After watching this movie for probably the fifth time over break (and yes -- once with my parents, although being awkward), I discussed the themes of the film and came up with a few really interesting/perplexing questions:
1. If Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar got married, would they still love each other as much or would the thrill disappear?
2. Who is the bigger sinner? Is Ennis the bigger sinner because his wife finds out, or is Jack the bigger sinner because he sleeps with other men?
3. Did Ennis do the right thing by worrying about what society thinks of their relationship?
4. Is their passion something that can really be controlled?
Here are some answers that are not necessarily the right ones, but just further speculations...
1.
Well, the movie definitely does not explore the answer to this
question. It just focuses on the forbidden love between the two men. I
think that whether their marriage would work or not is not the point.
The point is that they are happier together and find more meaning in
their lives doing what they love together (ranching, shepherding, etc.),
and because of the string of obligations tied to Ennis and the fear of
being caught, they do not give themselves the opportunity to explore
that option fully. That's why this movie is, in a sense further than
Jack's death, a bigger tragedy. It reflects a lost cause that if mended,
could have perhaps made two people completely and utterly content. But
just to offer an actual answer to the question, my mom thinks their
marriage would last because if they did not have kids and just spent all
their days ranching together on that beautiful mountain, then it would be stress-free like hell.
2. I'd like to believe the movie has no sinners just victims, but if I have to choose between Ennis and Jack, I would choose Jack. Unfortunately, Jack cheats more and pays the bigger price for his actions. He's more adventurous and susceptible to his emotions and romantic intuition. Even at the cost of what could happen in society, Jack pays more attention to his dreams and feelings. Yet even though he cheats, even on Ennis, I sympathize with Jack's character. It is just sad that Jack has to resort to prostitution and other means to satisfy his needs since Ennis is not always available. Yet I believe that it may have been a mistake on Jack's part to not look at the bigger picture. Ennis, on the other hand, cheats less, and does get caught by his wife. He suffers the repercussions early on: he gets a divorce from his wife and is forced to take care of his children through child support, even if it means leaving his comfortable romance with Jack behind. In fact, after the divorce, he sobers down his emotions a lot and does not escape with Jack as often. Despite all his feelings, he manages to keep the priority of his family first. Ennis continues worrying about what society thinks because he knows and understands the dangers: as a kid he witnesses the brutal murdering of a gay rancher, thanks to his own father who "might as well have done the job." For all this, even if it may not be happy, Ennis gets the better end of the deal: he lives, perhaps gets to see his daughter's wedding and finally learns the importance of expressing love, whereas Jack gets murdered by ruthless conservatives. It is a sad sad tale.
3. This is one of the million dollar questions of the movie: did Ennis do the right thing by wanting to hide his feelings for Jack from society? I believe that there is no right or wrong answer to this question, given the setting of the story. Initially, I felt that he could have fought more for his relationship with Jack and perhaps could have avoided marrying Alma. But this is 1963 Wyoming, and that would be a huge risk for both men. Also, at that point, how could Ennis have fought? He was not even ready to accept his own homosexuality. Being in love with Jack did not fall under his category of a tough Western ideal. What's more is that Ennis did not foresee him and Jack getting into a full-fledged affair in the future. Therefore, I personally would sympathize and feel sorry for him more than blame him. He just wanted to avoid conflict. And it is not like he did not pay a price for his repressed feelings: he practically puked on the side of the road after saying goodbye to Jack because of his grief. As for later circumstances, as awful and boring as it sounds, I think he did the right thing by sticking to his obligations to his daughters and society. I mean, who knows how they would have reacted if they found out. Maybe Alma Jr, his older daughter, would have understood, but what about Alma Jr's classmates or future husband? Ennis was simply being a pragmatist. As for his doomed love with Jack, the movie shows that at the end, it does not really matter whether Jack and Ennis spent a whole lifetime together or just a few moments: love transcends boundaries. Even if Jack wasn't there physically right next to him, Ennis still had a semblance of a memory (the blue jacket and the postcard) that he could use to remind himself that love in any form is pure and real, and perhaps worth fighting for.
4. The last question is speculative at best, but I think their passion could be controlled. It's just that it would have left a cleft in their hearts. Perhaps it would be easier for both men, Ennis especially, to live their lives complacently with their wives and children. But clearly, their attraction for each other was strong enough to make them have an affair that is discrete and against their values. The result may not be pleasant, but hey, this is a movie about two people, not two saints.
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