Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
"Jack, I swear..." What do you think Ennis meant by that?
Brown Eyes:
" 'Jack I swear...' he said, though Jack had never asked him to swear anything and was himself not the swearing kind."- from the book.
From Proulx's description here, I take it to mean that neither Jack nor Ennis really needed to hear the word "I love you" in order to know that was true. They could read each other like books as soulmates. So, maybe he would still have had trouble saying "I love you" to Jack if he magically came back to life. At least we know he *felt* that by the end.
But, I'm sure he really, really meant the part about "I swear I'd do it all differently if I had the chance." I truly believe if he had one more chance (after all he's learned) that he would try to live with Jack and make a serious commitment to him. I still feel like that idea is at the heart of the little "ceremony" of "swearing" and caressing his little shrine to Jack (tidying it up by buttoning the shirt... straightening the postcard). I feel like as much as he'll be consumed by his memories of Jack he'll be consumed by regret (and I'm sure he'd dearly love to be able to un-do that).
On one hand, the love and the time Jack and Ennis DID have together make them extraordinarily lucky. And, Ennis remains lucky having had such an exciting, deep and passionate love in his life. Lots of people never experience that kind of romance. I'm sure the memories that he does have of Jack will comfort him.
On the other hand...
His earlier statement (and the very last line of the book)- "If you can't fix it you've got to stand it." Is really like a life sentence at this point. He really can't fix it and he will have to live with the weight of his regret. All those years of living apart were meant (I think in Ennis's head for sure) to be a form of protection, and now he realizes how badly he miscalculated and how much time he lost with Jack as a result.
:'(
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: atz75 on April 12, 2006, 10:47:05 pm --- "If you can't fix it you've got to stand it." Is really like a life sentence at this point. He really can't fix it and he will have to live with the weight of his regret.
--- End quote ---
Another good point, Amanda! And yet another instance of the resonance of that line (another one being when he breaks down at the lake and says "I can't stand it no more, Jack.") It's amazing how many lines in the movie are echo edlater, either explictly or implicity. As when someone -- and I'm so sorry I can never remember names to credit! -- mentioned that "I think my dad was right," in reference to rodeo f'ups, also summarized Ennis' feelings toward his dad's view of homosexuals.
Rayn:
"I think that his "Jack, I swear" nebulously represents the huge jumble of feelings -- love, grief, regret, affection, sorrow, loneliness, devotion, despair, etc. -- that constantly threaten to overwhelm him at this point."
latjoreme
Yes, I think this gets at Ennis, how he is inside himself, often nearly overhelmed by emotions that he doesn't always understand and sometimes cannot control and which he often fears giving into. The "jumble of feelings" at the moment of "Jack, I swear..." is a good possible explanation for why he can't complete the sentence. We all know Ennis loves Jack, more than anyone in his life and will never forget him, but here, in what latjoreme says, is what I think, a real in-sight into Ennis's heart and mind. All of what everyone has imagined the line means only adds to our understanding, but this is really the heart of the matter, for me anyway. Thanks, latjoreme! And thanks to all who are contributing here to what is, though I didn't know it would be, a hot topic!
Cheers...
Rayn
Brown Eyes:
Very well put Rayn! latjoreme, that is a really nice way to explain the complexity of the "jumble" of emotions matched up with the incomplete sentence. Yes, how could he complete the sentence with just one of those words? The blank at the end of the sentence can be filled with any one of those words you listed.
Also, the "I think my Dad was right" observation is just heartbreaking. :-\ :'( :(
texman:
These are all good answers to the question posed. Here is my take based on how I interpreted the character of Ennis.
Jack... I swear if only things had been different
I think Ennis finally realizes that his life turned out the way it did due to his own choices in life and not the fact that he simply fell into these situations. In the "Let Me Be" scene he accuses Jack of being the cause as to why he turned out the way he has. I think now he finally realizes that he is the own root cause of the way his life turned out and there is no changing it now. After watching this scene again, I get another impression that Ennis really is blaming Jack for starting the relationship in the first place and if it hadn't been for Jack, they wouldn't have seen each other ever again and none of these problems would have occured.
Jack...I swear if only you were still here
I think that while he is buttoning the shirt he is thinking about the memories of the times that he and Jack had and reflecting on those moments and realizing the emotional desolation of the future.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version