people believe/are waiting for that departed loved ones are calling them "into the other world", when their time has come.


Another point is Ennis dwelling on his dream of Jack: "...lets a panel of the dream slide forward. If he does not force his attention on it, it might stoke the day, ..." Ennis sitting alone in his trailer, slipping deep into the world of his dreams and Jack calling him.

A third point is Annie's sentence "It could be bad on the highway with the horse trailer." Having read Annie's other short stories in Close Range, I fully believe she often intersperses hints of coming events into her stories and especially foreshadows coming doom. So this could be a hint.

One last aspect (for now) is Ennis's age. We don't know how much time has passed since the end of the story, but Ennis's belly and pubic hair is grey. I don't believe Ennis will live to be a very old man. We've discussed this long time ago (hey Jeff, it was you who was very close to my own feelings reagrding this  :)); I think due to poor health care, too much alcohol and cigarettes, poor diet, physically hard work and simply not caring about himself after Jack's death, Ennis will not live very long.

Penthesilea:

--- Quote from: Lynne on February 25, 2008, 12:06:03 pm ---The bright spot is Jack's appearance in his dreams which he can use to 'stoke the day' and he hoards them, panel by panel.  I have the impression that it is a special day because Jack does appear to Ennis in dreams - that this not an everyday occurrence.  And there are people who think that departed loved ones communicate with those about to die, perhaps to offer comfort, or ease the journey, or perhaps it's the fragile but distinct demarcation between life and death becoming blurry...
--- End quote ---

Yes, that's what I meant when I mentioned Ennis dwelling on his dreams. You expressed better what I meant than I did  :)



--- Quote ---If you couple the metaphor of Ennis packing up and moving on with Jack's appearance in his dreams, I think you could make the argument that this is Ennis' last day.
--- End quote ---


Yes, the packing. At least a part of Ennis' life definitely ends on this day. He has to get out there on this very day.


--- Quote ---Fascinating question - thank you, Chrissi!

--- End quote ---

Thank you  :-*. At first, I found very far off myself. But after thinking about it for a few days I can't dismiss it completely as a possibility.

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