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

Alma's feelings for Ennis

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Front-Ranger:
I also didn't see Alma as fuming or sulking. She has her "yeah, sure enough" ironic smile on, and she also seems to me to be pretty hormonal (being pregnant at the time). Interesting that she gives that strange smile at the table just after drinking from a glass of milk.

Marge_Innavera:

--- Quote from: latjoreme on October 02, 2006, 10:05:40 am ---I've never known exactly how to interpret her expression at the Thanksgiving table, but I've never seen it as all that fond. To me, she looks kind of peevish, though trying to maintain a cordial veneer. If I had to guess, I would say she is uncomfortable that her new husband, with his vibrator electric knife, appears so wimpy compared to her ex, with his rugged bronc-riding tale.
--- End quote ---

An impression I've often gotten from that is that Alma is one of those unfortunate people who always wants something else other than what she has.  'I want this handsome, mysterious guy', never mind 'I want this nice dependable good provider who's obviosly always been in love with me' no that's not it, 'I want...."  In love or not, someone like this is not going to ever be satisfied. Maybe that's a curse her own family background has left her with.

nakymaton:
Good points about mixed feelings, and about Alma wanting what she didn't have at the moment. And about Alma being hormonal at Thanksgiving. ;D I wonder if she would have had her "lake scene" if she hadn't been pregnant?

In the movie, Alma looks pretty infatuated with Ennis at first -- at the wedding, and sledding, and at the drive-in. She's so young, though, and it seems like she doesn't know Ennis very well... though maybe nobody except Jack knows Ennis very well.

I've got a question about Alma's line "I'd have them if you'd support them." How much of that do you think represents the way Alma really feels, and how much is trying to hurt Ennis? I know she has another baby (or more than one?) with Monroe, so maybe she means it. But, on the other hand, she's getting pretty bitter toward Ennis, and he's just told her that the only reason to have sex with her is to make babies.

serious crayons:

--- Quote from: nakymaton on October 02, 2006, 12:55:19 pm ---I've got a question about Alma's line "I'd have them if you'd support them." How much of that do you think represents the way Alma really feels, and how much is trying to hurt Ennis? I know she has another baby (or more than one?) with Monroe, so maybe she means it. But, on the other hand, she's getting pretty bitter toward Ennis, and he's just told her that the only reason to have sex with her is to make babies.
--- End quote ---

I don't know if she's deliberately trying to hurt Ennis -- in the movie she says it kind of hesitantly, and in the story she says it under her breath -- but tell you what, I've never quite understood what the deal is with Ennis' income and Alma's frustration over it. He's not in a very lucrative field, he quits jobs to be with Jack, and she says they're behind on the bills. On the other hand, he seems responsible and hard working; it's not like he's drinking up his paychecks while the girls go hungry. They have two incomes. So why are they so broke? Why does Alma hold Ennis so responsible for their money problems (beyond it just being the way people thought about marital roles in those days, I mean)?

Between that, and her comments about the apartment in town and the electric-company job, Alma seems quite money-conscious. That's one reason I think she's better off with Monroe.

Mikaela:
Great idea for a thread.  :)

I think Alma loved/loves Ennis. I think she loved him more than she was able to articulate to herself, even. She's not better at articulating her real emotions than Ennis is, seems to me, which makes sense given their probably similar backgroud although she apparently had more of an intact family, growing up.

I wouldn't be surprised if the two of them met at some sort of Church Social thing, actually.... I can imagine Ennis's sister dragging him along before she moves to Casper.

But anyway, I think as a down-to-earth person not given to flings of fancy or elaborate fantasies, Alma probably defined love to herself as wanting a small slice of that "American dream; husband, kids, a home - and constantly improving their material conditions. More "nice things". Financial security. Not by leaps and bounds, but little by little. A husband to cuddle up to, like in the car when she's expecting Junior.

She's still living that dream, and thinking she's got that love, when they "move to town"; - but at that point she has no reason - not enough psychological understanding, probably no reason for comparison - to see that something is missing from hers and Ennis's marriage. Then reality hits hard..... I do think she truly loves Ennis. I think that's why she clings to him for as long as she does, - even though Monroe (in the film, at least) seems to be around and available, even from before J&E's  Reunion.

I don't think she'd actually have minded their status quo financial situation so much if she'd known herself to be loved by Ennis.... As she matured as a person, she'd have managed to distinguish better between love as a deepfelt human emotion and love as some sort of woman's magazine tale of pretty curtains. But she wasn't given that chance of developing insight with Ennis. 

I think the "I'd have them if you'd support them" is her way of saying "I'd have them if you'd really loved me". And I do believe she wanted more kids - as far as I can understand, she and Monroe has at least two - the one she's carrying on Thanksgiving and the "new baby" Junior refers to around two years later.

I'm not even sure she's not a passionate person - but she's certainly been thorughly conditioned not to seem to be. And Ennis's behaviour when he's with her doesn't exactly encourage the release of big time passion on her part, either. Nor do I think her life with Monroe opens up for that. And so it seems a lot of pent-up passion gets directed into resentment and even bitterness in her, for I think I do see quite some amount of passion gone awry in the Thanksgiving scenes. I think she still loves Ennis at that point, though she channels it into deep hurt and resentment..... and though she has by then completely given up on himand gone with the available alternative solution. Which did give her a husband, a nice home, kids, improving financial situation.....but which also, I suspect, is teaching her the difference between *that* and love.

I have very much sympathy for Alma and the hard life lessons she learns. I feel very sorry for her. And for Lureen. One of the reasons that I like the film so much is that it does look at the wives with very sympathetic even compassionate eyes.

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