Author Topic: in them earlier day's i'd just quit the job  (Read 2535 times)

Offline forsythia12

  • Brokeback Got Me Good
  • *****
  • Posts: 471
in them earlier day's i'd just quit the job
« on: February 22, 2008, 04:36:14 pm »
in the scene at the lake when jack and ennis have the big fight, ennis says to jack 'in them early days , i'd just quit the job...but i can't quit this one"
then , in the last scene, when alma jr. asks ennis to be at her wedding, he first declines because of work, but then changes his mind once he sees her disappointment, and makes a comment about skipping work and to hell with the consequences "'cause my daughter is getting married".
ennis also makes a point to ask alma if curt "loves" her, and therefore, places the most importance on that very emotion.

in light of this, it seems to me that this last scene with alma shows the lessons ennis learned from losing jack, and perhaps the lessons of what's really important in life.
ennis was the practical man..working, makin' a living, payin' child support.....etc....
and yet, the 'practicality' which he lived his life by, seems to lose it's importance here. i found this to be where the conclusion of ennis's story is....and maybe that's  one of the things  he meant when he said "jack i swear"...

any other comments on ennis willing to lose his job due to attending his daughter's wedding, like he used to in the 'earlier days' with jack?  i think it's a very important element since he couldn't see jack in august because of his work....
maybe he regretted that, and wasn't going to allow it to interfere in 'missing out' on things anymore, such as alma jr. wedding.

Offline SFEnnisSF

  • BBM Radio Program Director
  • BetterMost Moderator
  • BetterMost 1000+ Posts Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 3,548
Re: in them earlier day's i'd just quit the job
« Reply #1 on: February 22, 2008, 06:15:17 pm »
Yes to all of your points above.  :)

moremojo

  • Guest
Re: in them earlier day's i'd just quit the job
« Reply #2 on: February 22, 2008, 06:19:44 pm »
Yes, Ennis's loving sacrifice of much needed income (he seems to be just hovering above the poverty line for almost the entire story) for his daughter's sake is a key revelation in the film (and is notably absent in the original story) that Ennis has learned a powerful lesson from his experiences with Jack--that love is indeed the single most important thing in life.

Offline Front-Ranger

  • BetterMost Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 30,288
  • Brokeback got us good.
Re: in them earlier day's i'd just quit the job
« Reply #3 on: March 14, 2008, 04:42:14 pm »
I miss you moremojo!!!  :'(

"chewing gum and duct tape"