Ennis and the final card

[chowhound]

The final card we see in the movie goes like this:

Jack
How about November 7 for you. I can meet you at Pine Creek.

Ennis del Mar

I've always been curious as to why Ennis uses his full name and not just Ennis. After all, they have known each other for close to twenty years.

Maybe it's a private joke between the two of them because of the way their introduction went:

Jack: Jack Twist

Ennis (shakes hands): Ennis

A beat.

Jack: Your folks just stop at Ennis?

Ennis (after a moment): Del Mar

Or maybe the writers wanted us, at an almost subconscious level, to connect the end with the beginning.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

[Penthesilea]

I've always been curious as to why Ennis uses his full name and not just Ennis. After all, they have known each other for close to twenty years.

Maybe it's a private joke between the two of them because of the way their introduction went:

Yes, maybe.

Or maybe the writers wanted us, at an almost subconscious level, to connect the end with the beginning.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Yes, I can believe that.

Ennis gives his name in an ascending order in the course of the movie.

First time: Only "Ennis", and he gives the "Del Mar" part only after Jack explicitly asks for it.

Second time: meeting Cassie for the first time. The introduction goes like this:

"Ennis"

(Pause)

"Del Mar"

The full name doesn't come automatically, fluently. But he gives his full name without being nudged to it; after a thinking pause. I bet he's thinking of Jack at this very moment and their introduction long ago.


Third time: "Ennis Del Mar", complete, full name on the postcard.

[Front-Ranger]

Interesting question, Chow. The story doesn't give any clue about how Ennis signed his name, so I guess we must attribute this plot detail to the prop director, set designer, or Ang Lee himself. But it may be that Annie had a hand in it because of her earlier novel called Postcards in which each chapter begins with a picture of a postcard written by one of the characters, usually Loyal. I'll have to check the book and see if he signed his full name, Loyal Blood.

After he omitted his last name in introducing himself to Jack, Ennis used his full name twice, first to Cassie and then to Jack in the final postcard. It's clear that Cassie was just a Jack substitute so it's not surprising that Ennis said his full name, almost in an experimental way. In signing his full name to the postcard, Ennis seems to be acknowledging that through the experience with Cassie he learned how to give one hunerd percent of himself, not just once in a while way out in the middle of nowhere, but consistently. I don't think he was being formal or distancing himself at all, I think he was doing the opposite.

[Monika]

I think it´s Ennis being careful. To him, signing the card with "Ennis" , would seem a bit too friendly and he is always so careful not to arouse suspicion.

[Brown Eyes]

Am I correct in remembering that Cassie also calls Ennis by his full name in the bar when they meet and the bus station? In the bar, doesn't she say "what do you do Ennis Del Mar?" as if she thinks he's sort of funny for saying his full name the way he did when they met.  And, doesn't she say "I don't get you, Ennis Del Mar." in the bus station? 

There is something to this whole issue of the use of Ennis's full name.  The use of his full name is emphasized a lot throughout the film.

Of course, Jack asks Aguirre if Ennis Del Mar had been around when Jack returns to ask for another job.  And, Jack's Dad really makes a show of emphasizing Ennis's full name when he's talking about Jack's dreams during the Lightning Flat conversation.  "Ennis Del Mar he used to say..." etc.

Lee, it's interesting that there might be a connection of some kind to another piece of Proulx's writing.

 

[Front-Ranger]

Verr' interesting, Brown Eyes! And conversely, Alma replaces Jack's last name with the word "nasty."

[Brown Eyes]

The use of full names or names in general seems pretty interesting.  Now that I think about Ennis and Cassie's first meeting, she mimicks the way Ennis uses his full name (but she most closely echos the way Ennis sounded when he first met Jack):  "Cassie... Cassie Cartwright"


I think when it comes to Ennis, the name issue is bound up with the overarching theme of Ennis coming to terms with his identity.  A name seems to be a very clear symbol of a person's identity.  Somehow the issue of his name makes me think of Ennis's enigmatic statement in the alley when he has the dry heaves.  Clarissa once, wisely, noted that Ennis's question "what are you looking at?" is multi-layered.  What are we looking at when we look at Ennis?  And, does Ennis himself even know.

