TOTW 02/08: Was Lureen pregnant when she met Jack?

[delalluvia]

Sorry, I'm late to this conversation, and haven't read through all the pages, so I'm just going to answer the OP.

The timeline of the movie allows that Lureen may have been, but since the writers stuck very closely to the short story when doing the screenplay, and there was never a whisper of doubt of the paternity of Jack's son in the story, I say no.

[brokebackjack]

and I still think bobby was jack's son.

[Artiste]

Merci brokebackjack !

Why do you think that?

Au revoir,
hugs!

[brokebackjack]

There is nothing within the short story, on any reading, to indicate he wasn't Jack's son. It implies the opposite...while of course stating very little lol

[Artiste]

Yes, of course Lureen was pregnant... BEFORE she met him! It stands to reason... that she was!

[brokeplex]

There is nothing within the short story, on any reading, to indicate he wasn't Jack's son. It implies the opposite...while of course stating very little lol

in the ss you are correct, nothing is mentioned in the ss that implies Bobby is not Jack's son. But in the film there is the inconvenient matter of the date on the fairgrounds announcer booth the day that Jack met Lureen, and coupled later with how old Jack stated that Bobby was when Jack reunioned with Ennis in Sept 1967.

[Artiste]

Merci brokeplex!

Your post brings up good points... as likely proofs!

May I add also looks that Lureen provides could be such points too ??

Au revoir,
hugs!

[brokebackjack]

It's possible...but I just don't buy it.

Lureen found Jack to be the love of her life. She MAY have been pregnant but aside from the date within the film....


Remember too, the film is one of the few scripts which managed to adhere so closely to it's original 'print' story.

[optom3]

It's possible...but I just don't buy it.

Lureen found Jack to be the love of her life. She MAY have been pregnant but aside from the date within the film....


Remember too, the film is one of the few scripts which managed to adhere so closely to it's original 'print' story.

I agree, there is nothing in the S.S  to suggest it. I know the film introduces us to that possibility,but I have searched for evidence in the story and just cannot see any.
Proulx does leave the reader to come to their own conclusion regarding some things.Probably in line with her, a story is not finished until it is read idea.That being the case I feel she would have introduced some ambiguity in the story if it as an element she wanted the reader to question.
I suppose maybe the film and ss have to be treated as separate entities,but why would there be such a major difference between the 2.

[brokebackjack]

I think ambiguousity is the hallmark of BOTH film and SS, so if there are those who can reach the author's ultimate goal by believing Lureen was pregnant by someone other then Jack, why not?

I don't, however. As played by Anne Hathaway, Lureen became a bitter disappointed woman, ravaged by her relationship with Jack. He was the love of her life, and could not give her what she was willing to give to HIM.

In the ss, we are given a far-sparer report, indeed almost nothing...one reason Annie Proulx herself said film could be a more effective medium then print. Diana Ossana fleshed out that character for the film, not Annie, although Annie was kept informed and in tandem, step by step.

I may be wrong but deduce from AP's enthusiastic approval that she felt the character of Lureen was true to her own vision. After all, she WAS crazy about that interpretation of Lureen!