I agree with what you've said later in post, but I do sure have a problem with Ennis excuse about working. Now this a man who'd quit jobs to be with Jack, and I know that's what he said to Jack not being like in the early days, he got "child support" well in those early days he had a wife, and the kids. That's why I don't think Jack totally bought into that excuse. And in the end it wasn't the child support, it was him.
We see Ennis crumbling at the thought of Jack's quitting him. And I think that was Ennis's problem just as you said that "possessive love" he had for Jack. He couldn't go all the way with him, but he had to have that "leash" just taut enough not let Jack stray too far.
Could Ennis kill Jack, sexual obsession, possessive love, and his rage all the ingredients, but Ennis wouldn't have warned him, he'd just do it, unexpectedly like the punch. But Jack didn't care at this point, and he wasn't backing down. Jack saw the irony of it, to kill him for wanting more, and not getting it.
Sorry, so long getting back ..work and all,
Jack was really pissed off about Ennis changing the dates, but feel that both Jack and Ennis were growing sick and tired of the whole set up. The juggling, hiding and the secrets and lies.
Ennis says he has to work and pay child-support until the girls are 18. Don't think he wanted any trouble from Alma or the courts on that, she was not highly impressed in a positive way about "Jack Nasty" and how he played a factor in why she divorced Ennis.+ Ennis had this strong sense of duty to support them. But that's his *other life* he's living at least two seperate lives, Jack being one, his girls and obligations another. He could'nt exactly tell his boss that he could'nt make the round up, or help shipping stock because he had to drive to the mountains and meet Jack. Jack on the other hand , is part of a million-dollar family business. He has more means and freedom to travel. Ennis has to juggle vacation time according to how his employer's ranch is run. He's also older now and the days of quitting jobs was over. At least until his youngest child is 18.
I felt he kept both lives very compartmentalized in his mind., yes it has a direct effect on Jack having to live a double life too, but he was willing to give one up if he could have the other.
When Jack says "we outta go to Mexico" , Ennis's reaction to it was not very promising. "Mexico"?.. All the traveling he's done is around the coffee pot trying to find the handle". Well duh? Here's your chance Ennis to *get out more*, Jack was no longer impressed with cold hunting trips in Nov. He wanted to take Ennis to Mexico, have a little fun and just enjoy being with Ennis some place different, as some one once said , perhaps where people tend to be a little more *open-minded about matters of the heart such as theirs than Riverton, Wyoming. Some place warm, where there's other people. Maybe settle there on a little ranch? hmmm.
In any case these two were still talking two different languages in terms of where they stood in the relationship. Jack talking in terms of a permanent continuation , seeing Ennis more, not less. " never enough time", and Ennis talking more in terms of the status quo. More fishing, hunting, and any thing else that spoke of cold isolation in the Mts. I'm sure Jack enjoyed anytime alone with Ennis...until it had to end, that's what bothered him the most imo, it had to end and back to pretending again.
I really don't think Jack gave a damn about where they settled , as long as they were together, but he brought up Mexico , Ennis heard that, bringing it up again in response to Jack 's *better idea once*. Hmmm...now it's "you been to Mexico Jack Twist? with that suspecting look on his face he has an idea what goes on in Mexico for boys like Jack. Boys like you? , the hell was HE thinking? This kind of threw me when I first saw it. All this time , Ennis is still seperating himself from Jack. ( miscommunication and disconnect at it's finest imo) I think it was the thing that set Jack off on such a tear with Ennis. He knew there was "all them things he did'nt know" existed, just did'nt wanna hear about it, discuss it ot even think about, but to kill Jack? really? Possesive? yes, obsessed? nah, I think he was bluffing. .but it did set Jack off to tell Ennis "just once" and for all that everything that he did after Brokeback for 20 yrs. could be traced back to him , because of him he had done alot of deperate things, not all to be proud of. He was looking for answers concerning the present and future, not the past. After all that has been said , not said ,and done he finds Ennis ,was still lying to himself. Thanx.
