He once said that the chain stands for the mask that most gays have had to wear
and hide the person they really are.
Notch on the face, shows time moves you into older age, and you are still seeking.
Only can the Maker Make a Happy man of me/// Nothing I, have tried has worked.
Get along little doggies means I keep doing all the things I have to do to get by,
duck my head and just keep plugging on til the end. That was in reference to mainly
Ennis. But to gays in general too..
Closeted gays being "chained" by time and prejudice, and fear....
Thank god this is becoming less and less of an issue than it was even four years ago.
I think that the story, the book and the movie....Annie, Larry, and Diana were greatly
responsible for some of this. But I have to give equal credit to the incomparable Heath
Ledger, and the beautiful Jake Gyllenhaal for a large part of it as well. Lest we forget the tender hearted, and kind way that the superb Ang Lee had them portray
those remarkable characters, for the bravery they showed, and the crude and abusive talk they received for the parts
they played in that movie. They have forever made it easier for others to do like
stories with no rude and slanderous remarks of note. Example Sean Penn received
the award for a gay character that was not nearly as difficult to do as Ennis.