Author Topic: Why wait four effing years?  (Read 13388 times)

Offline isabelle

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Why wait four effing years?
« on: November 29, 2006, 08:44:46 pm »
I am sorry if this has been discussed before, and please let me know (and send me packing if it has), but I do not remember:

I wonder why Jack had to wait four years before he got in touch with Ennis again.

Any thoughts on this? Nothing I can think of sounds very convincing to me.
« Last Edit: November 30, 2006, 04:40:55 am by isabelle »
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Offline serious crayons

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Re: Why wait four effing years?
« Reply #1 on: November 30, 2006, 02:05:08 am »
I am sorry if this has been discussed before, and please let me know (and send ma packing) if it has, but I do not remember:

Send you packing, are you kidding? Isabelle, I'm so glad to see you around!

Unfortunately, I don't have a great answer. I guess if anything, I would say Jack probably assumed it was over after they parted in Signal, especially when Ennis didn't show up the following summer. So he went about trying to make a life for himself. Except everything he tried -- rodeoin, Jimbo, marriage -- was unsuccessful or unsatisfying. Finally, stuck in an unexciting marriage, working for obnoxious in-laws, he probably got desperate or brave enough to take another shot at Ennis. His postcard implies he will just happen to be passing through town on the 24th en route to something else, but after receiving Ennis' encouraging "YOU BET" response, it sure doesn't look like Jack has anywhere else in mind.

Offline isabelle

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Re: Why wait four effin' years?
« Reply #2 on: November 30, 2006, 04:47:03 am »
Thanks Katherine  :); that's right, he must have felt he ought to simply forget about Ennis after being told to get lost by Aguirre.

Isn't ironical that we tend to (or I do) get in touch again with old flames once we feel it's safe (ongoing relationship, maybe kids), so that it won't look like "hey baby, it's me! Will you take me back? Like, right now?".

Makes sense.
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Offline serious crayons

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Re: Why wait four effin' years?
« Reply #3 on: November 30, 2006, 07:16:41 pm »
Isn't ironical that we tend to (or I do) get in touch again with old flames once we feel it's safe (ongoing relationship, maybe kids), so that it won't look like "hey baby, it's me! Will you take me back? Like, right now?"

So true. And yet, often we're secretly thinking that, hunh? I mean, we don't get in touch with old flames -- at least, I don't -- while delirious with happiness in my current relationship.

Offline Daniel

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Re: Why wait four effing years?
« Reply #4 on: November 30, 2006, 07:19:15 pm »
I think it was because there was a sense of finality in their last parting, even though Jack said: "Well, see ya around." Ennis's reply was hardly committal. I also think that Jack didn't realize how in love he was with Ennis until after he had spent some time on Rodeo tour, as per Meditation 27 of the Daily Meditations.
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Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: Why wait four effing years?
« Reply #5 on: December 02, 2006, 08:50:02 pm »
His postcard implies he will just happen to be passing through town on the 24th en route to something else, but after receiving Ennis' encouraging "YOU BET" response, it sure doesn't look like Jack has anywhere else in mind.

Heya,

I think he tried to make the postcard seem off-hand and casual (in saying that he's only passing through with the implication that he's on his way to his parents' house probably- which would ring true to Ennis) in order to save a little face.  If Ennis never replied or sent back something negative or a rejection, he at least wouldn't look like he had placed too much weight on the idea of the get-together in the first place.  It's easy to imagine, though, that in reality back in Texas he probably agonized over exactly the right thing to write (spelling mistakes not withstanding) and over how to strike exactly the right tone (casual, yet positive and friendly).   We know that Jack is already thinking about the cow and calf operation by the time he writes the postcard (I assume his campfire suggestion/ or in the motel bed in the story, wasn't entirely spontaneous).  He seems to have been gambling that Ennis was as miserable as he had been.

