Topic: You ever get the feelin' . . . .

[aintfoolin]

I too noticed something special about this scene.  We see Ennis talking frankly with Jack, in a manner that was pretty matter of fact (compare it with the veiled approach when they talked up in the mountains after FNIT). 

I think it does hint at Ennis opening up to his homosexuality.  But I also think it was driven primarily by fear -- or the mounting (?) paranoia about being found out.  I suspect that Ennis brought this up most reluctantly -- it was so very not like him to talk about such a thing in the open.  But I think he just had to let a little bit out, and Jack was certainly one he trusted.

What I find most interesting is that IMO, Ennis bringing up Jack's relationship with Lureen was really an oblique way of referncing HIS relationship with Jack, and whether it was known by more people than they think.  Ennis was unable to reference it directly; instead, he brought it up indirectly as a corollary to Jack's married situation. 

I hope this is making sense.  I would be interested to know your thoughts.

 Great topic  Jackster, and such wonderful, interesting posts.
 I agree with Tpe here that Ennis is relating his suspicions about what Alma told him, and he asks Jack " You and Lureen, It's normal and all? Then he asks " She  (Jack's wife)don't ever suspect? If Alma does'nt have any hard evidence , how the hell did she figure it out? Little did he know, Alma did have evidence as to the nature of the relationship between he and Jack.
 In doing this, he does seem to have  "outed" himself at least to Jack. ( who surely already knew)concerning his feelings for him.  The way he brings this up says that this is something, not out of the blue, but something he has been thinking about a little bit.
 I also agree with the above post that Jack missed an opportunity to engage Ennis in a converstion about their homosexual affair, though I don't agree that Jack set out intending to do so. He was so frustrated imo that Ennis wasn't  past this paranoia about being found out. after all this time, yet his heart went out to Ennis, imo. Maybe this  was Jack's attempt to remove familiar faces and environment so that Ennis at least  had someplace where no one is familiar with his comings and goings, though Texas...well ...NOT. Maybe Denver or Montana, but not Texas. Lureen and her family are  there and To Ennis is like jumping from the frying pan, into the fire.   In fact, since the divorce he seems even more paranoid. Perhaps he feels more exposed since he no longer can hold up a "normal" lifestyle as proof to society he is totally straight. Jack's  suggestion to "get outta there, find someplace different" was said with all good intentions.I do think Ennis out of his own frustration at being "misunderstood" gets sarcastic at the suggestion,  Jack gets livid at the total rejection of his solution. They're back to square one with Ennis saying " Jack F-ckin Twist, got it all figured out".......

[tpe]

Much sense. Yes, I've always been a bit puzzled by that statement too "You an' Lureen . . . normal an' all?" (As if Ennis knew what "normal" hetero sex was!) Maybe he was trying to figure out if he was possibly more homo than Jack, or maybe since this was after Alma's "Jack nasty" comment, he's trying to figure out exactly how "nasty" Jack is, at least in regard to his sexual proclivities. Or like's been said, he's thinking that if Jack & Lureen are still having sex (as Ennis an' Alma are now split) then that would provide cover (in Texas anyway) for Jack. Or maybe he's trying to see if Jack's riding' more than bulls down in Texas, since at this point Ennis isn't ridin' anyone (except Jack) as Cassie's not in the picture yet. A number of maybe's here. . . .

Now this is also an interesting thought that I had not considered previously -- whether this was in response to Alma's comment about Jack.  I don't know how contiguous those scenes are in real time, but to the viewer, one can make the association.  This certainly is a possibility -- of Ennis trying to make a comparison of sorts between him and Jack. 

Probable "maybe's", to be sure.

Would it also suggest that Ennis very seldom inquired about Jack's private life outside of their fishing trips?


 

[tpe]

I've always felt the river scene depicted Ennis as concerned about who knew what about he and Jack.  After all he and Alma had recently confronted the subject.  If he didn't think she suspected something before he got confirmation that she knew something all along.  I'm sure that knowledge would make him wonder how many other people had their suspicions about him.

Yes, I had also thought that the scene was a sort of response to realizing how much Alma knew (even though it is hard to believe that Ennis didn't guess, considering his carelessness).  It doesn't matter whether the two scenes were temporally contiguous -- they certainly were to the movie viewer.

