see this is where I have to take exception. Ennis is not 'slipping' into anything....that is who HE IS....he is not acting...he IS who he is, quiet, withdrawn, individualistic in HIS way...
You could also look at it another way... Ennis is given these characteristics by the writers, costume designers and actor who all worked together to create the fictional character that we know as Ennis.
Yes, Ennis is who he is within the narrative of BBM. And, within the narrative of the story he was probably not deliberately assuming certain personality/character traits. Although, some of his personality traits are somewhat within his control. I do think he probably used his tough-guy stoic public image to his advantage when he wanted to. And, in certain cases I think an argument could be made that he's being deliberate.
But,
all of the things having to do with Ennis were entirely within the control of the artists who created him. And, thinking about those choices... which characteristics the writers/director/actors decided to give Ennis vs. say, Jack or other male characters like L.D. or Monroe... are interesting. To me this is a question about the meaning behind artistic decision making. I mean, as on example, I recall an interview with Heath where he talked about how he thought about Ennis's posture... how the way Ennis holds himself when he walks reflects all the bottled up tension that he carries around. And, to me, Ennis's posture can probably be read a couple different ways. It can be read as tense, reserved/shy and defensive (someone who is scared) or it could be read as tough, rigid and rugged (someone you wouldn't want to mess with). Little things like that are carefully crafted and thought through.
The fact that Ennis as a figure within the narrative of BBM absorbs both the qualities of what we've been calling an "iconic" cowboy and those of a closeted gay man so easily and seemingly naturally on his part (with probably little conscious effort) may go towards demonstrating the way, for Ennis those things could, in certain cases, be two sides of the same coin. Which, again, seems to be a good reason why both of the main characters in BBM are threatening to certain resistant audiences... because they challenge some long-held myths about certain American/masculine icons.
It's impossible for me to believe that Annie would have spent all that time and energy working all those Biblical allusions and classical myths and all the other subtle imagery into her story ... but not have meant anything particular when she chose cowboys as her characters. It's also impossible for me to believe Ang Lee went to all the trouble to set up an image of Ennis posed against a backdrop of exploding 4th of July fireworks without having it cross his mind that his movie is playing around with American myth. Or that either Ang or Annie -- who were so careful about establishing elaborate metaphors involving buckets and snow and bears and water and laundry and so on -- would not have given any thought to American feelings about cowboys and what they represent.
I think this point is really central to all of this. The image of Ennis in front of the fireworks... lashing out in frustration is such a great example. Here we have one of the symbols of the American west for many generations (the cowboy) at an entirely American/patriotic celebration demonstrating a great deal of masculine prowess in his ability to lay both of the annoying bikers out flat. So on the one hand... that's the ideal. But, just below this is the fact that we know (as Brokies) that Ennis is a super-painfully shy and, at this point, extremely frustrated gay man. The fuel behind his lashing out here is multi-layered.
With the explosions going off behind him it's almost a visualization of the "explosion" (so to speak) of certain myths or icons.
And, back to Jack... and his identity. By the time of the reunion Jack is no longer a working cowboy in any sense (he's retired from the rodeo and the cow and calf operation is a pie-in-the-sky fantasy). So yes, he continues to wear gear associated with cowboys throughout the rest of the film. And, these are fashion/ image choices on his part. Yes, he wears expensive hats, nice watches, etc. by the end.
When LaShawn says "
we came out here thinking ranching was still big hats and Marlboros, boy, were we behind the times..."
She's right. She's talking about how images and realities in the west and in Texas have evolved... and again I think BBM is a pretty nuanced study in the way the west has changed in terms of cowboy culture, etc. in the late 20th century.