On the topic of why 4 years... it's a good question, and you're right that it's hard to come up with a great answer as to why.  I think we're on the right track with the combination of ideas suggested here: (1) feeling like things really were over with Ennis upon the return to Signal (2) trying to make a go of his life on his own (3) feeling desparate by the time 4 years had rolled around since his Texas life wasn't what he hoped and (4) this good idea suggested in this thread that somehow 4 years felt a little safe or like enough time had passed for emotions to have cooled down (this is clearly not true... but in a good way of course).  But, it's interesting that Jack seems to have arrived in Riverton with a bit of confidence (it only took Ennis's smile on the balcony... even before th kiss) to demonstrate that Jack's gamble over reconnecting was spot-on. 
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Offline serious crayons

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Re: Why wait four effing years?
« Reply #6 on: December 02, 2006, 10:50:41 pm »
I think he tried to make the postcard seem off-hand and casual (in saying that he's only passing through with the implication that he's on his way to his parents' house probably- which would ring true to Ennis) in order to save a little face.  If Ennis never replied or sent back something negative or a rejection, he at least wouldn't look like he had placed too much weight on the idea of the get-together in the first place.  It's easy to imagine, though, that in reality back in Texas he probably agonized over exactly the right thing to write (spelling mistakes not withstanding) and over how to strike exactly the right tone (casual, yet positive and friendly).   We know that Jack is already thinking about the cow and calf operation by the time he writes the postcard (I assume his campfire suggestion/ or in the motel bed in the story, wasn't entirely spontaneous).  He seems to have been gambling that Ennis was as miserable as he had been.

That sounds exactly right, Amanda.

Offline BBM-Cat

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Re: Why wait four effing years?
« Reply #7 on: January 22, 2007, 04:41:53 am »
Just wondering if anyone else has this experience while watching BBM with the particular line Jack utters at the reunion camping scene to Ennis, "every 4 fuckin' years?".... the inflection or tone of the sentence always sounds so out of character to me - not the content, but the way it sounds. I always think that we hear Jake and not Jack at that crucial moment. It hits me every time I watch the movie like a bad note.

Tell me if I'm just crazy.  :laugh:
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mvansand76

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Re: Why wait four effing years?
« Reply #8 on: January 22, 2007, 08:21:02 am »
Just wondering if anyone else has this experience while watching BBM with the particular line Jack utters at the reunion camping scene to Ennis, "every 4 fuckin' years?".... the inflection or tone of the sentence always sounds so out of character to me - not the content, but the way it sounds. I always think that we hear Jake and not Jack at that crucial moment. It hits me every time I watch the movie like a bad note.

Tell me if I'm just crazy.  :laugh:

You are not crazy, I have the same feeling when I watch it, I think it's the timing, it doesn't feel completely right, it's the pause before he says "every four fuckin years?" that makes the line not feel genuine to me.

Scott6373

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Re: Why wait four effing years?
« Reply #9 on: January 22, 2007, 09:00:46 am »
On the original question:  I've said this all along, and occasionally it needs repeating.  Objectively viewed, this film is a period piece.  We cannot inflict out modern day sensibilities on the actions of these two (or any other) characters. It's quite easy for us to sit here and say "why didn't he?", or "why didn't they?", but the fact remains that their behavior and consequent actions were in perfect agreement with the social and political times.

We can't lull ourselves into a false sense of outrage at what they did or didn't do, because for them, these options did not exist.  Let me relate a story to illustrate.  My sister-in-law's brother passed away.  Natrurally my partmer and I went to the wake (which was held some distance away).  Upon arriving, I noticed a man at the other end of the room who looked familiar.  He was someone who both Rick and I had seen at several get to-gathers that were held by a friend of ours (completely unrelated to my sister-in-law or her family, so it was a real case of worlds colliding.  We knew that Bruce (the deceased) was gay as it was common knowledge.  I asked Rick if he had ever been introduced to this guy at one of the parties we had been at, and he said no. Since I gad not been either, I asked my brother-in-law who it was.  He said that it was Bruce's significant other.  Ok, no big deal.  Since I had never been introduced I felt odd about just going up and saying "Don't I know you" so I didn't.

The next day I called my friend (who hosted these get to-gathers) and described him.  She said "Oh yeah, that's my cousin Brian."  I asked why she never mentioned her cousin was gay, and she said "He's not".  I backed off that very quickly, but later that night, my sister-in-law called and asked (at Brian's request) that we not talk to his cousin about this as he was not out and was too afraid for anyone to find out.  This man is single and in his 40's.  When did this happen?  Two weeks ago.  If this level of fear still exists today, imagine what it was like back in the sixties, or even the eighties.   That's why it is very important to view the mens actions in the context of the times they happened in.
« Last Edit: January 22, 2007, 10:03:57 am by Scott6373 »