Yes, I sent an e-mail to a film critic who had a big article the day after the OSCARS saying why the better picture won. He was quite upset in his reply e-mail to me explaining that not enough of the film was devoted to showing Jack and Ennis falling in love, being in love, etc. But he did mention the shirts as being evidence they had feelings for each other, but they needed more moments like that (the shirts). Like HELLO! Should Juliet should have done something more drastic then committing suicide to show she loved Romeo. :'(
I, yep me, am ready to accept that Jack needed to leave Ennis in order to save them both. But, possibly contrarily, I think Ennis was at a cross roads and, had Jack not died, something would have changed.
1.) DavidInHartford was right - Jack would vote Republican. I got that from this line "Why bother earning it? - if the taxes don't eat it up, the inflation will." Taxes = Democrats. Why did I never see that before? In general? I've wondered for years why my blue collar brothers are such Republicans - why anyone who works basically minimum wage and barely squeaks by would vote Republican - and I got it answered for me tonight. Jack would vote Republican because he sees the Democrats as eating away the money he makes in taxes. Ennis, if at all, would vote Democrat because he secretly sides with them for pulling for the "little man." David was right.
I think it's possible that Jack might have voted Republican, though I would guess it might be more a matter of his being wealthy at that point (that, and his red-state environment) than his blue-collar background. My understanding is that traditionally Democratic working-class folks didn't start shifting to the Republican party in huge numbers until the '80s, when conservatives realized they could use wedge issues like gay rights and abortion and affirmative action and flag-burning and school prayer to divide socially liberal and socially conservative Democrats.
Barb-
I like where you are goin with that thought. I, too, think Ennis was at his breaking point. Given the choice of Jack's way of the highway, I believe he would have taken Jack's way.
For some reason the viewing last night broke my sadness. I cried for hours after watching it (had to have an Elle intervention) but I came away for the first time not sad for Ennis and Jack. I didn't dream about it, didn't wake up with their heartache as my own. I feel no need for fan fiction anymore to make it all better. What a profound shift for me. When all the weeping was over, I just had a deep deep appreciation for the beauty and wonder and power of this story. I had no need to alter or question it-I only had to love it.
O0