Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
Ennis and Old Man Twist
Brown Eyes:
Bumping since John Twist, Sr. seems to be coming up frequently in other discussions around here lately.
:-*
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: atz75 on March 02, 2007, 11:01:09 pm ---Bumping since John Twist, Sr. seems to be coming up frequently in other discussions around here lately.
:-*
--- End quote ---
Good idea, Amanda! I had thought of starting a new thread, after participating in a John Twist discussion earlier today. But this is even better.
So let's lay the OMT issues out on the table:
-- Why didn't OMT ever teach Jack a thing or go see him ride?
-- What did he know or suspect about Jack? How about Jack and Ennis? How about Jack and Randall?
-- Was he a mean SOB through and through, or was he genuinely grieving Jack (not mutually exclusive, acutually)?
-- Was he homophobic?
-- Why didn't he let Ennis take the ashes?
-- When he insisted Jack be buried in the "family plot," what did he mean -- was that an allusion to what we think of as (anti-gay) family values, or simply an assertion of control, or something else entirely?
-- Ennis protectively shields the shirts when walking past OMT in the kitchen. What if he hadn't, and John Twist had seen the shirts? Would he have snatched them from Ennis' hands?
-- How does story-OMT differ from movie-OMT? Can you imagine movie-OMT participating in the peeing-on-Jack scene that was in the story but omitted from the movie?
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: latjoreme on March 03, 2007, 01:33:58 am ----- Ennis protectively shields the shirts when walking past OMT in the kitchen. What if he hadn't, and John Twist had seen the shirts? Would he have snatched them from Ennis' hands?
--- End quote ---
No. He had every opportunity to see what was going on and take action or raise an objection while Jack's mother was putting the shirts in the paper bag, and he does not.
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on March 04, 2007, 02:56:42 am ---No. He had every opportunity to see what was going on and take action or raise an objection while Jack's mother was putting the shirts in the paper bag, and he does not.
--- End quote ---
See? He's not all bad! ;)
Front-Ranger:
--- Quote from: latjoreme on March 03, 2007, 01:33:58 am ---Good idea, Amanda! I had thought of starting a new thread, after participating in a John Twist discussion earlier today. But this is even better.
So let's lay the OMT issues out on the table:
-- Why didn't OMT ever teach Jack a thing or go see him ride?
--- End quote ---
Because bullriding was a part of OMT's youth that he had set aside and negated.
--- Quote ----- What did he know or suspect about Jack? How about Jack and Ennis? How about Jack and Randall?
--- End quote ---
He knew Jack's/Ennis's/Randall's true nature. 'member he started out by saying, "I know where Brokeback Mountain is."
--- Quote ----- Was he a mean SOB through and through, or was he genuinely grieving Jack (not mutually exclusive, acutually)?
--- End quote ---
You answered your question! Yes, and yes.
--- Quote ----- Was he homophobic?
--- End quote ---
I think that's oversimplifying it. Human beings are very fearful generally of anything unique or different and they shrink from anyone who doesn't fit into the pack, which covers most all of us.
--- Quote ----- Why didn't he let Ennis take the ashes?
--- End quote ---
I think just an instinctive lashing out at Ennis, Jack, and his wife. Blindly doing whatever he could to regain his stud duck status. I think it was mainly a decision to hurt his wife. (My personal agenda's slipping out there!)
--- Quote ----- When he insisted Jack be buried in the "family plot," what did he mean -- was that an allusion to what we think of as (anti-gay) family values, or simply an assertion of control, or something else entirely?
--- End quote ---
OMT felt that since he had had to give up his own life to the demands of society, that Jack should too.
--- Quote ----- Ennis protectively shields the shirts when walking past OMT in the kitchen. What if he hadn't, and John Twist had seen the shirts? Would he have snatched them from Ennis' hands?
--- End quote ---
OMT did see the shirt, and let him take it. What he did NOT see was the second shirt encased in the first.
--- Quote ----- How does story-OMT differ from movie-OMT? Can you imagine movie-OMT participating in the peeing-on-Jack scene that was in the story but omitted from the movie?
--- End quote ---
Movie OMT is more sympathetic (yeah, that's right!) and complex. Story OMT is described as a stud duck but movie OMT is a defeated man. OMT has Jack's blue eyes in the movie but in the story Ennis can't see Jack in either one of them. In fact, the story leads me to believe that OMT isn't really even Jack's father. But yes I can see movie OMT lashing out in anger at Jack when he was younger.
Thanks for asking these questions, Katherine!
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