Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
TOTW 2/09: Questions about Jack's last will particularly his cremation
Brown Eyes:
Yes! Thanks Chrissi for using this topic for a TOTW. It's certainly not the most cheery subject, but I think it's interesting to think about.
I can believe he would have a will at 39. Yes, like Lee mentions, his family (the Newsome family) was business-minded so it seems very reasonable to expect that they'd think about wills. Especially since they had a child.
The division of the ashes between Texas and Wyoming, to me at least, indicates a fair amount of fore-thought on Jack's part about how he'd like things to go upon his death.
To me the most curious thing... is to ponder what Jack actually, realistically expected from Ennis. Given Ennis's immobility during the course of their relationship... I wonder if Jack truly believed that Ennis would go meet his parents, etc. I also wonder if Lureen would have been instructed to call Ennis if Ennis hadn't called her first?
I mean, if Ennis hadn't had the urge to make the phone call... he may never have heard about the ashes request. Is it at all plausible that Jack thought his father might scatter the ashes since he would have known that his father was familiar with Brokeback, and since the ashes were clearly physically sent to his parents and not to Ennis?
If Jack really wanted Ennis to scatter the ashes (or rather, if he expected Ennis to scatter the ashes... I'm sure he would have wanted him to) wouldn't it have been easier to have the ashes sent directly to Ennis rather than to his parents?
There really are a lot of questions and contingencies here...
Shakesthecoffecan:
I never thought of this, but here it goes:
I think at 39 he probably had not drawn up a will or made preneed arrangements with a funeral home. His "wealth" was primarilily from his marriage to Lureen so what would he need to have addressed?
As an only child he would in time come to own his parents place, he might want to set up something to address that, make sure Bobby got it when he became old enough, and leave him some personal effects.
I think the part about the ashes being spead on Brokeback would have been addressed primarily in funeral arrangements he would have made, but sound like he just talked about them. If he had, the undertaker would have known where Brokeback was, would probably had instructions to contact Ennis.
But leaving the practical world for a second, I could see this:
"Lastly, to my friend Ennis Del Mar of Riverton, Wyoming, in consideration of deep and abiding affection, I give, devise and bequeth all of my personal property as might be found in the bedroom and closet of my childhood home in Lightning Flat, Wyoming, and direct my aforementioned mother to see that the said personal property remain intact until such time as it can be claimed by him."
She would know. She always did.
fernly:
Great to see TOTW back! :D
The point mentioned about Jack getting morose while drinking, and talking then about where he wanted his ashes scattered seems very plausible. And he wouldn't have explained any further about where Brokeback was or why it was important to him.
Lureen paid enough attention to remember him mentioning Brokeback, but then she either wasn't interested enough to find out where (and what) it really was, or else any questions she might have asked would have been brushed off same as when Jack brushed his cigarette ashes off his sleeve when she asked him about husbands not ever wanting to dance with their wives.
If he had a will, I'd guess it was pretty much drawn up for him by the company/family lawyer, and if there was any mention in it of disposition of his ashes, his real feelings and wishes wouldn't have been any part of it. Same as his real feelings and wishes weren't any part of his life in Childress.
Brokeback_Dev:
"Lastly, to my friend Ennis Del Mar of Riverton, Wyoming, in consideration of deep and abiding affection, I give, devise and bequeth all of my personal property as might be found in the bedroom and closet of my childhood home in Lightning Flat, Wyoming, and direct my aforementioned mother to see that the said personal property remain intact until such time as it can be claimed by him."
She would know. She always did.
Awe, thats so sweet of you to write, Truman.
Lureen might have made him set one up shortly after Bobbie was born. He did a lot of travelling, so it might have been the prudent thing to do.
Personally I did have a Last Will and Testament drawn up at an early age of 26yrs old by the family lawyer. In the event I should die before my daughter turned 18, I named who I chose to be her guardian. Also, she is named as the heir to my estate. At 26 I didnt have much, although these days I do have some stuff including a house I own with my husband
Its funny that this is the TOTW because I was reading my Will just last week, and decided not to change it even tough she 21 now. Gotta plan for my daughter to be taken care of with whatever I can in the event of my passing..
I hope Jack would want Ennis to scatter his ashes on Brokeback Mountain. The place where he and Ennis fell in love.
Katie77:
Dev, just a word of advice about your will.........I am fairly sure, that once a person marries, any will that they have written before that marriage becomes null and void.
Might be an idea to check that up.
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