So Moremojo,
Would you say that Ennis is a state of arrested social development (i.e. can't overcome his internalize fears, homophobia), for lack of better word choice?
Tragically, I don't Ennis would/could have overcome his paranoia while Jack lived. It took Jack's death to awaken Ennis fully to how precious that man was to him, and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that he represented. Now Ennis
is seen to be emotionally evolving throughout the story, so who can say for sure, but the lakeside quarrel still seems to show the relationship at an impasse.
I'm not absolutely certain I believe that, at the end, if Jack were to be magically resurrected, Ennis would still be able to venture into the kind of life Jack always wanted for them. "Jack, I swear..." is ambiguous, and to my mind tells us for certain only that Ennis loves Jack immensely and will never forget him. Ennis
is with Jack in spirit, though he will forever be bereft of him in body.
BTW, sorry to anyone if my above post in this thread sounded arrogant. I wasn't trying to presume to state with any kind of authority how Ennis would behave in such-and-such a situation. I was just trying to convey how I personally view Ennis's character and likely choices.
Scott