[belbbmfan]

I agree with the name being a symbol of someone's identity.

Maybe the fact that Ennis DID sign with his full name is an indication of an 'more established' identity. Maybe he was getting over his reluctance to use his full name. In the beginning he was just 'Ennis' and in the end he was 'Ennis Del Mar'. There is a big distinction.

[blueremembered]

I find the issue of Ennis' name very interesting. It is surely significant that Proloux gives him an exotic double barrelled surname that refuses to sound American.

Jack encourages him to use his full name, and Jack himself uses it to others, as Brown eyes pointed out. Perhaps Ennis feels that his full name, like his 'full self', was encouraged and made real by Jack. I, certainly agree with Front-Ranger that he wasn't being at all formal but was doing the opposite.

[Front-Ranger]

Maybe the fact that Ennis DID sign with his full name is an indication of an 'more established' identity. Maybe he was getting over his reluctance to use his full name. In the beginning he was just 'Ennis' and in the end he was 'Ennis Del Mar'. There is a big distinction.

Quite true, fabienne. And we know he hungered after distinction, since he wanted to be a sophomore, but didn't ever get there,  instead he got pitched directly into ranch work, which, according to Aguirre, was for "no-account" "deuces going nowhere."

Thanks for your contributions, blueremembered!!

[j.U.d.E.]

I find the issue of Ennis' name very interesting. It is surely significant that Proloux gives him an exotic double barrelled surname that refuses to sound American.

I just wanted to mention that! Maybe it was discussed at length here already, or even somehow explained in the book (which I haven't read in a while), but I am not on the BM board often enough - I was thinking, maybe Ennis did not want to say his last name to a total stranger (Jack), for fear of being ostracized. I mean 'Del Mar' is Spanish. Has it ever been mentionend that Ennis might have been of mixed race and/or nationality? Maybe Mexican. Maybe he made up that story about his folks' car accident, because he didn't want people to know about his ethnic background. Maybe that's why he hated Jack so much for going back to Mexico again and again. Maybe he never knew who his fatherwas and maybe his mother was Mexican and she gave him her last name. Maybe he was ashamed of being different. Double different. And maybe towards the end of the story, he started to accept his differences and eventually embraced the name of Del Mar, even before accepting the fact that he was gay.

But maybe this is far-fetching a bit too much...   

[Brown Eyes]

I just wanted to mention that! Maybe it was discussed at length here already, or even somehow explained in the book (which I haven't read in a while), but I am not on the BM board often enough - I was thinking, maybe Ennis did not want to say his last name to a total stranger (Jack), for fear of being ostracized. I mean 'Del Mar' is Spanish. Has it ever been mentionend that Ennis might have been of mixed race and/or nationality? Maybe Mexican. Maybe he made up that story about his folks' car accident, because he didn't want people to know about his ethnic background. Maybe that's why he hated Jack so much for going back to Mexico again and again. Maybe he never knew who his fatherwas and maybe his mother was Mexican and she gave him her last name. Maybe he was ashamed of being different. Double different. And maybe towards the end of the story, he started to accept his differences and eventually embraced the name of Del Mar, even before accepting the fact that he was gay.

But maybe this is far-fetching a bit too much...   

Heya,

I think this idea that Ennis might have already felt a bit like an outsider due to his unusual name makes a lot of sense.  For someone as insecure as Ennis, probably anything that made him stand out made him nervous.  I also like the idea, suggested in this thread, that Jack's proding of Ennis to say his full name, followed by Jack's jovial acceptance of his full name ("nice to know you Ennis Del Mar") was a first step towards Ennis developing an attraction to Jack and also developing a lot of trust in Jack.  I think Jack's acceptance and constant gentle encouragement of Ennis were such important factors in Ennis developing his emotional attachment to Jack.

[Front-Ranger]

Lee, it's interesting that there might be a connection of some kind to another piece of Proulx's writing.

 

I went through the book Postcards by Annie Proulx, and the signatures on the postcards that introduce each chapter are very individual. The main character, the eldest son Loyal Blood, signs his name, Yours, Loyal, or Son Loyal most of the time, but when his family writes to him they sign their full names with middle initial included. Once when the mother is writing to a different son, she signs her name Ma (Jewell Blood) as if he might get confused as to which Ma. Now, I think Ennis' signing of his full name is an indicator of his rural, almost illiterate roots.