[tpe]

I don't think Ennis was getting paranoid. He was merely acting out what the culture demanded of any gay men living in a small town. Even today, there are places in rural America where being gay can be an invitation to a beating. Gay teens do not have the highest suicide rates in America for nothing. Ennis was certainly justified to be confused by Alma's finding out, since he did not know she witnessed their reunion kiss. I was confused though, that Ennis did not pick up on how upset Alma was, when she took off for the fishing trip after their motel visit. He looked like he was apologetic, and even kissed Alma goodbye, which was the only time he did that. But he never pursued the reason for her upset. Perhaps if he did, thing would have worked out differently.

Then again, as you mentioned, Ennis never discussed his relationship with Jack, not even with Jack. I think someone said this is different in the short story. I don't know if it was intentional on the scriptwrters' part or the director's part. In any case, I think it makes Ennis even more real to life. To Ennis, Jack was his fishing/hunting/cowboy buddy. They fool around because that's what boys do when they are left to their own devices.  The only difference is the intensity between them, that overwhelmed Ennis, to the point of making his normal straight relationships pale by comparison. I think Ennis was asking Jack if Laureen found anything missing in their love life. This is confirmed later by Jack in their last meeting, but at this point, Jack's usual bravado got the best of him, and he refused to be vulnerable. This, in my opinion, caused the attempt at communication to break down, leading to Ennis' scorn at Jack's solution to move to Texas. If Jack had let down his guard, confess to an unsatisfactory lovelife with Laureen, and then offer to help Ennis settle in a ranch in Texas, so they can spend more time together, so that Ennis moving to Texas is for Jack's benefit, and not Ennis running away (which to any cowboy, is not a easy pill to swallow). Anyway, I think what you said makes perfect sense, tpe. These cowboys are the products of their time and culture. They are victims of their own limitations. Had they been watching Will and Grace, or the Queer Eyes for the Straight Guys, they'd be living happily in Lightning Flat with a fabulous cow and calf operation, and if I may add, a gorgeous resort for City Slickin' Cowboys  to learn the ropes. Just my thoughts.

Well it may certainly be true that Ennis had cause to fear that many more people knew about him and Jack.  After all, it is very possible that Alma had not hidden what happened during the Thanksgiving scene to Monroe.  At best, I would hazard that there may be some grounding to Ennis's concern of being found out.  Again, the ambiguity is one of the strong points of the storyline in the movie.

[tpe]

I wonder whether Alma would ever have told Monroe about Ennis; we don't know on what grounds she got her divorce; if they were something socially mentionabale, like say unreasonable behaviour, she mightn't have mentioned the relationship with Jack. But maybe Ennis thinks that now she's socially secure Alma may have not just decided to confront him but also have talked to Monroe, and gossip has arisen as a result.

I am intrigued by the idea that confronting the awful LD changed Jack in some way, made him harder, more aggressively male, more determined to get what he wanted perhaps, and that that changed the dynamics of his other relationships. It might have made him more ready to say, in effect, "To hell with Lureen" but I suppose he could also have thought that he was ready to demand more from Ennis. After all, he had alternatives by now.

WW, I just echoed your comments here.  I do think it is possible -- could she have hidden it from Monroe, given her state of mind?

AS for LD, we note that the Thanksgiving scene with Jack happened after the visit to Mexico, so I would suspect that it was Ennis's snub after the divorce that pushed Jack to take risks, and that the scene with LD was a result of this and not the primary cause.

[tpe]

Great topic  Jackster, and such wonderful, interesting posts.
 I agree with Tpe here that Ennis is relating his suspicions about what Alma told him, and he asks Jack " You and Lureen, It's normal and all? Then he asks " She  (Jack's wife)don't ever suspect? If Alma does'nt have any hard evidence , how the hell did she figure it out? Little did he know, Alma did have evidence as to the nature of the relationship between he and Jack.
 In doing this, he does seem to have  "outed" himself at least to Jack. ( who surely already knew)concerning his feelings for him.  The way he brings this up says that this is something, not out of the blue, but something he has been thinking about a little bit.
 I also agree with the above post that Jack missed an opportunity to engage Ennis in a converstion about their homosexual affair, though I don't agree that Jack set out intending to do so. He was so frustrated imo that Ennis wasn't  past this paranoia about being found out. after all this time, yet his heart went out to Ennis, imo. Maybe this  was Jack's attempt to remove familiar faces and environment so that Ennis at least  had someplace where no one is familiar with his comings and goings, though Texas...well ...NOT. Maybe Denver or Montana, but not Texas. Lureen and her family are  there and To Ennis is like jumping from the frying pan, into the fire.   In fact, since the divorce he seems even more paranoid. Perhaps he feels more exposed since he no longer can hold up a "normal" lifestyle as proof to society he is totally straight. Jack's  suggestion to "get outta there, find someplace different" was said with all good intentions.I do think Ennis out of his own frustration at being "misunderstood" gets sarcastic at the suggestion,  Jack gets livid at the total rejection of his solution. They're back to square one with Ennis saying " Jack F-ckin Twist, got it all figured out".......

