latjoreme:
Frankly, there are a lot of things about that scene that bother me, on top of it being really really depressing. Such as, Ennis' obligation to his daughters seems like a pretty good reason for not being able to go off with Jack. If he hasn't seen them for two months, it would be pretty rude to drop their plans on the spot. So for the scene to make sense, he needs a lamer excuse.
Jeff Wrangler:
whether Ennis did the right thing here, putting his daughters before his lover, and the consensus was that he did.
I agree. Ennis couldn't have brought his daughters right back to their mother.
nakymaton:
He was used to sending postcards to Jack, so maybe that was the easiest thing to do when the loneliness became too much. And although postcards don't give the same immediate comfort that talking to someone on the phone would, Ennis might have hoped that Jack would send a postcard back... that much contact might have meant a lot to Ennis. (I bet those postcards were a huge, huge thrill every time they arrived.)
Makes sense. I too believe every single one of the postcards made Ennis's day when he got one.
Also, another idea... given the timing of Jack's visit compared to their next fishing trip, perhaps Ennis simply mentioned the divorce on the same postcard that told Jack about their meeting time and place.
This is a complete new idea (at least for me). And not a bad one. Together with Inicoll's comment that Ennis must have mentioned the upcoming divorce to Jack before it would be a logical explanation. Hmmm, *thinking about it...*
As for why Jack didn't stick around, and why the girls worked just fine for me as an excuse... yes, the daughters are a perfectly good excuse, and Jack could have gotten a motel room and stuck around for a couple of days. But there's a whole other unspoken conversation going on there. It seems to me as though Ennis is talking about the girls as a way of covering up the things he isn't comfortable talking about, his unspoken fears. And Jack knows what Ennis is really saying; he's mostly figured it out before Ennis watches the truck drive by, but that one truck represents everything that Ennis is afraid of. And Jack knows it.
At first I thought Ennis had rebuffed Jack
only for this one weekend (which would be completely understanable and the right descicion due to his daughters). And only because of Jack's heartbroken reaction I understood what Ennis really meant.
In the movie, there's still hope that things could be different someday after "There ain't no reins on this one." After the post-divorce scene, however, Jack changes... the pornstache symbolizes it, covering up Jake's expressive smile and making Jack look older than he is. And, I don't know, it works as a turning point for me
Yes, it indeed is a very big turning point. And therefore I don't like it. Jack is never the same again after this scene.
There are some moments in the movie I want the it to be stopped, rewinded and see the beginning again
I think in the after-divorce scene this feeling is strongest.
amanda:
I don't even think it's subconscious. I think Ennis really would like to live with Jack. He knows it would be a "sweet life" but he can't bring himself to imagine how it would work in practical terms. Especially because he perceives the world to be so hostile, violent and threatening.
I totally agree. I don't think Ennis wanted just subconciously to live with Jack. He knew it. He wanted to live with Jack, but couldn't due to his fears. But maybe his subconciousness made him send the postcard, in the hope something would change. No. That's too much of a strech, isn't it? * I'm looking for a confused smily with crazyly rolling eyes*
Nakymaton:
And any attention like that might have made Ennis all the more paranoid that everyone would immediately know who and what Jack was.
Sadly you are right again. Ennis and his paranoia. Another endless topic to debate. And sadly he had some good reasons for his paranoia.