Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum

Ennis and Old Man Twist

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Brown Eyes:
So, we've discussed both here and on the old board many amazing aspects of the interaction between Jack's Mom and Ennis.  I'd like to see more discussion about the interaction with the father.  This topic came up in another conversation and I thought it was worth a thread...

If Jack's dream had come true of Ennis coming up to Lightning Flat to live and help run the ranch... Can anybody imagine how Ennis and John Twist could have co-existed on the same ranch?  The idea just makes me smile.  I think things would have been great with Mrs. Twist (a new mother-figure for Ennis the orphan).  But, the idea of Ennis and Mr. Twist clashing on a daily basis is just amazing. 

On a more serious note, in the book it's made pretty clear (and it's hinted in the film) that John Twist was pretty abusive to Jack.  How would Ennis have reacted to seeing Jack berated by his father?

Aussie Chris:
Cool idea for a thread Amanda.  You have to alter a few character traits to imagine it though.  Like we have to first accept that Ennis somehow gets over his homophobia enough to live with Jack, and then there's the issue of are they fully "out" or at least out to Alma and the kids, Lureen, etc?  Are we talking only just enough to live together?  Just for now I'll assume it does.

Ok, so Jack and Ennis build a cabin somewhere on the ranch on Lightning Flat.  But before any of this can happen, they arrive in Ennis' truck and trailer, they both live in Ennis' trailer while the cabin is being built.  Jack no longer has his truck because it was owned by Lureen and he already been run out by LD, so he has nothing.  This is in real danger of becoming fan fiction so I'll stop there and just leave it as read that there is a lot of detail that I could go into to set all this up, but I hope there is enough for my context.

Ok, back to Ennis and John and their first meeting - remember the original story meeting hasn't happened.  For a long time, Ennis stays in the trailer and Jack stays in his own room.  John doesn't talk to Ennis, in fact he makes sure he has some "other work" to do when Ennis, Jack, and Mrs. Twist eat breakfast and supper.  Now I could imagine that this could go on for months or years since the characters were all capable of being unyieldingly stubborn.

There needs to be a catalyst for change.  It must come from either Mrs Twist or Jack.  I could imagine that either of these two had become strong enough for this, but I tend to think it would be more Jack - there is a complex set of reasons why I think this but I think I'll save that and let other people contribute (I don't want to be a thread-hog after all).  I'll also save what possible things I could see happen at the confrontation for later, I'm interested in what everyone else thinks.

Jeff Wrangler:
Somewhere along the line, I think the role of economics would have entered into it. In the Annie Proulx story, the old man has a line that didn't make it into the screenplay: "I can't get no help out here." It might be interesting to see him deal with the conflict between his disdain for his son and his probable dislike of Ennis on the one hand, and, on the other hand, the fact that he suddenly has two healthy, strappin' young fellas to run his ranch for him and maybe turn the place around.

nakymaton:
I think it's interesting that Jack kept mentioning bringing Ennis to Lightning Flat. I mean, at the beginning of the short story, Jack is "crazy to be somewhere, anywhere else than Lightning Flat," and at the beginning of the movie Jack says working for Aguirre is better than working for his old man. Maybe that's just a rebellious nineteen-year-old talking, but Jack's restless enough to follow the rodeo circuit for some time until he meets Lureen, and he makes a life down in Texas. (He might be willing to come back to Wyoming for Ennis, but he doesn't come back longterm on his own.) I could almost imagine Jack's father baiting him about coming home to stay during every visit, and commenting that Jack thinks he's too good for ranch work, until Jack tells him that someday Jack's coming back and bringing some good help with him.

Didn't somebody mention in another thread that men of John Twist's generation, men who had made it through the Depression and the Dust Bowl years, could be pretty prickly about help? I don't know; I'm a generation younger than Jack myself, and it was my grandparents' generation that quit farming in my family.

serious crayons:
I think they would have avoided each other as much as possible and been kind of taciturn when they did come into contact. Ennis is a fairly polite guy, and seems to get along well enough with Monroe and whatever other men he knows. But he wouldn't have felt obliged to be as forbearing with Mr. Twist as he was in the kitchen scene. And Mr. Twist, for his part, would disapprove of the arrangement but could use the help. So they'd grudgingly tolerate each other.

It's funny how despite Jack's miserable relationship with his father he keeps dutifully making those trips back to see the folks. I guess that's mainly because his mom is so nice.

And Chris, you are in no way a thread hog. (If you are, then I am competing for the blue ribbon in the State Fair swine barn.)

(Is that last one too obscure a reference for urban folks? Back home in Minnesota, there's a swine competition in the State Fair that attracts hogs as big as cows. Balls on 'em the size a canteloupes.)

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