Our BetterMost Community > The Polling Place
How Did Jack Die?
tiawahcowboy:
While the movie Lureen had a slight tear on her cheek while talking to Ennis on the phone, the politely cold tone that the actress used for her voice was like the book . And Les said that Lureen lied to Ennis on the phone. But, in the interview, Lee did not say how much of what she said was actually a lie.
Since, in the book at the motel in 1967, Ennis said that in so many words his father-in-law woud pay for him to get lost, it could be that Lureen who took on the persona of how Jack described her father and she divorced Jack and paid him to get lost, too.
Since I know for a fact that people can bury their dead on a family plot and not have to even have the proof that a container supposedly containing a deceased person's ashes actually has them, Jack could have agreed to the divorce if she would help him "Let be, Let be" so that he coulld "quit Ennis" and get on with his life.
Jack was really tired of chasing after Ennis for 16 years and Ennis never making a commitment to their relationship. And we all know that he said so, no matter which source we use for our discussion.
twistedude:
We don't know. We are free to think what we want. The only one who's sure is Ennis (in the short story). Far be it froim me to make up my mind about anything the author has not told me.
Er...yeah.
One thing that is disturbing about Jack being murdered, is that that would mean Ennis was right all the time, wouldn't it? Maybe. Maybe not.
Nothing like closure.
You lucky people who know. You don't have to write short stories...my short stories are sure, but I am not. For all I know, Jack got picked up by a sailor once, and got killed by an exploding tire...and Ennis remained faithful in all senses of the word to his memory. And his kid was an idfot...just ask me, I'll tell you everything!
tiawahcowboy:
Jack's son at age 15, according to Annie Poulx, had dyslexia and it was in 1983 when Jack complained about Lureen not contacting his school about the learning disability problem.
Well, I have known and still know a number of people who have dyslexia and they certainly are not idiots.
Two of them are teachers and in high school and university they were straight "A," aka 4.0 (4.0 being a perfect grade), students.
Ennis just thinks he knows for sure how Jack died and he does not believe what Lureen told him. Besides, Ang Lee said that Lureen lied to Ennis.
Jane:
--- Quote from: tiawahcowboy on May 29, 2006, 07:01:03 pm ---While the movie Lureen had a slight tear on her cheek while talking to Ennis on the phone, the politely cold tone that the actress used for her voice was like the book . And Les said that Lureen lied to Ennis on the phone. But, in the interview, Lee did not say how much of what she said was actually a lie.
Since, in the book at the motel in 1967, Ennis said that in so many words his father-in-law woud pay for him to get lost, it could be that Lureen who took on the persona of how Jack described her father and she divorced Jack and paid him to get lost, too.
Since I know for a fact that people can bury their dead on a family plot and not have to even have the proof that a container supposedly containing a deceased person's ashes actually has them, Jack could have agreed to the divorce if she would help him "Let be, Let be" so that he coulld "quit Ennis" and get on with his life.
Jack was really tired of chasing after Ennis for 16 years and Ennis never making a commitment to their relationship. And we all know that he said so, no matter which source we use for our discussion.
--- End quote ---
Exactly right. I,ve always thought what you said. Jacks father in law DID say he,d pay him money to get lost, that was said after their renunion when they went back to the mountain. Laureens speech did sound too well rehearsed. Maybe your right. Maybe he was tired of Ennis never commiting fully to their relationship and just decided to fake his own death so that Ennis could get on with his life. Thing is though, Jack WAS his life, so without him, what life does he have? And as you rightly said, Ennis had no proof Jack was dead, he just took their word for it. Just think Jack could still be alive and Poor Ennis is miserable for nothing!! :o :o :o :'( :'(
tiawahcowboy:
Up until about the time that the last meeting took place, the Story Ennis got jobs at places where he could quit on short notice. He did that to be able to spend a week at a time twice a year with Jack.
While the movie has a miserable ending for Ennis Del Mar and he has tears in his eyes, it is not exactly so with Annie Proulx's original short story.
After Ennis and Jack left Brokeback Mountain in August 1963, Ennis NEVER went back up there. (In the book, he did go back to Signal and work at the Stoutamire ranch where he was working in 1983 when they met for the last time.
When Jack said, "All we got is Brokeback Moutain," he was speaking metaphorically; because Ennis only wanted to camp out up in the high altitude of the Wyoming mountains every time they got together.
Here are the opening paragraphs of her original work which was included with what had been submitted to the New Yorker Magazine:
--- Quote ---Ennis Del Mar wakes before five, wind rocking the trailer, hissing in around the aluminum door and window frames. The shirts hanging on a nail shudder slightly in the draft. He gets up, scratching the grey wedge of belly and pubic hair, shuffles to the gas burner, pours leftover coffee in a chipped enamel pan; the flame swathes it in blue. He turns on the tap and urinates in the sink, pulls on his shirt and jeans, his worn boots, stamping the heels against the floor to get them full on. The wind booms down the curved length of the trailer and under its roaring passage he can hear the scratching of fine gravel and sand. It could be bad on the highway with the horse trailer. He has to be packed and away from the place that morning. Again the ranch is on the market and they've shipped out the last of the horses, paid everybody off the day before, the owner saying, "Give em to the real estate shark, I'm out a here," dropping the keys in Ennis's hand. He might have to stay with his married daughter until he picks up another job, yet he is suffused with a sense of pleasure because Jack Twist was in his dream.
The stale coffee is boiling up but he catches it before it goes over the side, pours it into a stained cup and blows on the black liquid, lets a panel of the dream slide forward. If he does not force his attention on it, it might stoke the day, rewarm that old, cold time on the mountain when they owned the world and nothing seemed wrong. The wind strikes the trailer like a load of dirt coming off a dump truck, eases, dies, leaves a temporary silence.
--- End quote ---
Notice what the narrative says about Ennis's dream.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version