[Brown Eyes]

I went through the book Postcards by Annie Proulx, and the signatures on the postcards that introduce each chapter are very individual. The main character, the eldest son Loyal Blood, signs his name, Yours, Loyal, or Son Loyal most of the time, but when his family writes to him they sign their full names with middle initial included. Once when the mother is writing to a different son, she signs her name Ma (Jewell Blood) as if he might get confused as to which Ma. Now, I think Ennis' signing of his full name is an indicator of his rural, almost illiterate roots.

Hi Lee!  That's interesting.  I have a copy of Postcards somewhere... I'll have to go check it out. 

I was thinking more about the use of Ennis's full name and the issue of identity last night again... and it occurred to me that another interesting moment is the phone call with Lureen.  When he calls she ask's who he is twice..."Who?  Who is this?"  Leading Ennis to have to say his name and explain himself in a way he'd never done before with anyone else... including briefly telling about his association with Jack, '63, Brokeback, sheep, etc.  In that brief conversation he tells an incredible amount about himself.  The whole issue of the full name here at this critical juncture in the film is really quite foregrounded.

[Front-Ranger]

Ennis is tested his entire life. My heart goes out to ennibody who lives in a hostile environment where you are constantly asked to live a lie, and to prove you buy into it. Why not just accept that there are all kinds of people and understand that diversity is beautiful!?!

[Marge_Innavera]

I think this idea that Ennis might have already felt a bit like an outsider due to his unusual name makes a lot of sense.  For someone as insecure as Ennis, probably anything that made him stand out made him nervous.  I also like the idea, suggested in this thread, that Jack's proding of Ennis to say his full name, followed by Jack's jovial acceptance of his full name ("nice to know you Ennis Del Mar") was a first step towards Ennis developing an attraction to Jack and also developing a lot of trust in Jack.  I think Jack's acceptance and constant gentle encouragement of Ennis were such important factors in Ennis developing his emotional attachment to Jack.

I like the idea of that corresponding to giving Jack his full name.  IMO it didn't have anything to do with ethnicity or his having an unusual name; it was rather that adding a last name to your first one gives you more specificity -- there could be any number of Bobs, Sallies or Greggs in a crowd but add their surnames and they become part of a specific family history.

Ennis leaving off his last name could have had something to do with his situation when he and Jack meet -- he doesn't use a family name because he doesn't have a family: the parents were killed when he was in his early teens and after that what was left of the family drifted apart until it was just Ennis alone -- until he met Jack.

I'd guess that "Ennis" is a family name; I'd never heard it used as a given name before but a Google search will turn up quite a lot of "Ennis" as a surname. It's even the surname of one of the regular posters on the Huffington Post!     That would make "Ennis" both a first and last name in a sense.

[Brown Eyes]

I like the idea of that corresponding to giving Jack his full name.  IMO it didn't have anything to do with ethnicity or his having an unusual name; it was rather that adding a last name to your first one gives you more specificity -- there could be any number of Bobs, Sallies or Greggs in a crowd but add their surnames and they become part of a specific family history.

Ennis leaving off his last name could have had something to do with his situation when he and Jack meet -- he doesn't use a family name because he doesn't have a family: the parents were killed when he was in his early teens and after that what was left of the family drifted apart until it was just Ennis alone -- until he met Jack.

I agree with this interpretation too about Ennis's reluctance to utter his full name.  There seem to be a few ways to interpret that exchange with Jack. It's like his family name is an after-thought to him initially until Jack prods for it.  It makes sense that he might feel a sense of estrangement from his family (his parents dying, his horrible memories of his father, a bad relationship with K.E. including the violence as a kid and Ennis being kicked out of his brother's house shortly before he embarked for Brokeback).

I think there are numerous ways to interpret this brief moment of introduction as being an important glimpse into Ennis's sense of self-esteem.

[optom3]

The one thing that seems at odds in both the s.s and film is the whole name issue. I have to believe that the names were chosen after due consideration. Not one word of the story is excess to requirements. I started to think of my own friendships and lovers etc and it came to me that the more attached to someone I become, the more shortened my name.

