Author Topic: TOTW 19/07: Why couldn't Jack learn to just be happy with things as they were af  (Read 30516 times)

Offline Front-Ranger

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It doesn't make sense to single out Childress or Jack for that matter.  We have no idea - per the movie - what Childress is like. 

I think the scene where two geezers call Jack a "pissant" in front of his own wife was meant to give us an idea about Childress, plus the comments LaShawn made. But you have a good point--it was dangerous for Jack to engage in his rightful pursuit of happiness anywhere at that time--even in Mexico!!
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Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Quite possibly, but we learn from Jack's father that Jack began talking of bringing the ranch foreman back to Lightning Flat, as he had formerly spoken of bringing Ennis back there. Of course, we know nothing ever came of that, but the fact that Jack talked of both these scenarios suggests a continued desire to cohabitate with a male lover.

Sure enough, but we have no way of knowing whether anything more would have come of that than came of his talk of bringing Ennis to Lightning Flat. And I'm skeptical.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline jstephens9

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I think in some ways Jack did learn how to be happy with the way things were with Ennis. He wished deep in his mind that his dreams of what things could be like with Ennis could happen, but on the surface I think he had given up long before on that ever truly happening. I think he was very aware of that after the divorce when he went to see Ennis and things ended up not being what he was visualizing in his head. I agree with Jeff that the trips to Wyoming would have continued on forever. He was in love with Ennis in a way that he was not going to find with anyone else. He had learned to be somewhat satisfied in the fact that he did get to see and spend time with Ennis. Of course he longed for more and I believe he did try to see that in others, but it just wasn't going to be found. As far as Randall goes, it may have been that Jack was trying to make him a substitute for Ennis in his head. He may have said that to his father, but we know who was in Jack's mind - Ennis. Jack may have been trying to fool himself, but he would have been back on the mountain in November and every time after that. Randall was no more than the guy in the alley in Mexico.

Offline Front-Ranger

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       I don't think it was in Jack's nature, to be satisfied with the status quo.  He needed to be
disatisfied in order to get out of Lightning Flat.  He needed to be dissatisfied in order to leave
Signal and head to Texas.  He needed dissatisfaction with the situation he found himself in.  Working the rodeo circuit.  In order to find and Marry Lureen.
       He needed once again to be dissatisfied, with his marriage to Lureen, and missing Ennis,
in order to make him send the card to Ennis.  He was always the one from the very beginning,
wanting more.
I think you are on to something, Janice! It wasn't a matter of having insatiable desires (or was it?) Jack simply had to have more of everything! Perhaps it was something to do with growing up in that godforesaken corner of the state that is one of the darkest places in North America, no towns or bright lights nearby. Nothing but a narrow washboardy road leading away in a zigzag path... Thank you Janice and Jeff Wrangler, and Scott, Jack, Brad, and Clarissa for your thoughts. This really helps solve, or at least quiet, the conundrum that was beating in my brain!!
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Offline myprivatejack

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Hi¡ First of all,I must introduce myself;I´m a new member and perhaps the only who is not American,but from Barcelona.I hope you accept me¡ :laugh:
Answering to the question  of the topic: simply because he was in love.He needed to be with Ennis,to breath with Ennis breath,to live with,for and because of him...That´s all. But we must add the inconformism that  was a very special feature of his way of being;Jack was the movement,the air,Ennis the estatic,the earth.For Jack, living was fighting for what he wanted,never stopping to look for it;for Ennis,everything happenned because it must happen-his famous "If you can´t fix it,you´ve got to stand it"-and there was nothing he could do to change it. :(
For Jack having  this sweet life together would be a kind of liberation,sure.But for Ennis would be sooner or later to deepen in his fears and doubts,he would lve in a constant negation of himself and their relationship,as ever.I don´t know if their living together would be so idilic as Jack thought.But this is perhaps another thread...
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Offline jstephens9

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Hi¡ First of all,I must introduce myself;I´m a new member and perhaps the only who is not American,but from Barcelona.I hope you accept me¡ :laugh:

Hey and welcome to BetterMost myprivatejack!!! There are many people who are members here that are not American so you should feel right at home. This is a very accepting place.

Jack

Offline Penthesilea

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Hi¡ First of all,I must introduce myself;I´m a new member and perhaps the only who is not American,but from Barcelona.I hope you accept me¡ :laugh:


Hi myprivatejack
welcome to BetterMost! We're glad to have you here. We have many members from outside the US and quite a few who speak English only as a second language, so don't worry about it.

We have a thread where new members can introduce themselves and share as much or few as they want. It's here: http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,31.0.html
You're invited to introduce yourself there as well, but only if you want, it's voluntarily.

Offline brokeplex

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How difficult would it have been for Jack to live as gay man in that period in small town Texas? Could he have left Lureen? Could he realistically have lived in Texas or moved to Wyoming to be near Ennis. These are the questions that haunt me. I was a young man in Texas in the 1970's, but I moved away from the small town I grew up in to attend college in a bigger city. I discovered gay life there. But I wonder what options were open to a Jack Twist in the 1970's and early 1980's?

Offline Artiste

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Good question! Like life, no one can know the answer?

Relationships are rare as reality is between two individuals as a couple!

Relationships... is not only about sex (even if that mutual sex can help!!), as there is spiritual connexion too that Ennis and Jack became to know with each other being together at times: (in too rare possible times!!

Mutual caring as with them can be helpful, but social non-fears (hopeful for life) and fears (being killed because you are  gay man/men) were too still crystals to both men. .. which both could not disolve and solve. Too scary, unfortunately most times were each of their lives, even together!!

Religious, social, cultural, anti-gay laws, etc., and even persons like their wives as well as potential murderers of gay men, as that and more did not help them free themselves and become a real couple in public nor in private, beyond the Brokeback Mountain (and note that Brokeback was Brokenback); even on Brokeback Mountain as somewhat a heaven as a canopy or a tent, not all their cares were sufficient for each and together, since others like Aguirre looked at them creating a turbulence in their lives even then.

Why couldn't Jack learn to just be happy with things as they were after Brokeback Mountain? Isn't love an advancing thing?? Singularly and as a couple?? Can we wish that Jack had settled down with Ennis, yes we can be wishful but fear of danger was too great for him as well as for Ennis!!
No one can know the answer to a good relationship, at least Ennis and Jack tried their own way, thank goodness!! They were trying in moments d'occassions; yes, as occassional times!! Even among straights couples (married man and woman), that is so too, most often as occassional rare great times??!!

At least, Jack had as Ennis did too, some mutual joys as blessings being with Ennis on earth as a bit of heaven!!

Why couldn't Jack learn to just be happy with things as they were after Brokeback Mountain? We all wonder...
and hope for thruth and life??  Does this make sense?? Maybe?

Hugs!!

Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas  and Gay Holidays to all here on Bettermost and all over the wonderful world, as well as Ennisses and Jacks in gay heaven!!




Scott6373

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As much as people love to almost deify these two men, and hate any insinuation that they are less than the heroes our collective memories recall, the fact is that Jack was a very selfish boy and man.  It effected his family, his relationship with Ennis and ultimately himself.  He couldn't accept the way things were because they were not the the way he wanted them to be.  I personally am of the belief that when he left Ennis that day in May, he left Ennis for good, but we will never know the answer to that one, but if that is the case, then in the end, it was Jack who made the most emotional progress.