I have spent two days reading the posts on this long, long thread - fascinating and wonderful that so many have thought long and hard about the walloping conclusion of this great film.
While it was touched upon in a couple of posts, little discussion has been focused upon the context of the final "Jack, I swear -" line. It is delivered to the closet, the powerful symbol and pink elephant character of the film. The story is about homophobia in all it's layered and dangerously intertwined aspects: the homophobia of society, of prevailing religion, of families and of the individuals - AND the absolute destruction that it wrecks upon each of these.
For homosexuality/gay/queer is not about a sex act or sexual preference but about love and where our love wants to go. In the case of Jack and Ennis, love wants to go to someone of the same sex. It is this that is countered with the silence of the closet, with homophobia.
Ennis is honoring where his love wanted to go by first tidying the shrine (symbolically moved from one closet to another) and vocalizing an oath. Honored, yes, but hidden and silent inside Ennis' closet and by extension the closet of his family and society.
I believe that Annie is challenging each of us to dismantle the closet, to let love loose from it, to give it voice and name.
The final words must be left open ended, because it is till the love that dare not speak it's name.
