I read the short story awhile before I saw the movie, which I saw the week of its release in New York City, so I'd pretty much made up my mind before I saw the film, discussed it with others, and read BbM message boards.
My first thought was that Jack's death was an accident, and I stick to that interpretation. I suppose it's plausible to me because the father of one of my elementary school classmates died when a tire blew up in his face back when I was a kid. I've never forgotten that. I also worked for several years in an auto plant and have hung around enough auto shops to be familiar with safety when it comes to tires. Now that it's been mentioned here, I recall that Proulx’s describing it as an accident contributed to my thinking as well.
But I stick with the accident theory, even with thoughts and potential to the contrary, mainly because it makes me feel better. I mean, it's bad enough that he died, but I can't hardly stand to think of Jack being murdered. It makes an already sad situation unbearable and is even too cynical and pessimistic for me. It feels hopeless. It feels like it makes Ennis right, possibly even justifying and condoning why he lived as he did.
I think Ennis's interpretation of Jack's death as murder is a reflection of Ennis's fears. In the story (not in the movie), Ennis says when he and Jack are in the hotel room, “I don't want to be like them guys you see around sometimes. And I don't want to be dead.” Then a little later, regarding his father, “If he was alive and was to put his head in that door right now you bet he'd go get his tire iron.”
Seems to me that Ennis was preoccupied with the idea that being gay lead to being killed for it. It's kinda like how some people refuse to step one toe into a big city because they see those places as crime-ridden war zones where they'll be mugged or beaten or killed within 15 minutes of entering the city limits.
I've long thought that part of Ennis's getting so upset with Jack when they last saw each other was because he was concerned that Jack was being too open with his homosexuality and that it was putting Jack's life in danger and that Jack kept pushing Ennis to be “careless” too. As far as Ennis was concerned, what Jack was doing and suggesting that Ennis do was about the same as lying down on the railroad tracks and taking a nap.
Regarding Lureen and Ennis's telephone conversation. . . I've read a lot of people say they just know, can tell, that Lureen is lying to Ennis when she tells him how Jack died, but only in this thread have I've seen it suggested that maybe Lureen is telling the truth but that she's told the tale so many times that she has a script of it memorized.
I mean, a 39-year-old man in good health doesn't often just up and die. People are going to be curious as to how he died and ask questions about it. It's surely not pleasant recounting over and over again how he died, being quizzed for the details.
Maybe she worked up a response that told the whole story (flat tire, alone on a back road) in a few sentences so she could just get it over with, avoid a long conversation, answering questions about it. Maybe by having it scripted, she could recite it by rote and not have to really think about it or dredge up too many emotions.
Maybe the “Oh yeah” that preceded her telling Ennis was her digging that script out in her mind. It had been several months since Jack died, and Ennis's call was unexpected. She had probably not had to talk about how Jack died for awhile, so she needed a couple of seconds to remember it.
I'm too tired right now to think much on what all this says about me. Hell, I've had a tough enough time making sure I didn't mess up on my verb tenses in this post. Y'all figure it out if you want and get back to me. I'm going to bed.
