Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
what possessed Jack to take that shirt in the first place?
tiawahcowboy:
While Jack Twist HID Ennis Del Mar's "Bloody Brokeback Mountain" shirt inside of his own "Bloody Brokeback" shirt on a nail that was in a HIDING jog in his cretonne fabric "makeshift" boyhood closet at Lightning Flat, Annie Proulx did not have her Ennis hang the shirts in any closet. From the way that I read the story, the "like two skins" shirts were not actually on a hanger, they were just hanging together from a nail in the jog in the north end of the makeshift closet.
After Ennis got the Brokeback Mountain postcard which Linda Higgins ordered for him, he used 4 brasshead tacks to pin the postcard to the wall of his trailer and under the postcard, he drove a nail. Ennis put the shirts on a wire hanger (the cheap kind you get from the drycleaners) and hung the hanger with the shirts on the nail on the trailer's wall. Ennis did not hide the shirts! And, after everything was the way he wanted them, he said, "Jack, I swear -- " . . . , though Jack had never asked him to swear anything and was himself not the swearing kind.
Why the movie folks had Ennis hide the shirts in a closet, hanging them on the back of its door, makes absolutely no sense to me.
Mikaela:
I suppose the operating words are "in the closet". :-\ It's an extremely expressive image, symbolic of all of Ennis's life.
Why Jack took the shirt - my take on that is he wanted something to remember Ennis by, fearing with good reason that Ennis would act just the way he later actually does, when they get down to Signal. Ennis's behaviour from Jack said the "bring them down" line must have driven home to Jack that in Ennis's mind, their one shot thing is definitely about to end. And so he just *may* never see Ennis-who's-getting-married ever again.
And also, Jack is so careful of being openly emotional - at spooking Ennis with emotions, - at initiating any kind of personal and intimate talk touching on their relationship; - he always waits till Ennis says something or he keeps silent. (For instance....the way Jack silently waits in the scene where Ennis *finally* opens his mouth to say "this is a one shot thing...." just *kills* me!) So I can't see Jack actually *asking* for the shirt or anything else as a remembrance. That would probably cross Ennis's line to seeming queer; -crossing the boundary to the "touchy-feely" stuff that Ennis would consider outside the limits of their one shot thing on the mountan. Plus, I think Jack wouldn't or couldn't take the risk that Ennis might refuse him anything to remember him by. For he did want something, no matter what Ennis might thiink about it, so when an opportunity presented itself, he went for it.
Penthesilea:
--- Quote --- Ennis's behaviour from Jack said the "bring them down" line must have driven home to Jack that in Ennis's mind, their one shot thing is definitely about to end. And so he just *may* never see Ennis-who's-getting-married ever again.
--- End quote ---
--- Quote ---So I can't see Jack actually *asking* for the shirt or anything else as a remembrance. That would probably cross Ennis's line to seeming queer; -crossing the boundary to the "touchy-feely" stuff that Ennis would consider outside the limits of their one shot thing on the mountan. Plus, I think Jack wouldn't or couldn't take the risk that Ennis might refuse him anything to remember him by. For he did want something, no matter what Ennis might thiink about it, so when an opportunity presented itself, he went for it.
--- End quote ---
I think Mikaela's explanation is very good and covers all aspects of this question.
And yes, I took a sweatshirt from my then BF (and now husband), too. I "lend" it and never gave it back. Ahhh, it's precious to have a piece of clothing with the scent of your loved one in it. Especially when you're apart.
It's so sweet from Jack. Gotta love him for taking and keeping the shirt, doncha?
silkncense:
--- Quote ---I think after the punch, Jack's hopes of keeping in touch with Ennis after the summer were considerably dimmed. When he had the chance, he took the shirt, knowing he could at least have a little bit of Ennis left to comfort him. Just seeing those shirts in his closet over the years (and being unable to throw them out) might have been the reason Jack finally got up the nerve to contact Ennis again.
--- End quote ---
I tend to agree with this interpretation, Meryl.
--- Quote ---Ennis's behaviour from Jack said the "bring them down" line must have driven home to Jack that in Ennis's mind, their one shot thing is definitely about to end. And so he just *may* never see Ennis-who's-getting-married ever again.
--- End quote ---
I think Ennis' behavior after the "bring 'em down" line actually showed the opposite. I felt Ennis was clearly showing his pain and loss mixed w/ a "I don't know what is going on" feeling. He got angry, frustrated, he moped, he went off by himself - possibly to avoid having to confront his feelings.
And when it was time to ACTUALLY go - he lost control of his feelings & struck out - as we saw him do a number of other times in the film. After this point, Jack determined that there may not be a future with them together in some way and he took the shirt.
And, I still have a personal issue that Ennis didn't have any "touchy feely" stuff with Jack & did not acknowledge his feelings. The flashback shows Ennis being incredibly tender & loving towards Jack & was in no way sexual or a prelude to a sexula encounter. Also, later, the hotel scene where he is stroking & caressing Jack's arm and even the last tent scene where Ennis has his arm around Jack as they sleep.
Mikaela:
--- Quote ---I think Ennis' behavior after the "bring 'em down" line actually showed the opposite.
--- End quote ---
Just to clarify, I was thinking of Ennis's behaviour from that line was spoken and all the while till Jack took the shirt - which would encompass Ennis's punch and the nosebleed. (It's sometimes a struggle for me to be precise enough in the wording of posts....) I think Jack senses strong pain, loss, panic and desperation in Ennis; - and sees all those as Ennis's (mostly non-verbal) reactions to their time together being over. The very strength of those reactions indicating to jack that in Ennis's mind, it is *really* over.
--- Quote ---I still have a personal issue that Ennis didn't have any "touchy feely" stuff with Jack & did not acknowledge his feelings.
--- End quote ---
Ennis *had* strong feelings by the truckload. But in my view, he showed them through actions, not through spoken words. He's holding on to Jack for dear life in the motel room scene, but when Jack asks "What about you" - Ennis can only manage to mumble "I don't know". Ennis can't manage to verbalize all that he's feeling. Even on one of those few occasions where he does speak his feelings (- sending up the prayer of thanks -) he turns it into a spoken joke right away instead of being earnest about it; - nevertheless conveying his *actual* feelings through his expression if not through words.
Jack actually asking for the shirt or some remembrance outright, even explaining the reason why he wanted it, would bring the emotional stuff out into the open between them in spoken words - something I do believe Jack would know or sense that Ennis for various reasons would be uncomfortable with.
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