I have always leaned away from seeing Ennis as as flawed an individual as some do, thinking more about his place and time and circumstance. But free will has got to figure in there, I know.
Hi again rdg! Well, Ennis - and Jack! - are certainly flawed individuals. I think AP was pretty deliberate about making sure they weren't idealized. But I'm not sure I would compare Ennis with Jeanne - sad figures both - but I see them as polar opposites in almost every way. I'm not sure Ennis had the foundation or support system to break out of his internal homophobia, but I do think Jeanne has the ability to break out of the cycle of bad choices she makes - she
does have an emotional support system in Zach (and through him in Shaun) and Cody , if she chooses to see them as people to learn from and inspire her. But it certainly will take an attitude adjustment on her part - and maybe we saw a glimmer of that at the end of the movie (or maybe that's wishful thinking on my part!).
I think that aside from Zach coming to understand his sexuality, he badly needed the friendship and company and warmth that Shaun offered.
Oh, I think this is an excellent point! Zach and Shaun are similar in so many ways and you can see right away that they're compatible, even more so than Zach and Gabe. Except for the class/money difference, they really don't have an "opposites attract" aspect to their relationship that you often see portrayed. Both have a good sense of responsibility and common sense, both seem eager for a "family," neither one seem prone to melodrama, and I certainly wouldn't describe either of them as "high maintenance." And, yeah, even though Shaun is older and more experienced, I can definitely see where Zach, in certain situations, would be able to offer guidance to Shaun. A very nice balance.
Marie