In our family all our names are abbreviated not elongated.In BBM as the two become closer, so the names become more formal.This led me to think how would I introduce someone very close to me, to a member of my family. I almost certainly would use an abbreviated form of their name.

It is at odds then that Ennis goes from his more simple forename, to the very formal full name. That in turn leads me to consider that  his apparent formal signature in the postcard, is actually more an endearment or convoluted nickname, based on their first tentative introduction.

The only time I can recall people in my family using their full names, was when the kids were little and upon being asked their names, would proudly say, Emma Jane Smith or whatever, pronounced in very staccato fashion with exaggerated diction.

Maybe as with so many things in this wonderful tale, we are led off on various tangents which are at once both shocking and abrupt,leaving us unable to catch our breath. I cannot help but think, that the very deliberate and visual use of his full and formal name, acts as a warning that we are abut to witness something catastrophic. In much the same way as TS1 assails our senses, with no preamble whatsoever, raw, beautiful and utterly shocking. The postcard is the same, raw, beautiful and delivering an almighty kick to the solar plexus.

[chowhound]

Another possibility that has not been discussed so far is that Ennis very deliberately signs the postcard "Ennis del Mar" as he knows that it is quite likely that Lureen will read it before Jack. After all, he may well recall that it was Alma who first let him know that he had a postcard from somebody called "Jack".

We have only one address for Jack and Lureen:

    RFD 2
    Childress, Texas

I don't live in the States - I live in Canada - so I'm not sure what "RFD" stands for but I assume it's a post box of some sort. If I'm right, then presumably Lureen was as likely as Jack to pick up the mail and, when doing so, would surely have looked at the postcard and the name of its signatory, "Ennis del Mar". However, that is an early address. But even if they had moved on since then, it is still quite likely that Lureen would have seen and read the card before Jack.

None of us can know what was going through Ennis's mind when he asked Jack to meet him at Pine Creek on November 7., though this may be the first time that Ennis has been the initiator of one of their reunions. If that's true, I think it is important. As important, is that this will be their first meeting after their last highly emotional and explosive meeting earlier on in the year.

Although we can't know what was going through Ennis's mind when he dent the postcard, some of us have wondered whether Ennis, is now starting to think not so much about a continuation of their old life but a new beginning. Even if he is not yet ready to fully commit, maybe he is starting to consider the possibilities of that "sweet life" offered him by Jack all those years ago.

If that's going through Ennis's mind, then signing the card "Ennis del Mar" is not so much directed at Jack as at Lureen. I don't know if it is a challenge, but at least it's insisting she knows fully the name of this man who is inviting her husband to join him - an invitation, obviously, which does not include her.

Even if this is not he case, Ennis is making sure that Lureen knows exactly who he is. He is not just some guy called "Ennis" but a fully realized individual. There is only one of me, he seems to be telling Lureen, and my name is Ennis del Mar.

[Monika]

None of us can know what was going through Ennis's mind when he asked Jack to meet him at Pine Creek on November 7., though this may be the first time that Ennis has been the initiator of one of their reunions. If that's true, I think it is important. As important, is that this will be their first meeting after their last highly emotional and explosive meeting earlier on in the year.

It might very well have been the first time. Something that also strikes is me is that brief shot of Ennis and Jack in the tent on their last night together. Ennis has his arms around Jack that may be suggesting that the roles have switched or that Ennis is more comfortable with showing his feelings and his need for Jack. Maybe Ennis was becoming more open to things, but it was simply, as it turned out, too late.

[chowhound]

It might very well have been the first time. Something that also strikes is me is that brief shot of Ennis and Jack in the tent on their last night together. Ennis has his arms around Jack that may be suggesting that the roles have switched or that Ennis is more comfortable with showing his feelings and his need for Jack. Maybe Ennis was becoming more open to things, but it was simply, as it turned out, too late.

I think you're right, Buffymon, to suggest that the  image we are given of them where, in sleep, Ennis is holding Jack says that Ennis is now "more comfortable with showing his feelings and his need for Jack." It is an image, of course, that is echoed at the very end of the movie once Ennis has reversed the two shirts. Once more it is Ennis holding and protecting Jack but now, alas, it is not the sleeping Jack he can hold on to but only the memories of those happier times.