Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
TOTW 09/08: Were Ennis and Jack particularly bad fathers?
BlissC:
--- Quote from: cricket99999 on March 25, 2008, 06:57:55 pm ---In fact, the mention of Monroe is the entire reason for this scene. To smooth the transition to Alma as wife of Monroe. Most moviegoers, unlike the rest of us, did not read the story before seeing the movie. Imagine, without this scene, the BBM novice seeing Monroe at the Thanksgiving table. They would know only that Alma worked for him once, years ago -- back when the girls were babies. The swingset scene is what informs viewers that Alma works at the grocery through the years. That, IMO, is the purpose of the scene.
--- End quote ---
That's a good point. I hadn't thought about it like that.
brokeplex:
--- Quote from: cricket99999 on March 25, 2008, 06:57:55 pm ---In fact, the mention of Monroe is the entire reason for this scene. To smooth the transition to Alma as wife of Monroe. Most moviegoers, unlike the rest of us, did not read the story before seeing the movie. Imagine, without this scene, the BBM novice seeing Monroe at the Thanksgiving table. They would know only that Alma worked for him once, years ago -- back when the girls were babies. The swingset scene is what informs viewers that Alma works at the grocery through the years. That, IMO, is the purpose of the scene. It's a bonus that we see Alma honor the promise to her employer, making his needs a priority over her ranting husband's 'needs'.
--- End quote ---
perhaps, but its just as likely that she could also be "courting" Monroe on the sly and wanted to use every opportunity to be with him. and perhaps Ennis's reaction isn't a purposeless "rant" but he is jealous and angry because he understands what is going on between Alma and Monroe.
Artiste:
The answer is No!!
Ennis and Jack were good fathers!!
If you think that they were bad, wait till you see BAD!!
brokeplex:
Ennis in particular may have been a good father, but he was a lousy husband. Alma must be a part of the equation, she had feelings and needs which were deeply violated by Ennis.
delalluvia:
--- Quote from: brokeplex on March 25, 2008, 11:13:28 pm ---Ennis in particular may have been a good father, but he was a lousy husband. Alma must be a part of the equation, she had feelings and needs which were deeply violated by Ennis.
--- End quote ---
Yes, Ennis was a bad husband to Alma. Ennis wasn't in any real particular a good father. If you take the story in abstract and say,
Hey, there's this unhappily married couple - well, he's unhappy. The wife is trying to make the marriage work, but the husband wants to be with his lover and there's no way the marriage is going to work, but he likes the marriage and having kids because it gives him status and so even though he is the primary breadwinner in his family - if not the only one at times - and his wife is a stay at home mom with their two young children, he has no problem quitting his jobs, neglecting his wife, dumping the kids with her whenever he wants to run off with his lover for weekends and vacations. He never bothers to take his family on vacations.
Now keep the whole BBM story out of this.
Do you still want to give the husband awards for being a 'good father'?
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