Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum

Would it have worked? Merged with "Would a SWEET LIFE ever have been possible?"

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delalluvia:

--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on September 13, 2006, 10:48:49 pm ---In general, I agree with Del and Barb.

On the other hand, a lot of relationships come to grief over mundane matters, money in particular....If the ranch had failed, I honestly don't know if the relationship could have withstood the stress. Possibly it would not have, but I'd like to think that it would have.

--- End quote ---

I don't think this would have been a problem either.  They were both brought up in near poverty.  Ennis especially.  Having a failing business would have just sent them out to be cowhands/sheep herders again, doing anything to keep the place going/money coming in because that's how they've lived their whole lives.

serious crayons:
I'm enough of a romantic to believe their relationship would have worked. The ranch, I'm not so sure. But Ennis was used to poverty, and Jack seemed willing to go back to it. He might end up complaining about it a lot. But eventually Jack would inherit the Twist ranch.

As for homophobia, Ennis would be paranoid, but Jack would be reassuring, and they both would know they could not be happier anywhere else.

Maybe an even bigger problem would be keeping in contact with their kids. In them days, I think their living together would endanger those relationships, especially with the kids who were still minors. But Alma Jr., for one, would have made sure they kept in touch, I think.

welliwont:

Yeah, I think it would have worked out in the long run.  For lots of the reasons that have already been stated, common background, used to poverty, etc etc.

If only that stupid Ennis had allowed himself and Jack to go for that sweet life, I think that they would have lasted because Jack would have kept things going no matter what.  Boo Ennis!   :-\  All we got now is Jack and Ennis fanfic!

nakymaton:
I think it depends on a lot of things.

First, whether the Twist ranch worked out. (Are we dealing with movie-OMT, who seems more interested in just having reliable help, or with story-OMT, who I, at least, think is still homophobic?)

Second, at any ranch, on what Jack's reason was for being crazy to leave Lightning Flat. Was it a matter of being gay and lonely, or was it partly a matter of not liking ranch life? (I mean, it sounds idyllic, but it's hard work. Jack knows it... but he also wanted to leave it and join the rodeo circuit. How much of a thrill-seeker was Jack?)

Third, whether the ranch succeeded or failed economically. I think it would have been easier on them if they had their own place than if they were always looking for jobs working for someone else. Ranches are folding these days, a lot, and the work that Jack and Ennis grew up doing might get harder to find. And even if they didn't face actual physical violence, they would almost certainly have had to face bigotry and bias and low-level hostility, day-in and day-out. The more people they had to deal with, the more they would have to face homophobia.

Fourth, how would they have dealt with being separated from their kids.

Fifth, if the ranch didn't work out, whether they could bear to move to someplace like Denver in the end.

I don't tend to see relationships as doomed to either success or failure from the start. Not if both people are willing to stick it out and work on it and everything. I think that if Ennis could somehow overcome his internalized homophobia and agree to living with Jack, that he would be incredibly loyal and willing to work through just about anything. Jack, hmmm. Depends on whether we're talking about story-Jack or movie-Jack. I think that movie-Jack would probably have dealt with things if he knew he had Ennis (though he would bitch a lot, and be really cute about it, too ;) ). Story-Jack I'm not so sure about, partly because it's a bit harder to be sure exactly what makes him tick.

I think they could have made the relationship work out, though, and still had a pretty rough or sad life. (Not being able to see the kids, or having to leave Wyoming, would be sad endings of a sort, too, at least IMO.)

Front-Ranger:
Here's a link to the "Would a Sweet Life Ever Have Been Possible" topic started by rt, but it's fine with me to start a new topic.

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=1011.0

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