It is interesting to note that Jack must have been unaware of what happened to Alma and Ennis during Thanksgiving, and therefore to Jack, it must have looked as if Ennis weas being totally paranoid. 

Well, I don't really know if Ennis did tell Jack about the incident before this scene, but it seems to me that they kept many things to themselves, occasionally hinting at things, perhaps.  And I do think whenever they hinted at things, it was also in a very oblique manner.  THis scene is a good example.  The surprise is that they probably understood anyway what the underlying subjects were.

[City Slickin' Cowboy]

According to Wikipedia, Riverton had a population of 9311 in 2000. I can imagine the number in 1970 was much smaller. It's small enough that I an almost 100% certain that with Alma knowing about it, and Monroe being the manager of the supermarket, and Aguirre knowing about it, most of Riverton would know about it. Monroe seems to truly love Alma, so he may keep it a secret to protect her, if she asks him not to say anything. She may not have any reason to expose him, especially for the girls' sakes. Aguirre, however, has no reason to keep it to himself. With the ranching community knowing everyone else, I'd be surprised if Ennis' reputation does not precede him whenever he quits his jobs to be with Jack. Being the lovely person that he is, Ennis still managed to be accepted by everyone around him. He borrowed someone's cabin one summer. Surely the fella must know what was going on in his cabin. The irony here, I think, is that Ennis was so afraid of being found out, being ostracized, when, if my suspicion is correct, he was already found out, and was accepted in spite of his queerness. All the worrying was for nothing. Most people, I think, can be very tolerant as long as they are not confronted by it in terms that are beyond their comfort zone.

You bring up some interesting points here.  There is a strong possibility that people in the area knew more about Ennis than he was aware of.  Obviously there were people who didn't know.  He met Cassie and by the end of the film she was still trying to figure him out.

[FlwrChild]

Yes, I would actually be surprised if either Alma or Aguirre said anything to anyone, even Monroe. By the way she was seething in the Thanksgiving scene, I'd say she'd been holding that in for a long time. And I doubt that she was equipped to vocalize any of her thoughts or feelings about the situation prior to that conversation, when it finally came spilling out to Ennis. Aguirre seemed like he'd be disgusted by it, but I doubt there was much opportunity or desire on his part to share the information.

Whether they did or not, of course, is irrelevant here, as it's only Ennis's perception that matters. I wonder if knowing that other people knew, and didn't say anything, would reassure him or just send him even further into his shell.

It's too bad that they were already so set in their patterns of communication (or lack thereof) that this proved to be a missed opportunity at any useful dialogue.

[jackster]

According to Wikipedia, Riverton had a population of 9311 in 2000. I can imagine the number in 1970 was much smaller.

Just FYI - Riverton in 1970 was 8,000; in 1980 9,562. It may be hard for many "flatlanders" to understand a decrease in population in this day and age, but much of these towns economy is related to extraction (oil, gas, coal, etc.) Small farms and ranches are not as important anymore either.

Aguirre, however, has no reason to keep it to himself. . . .

Of course Aguirre is over in the mythical "Signal" which we're lead to believe is a very small town (100s) very close to the mountains, somewhere out toward DuBois (maybe). . .

Don't take this personal LC - I jus' like to keep these things straight . .

[jackster]

Yes, I would actually be surprised if either Alma or Aguirre said anything to anyone, even Monroe.

You bet FC, what's she gonna say? - Oh there goes that Ennis, I was married to that queer for 12 years! Doesn't seem likely in my book, she's just as ashamed of it as Ennis.

[lancecowboy]

Just FYI - Riverton in 1970 was 8,000; in 1980 9,562. It may be hard for many "flatlanders" to understand a decrease in population in this day and age, but much of these towns economy is related to extraction (oil, gas, coal, etc.) Small farms and ranches are not as important anymore either.


Of course Aguirre is over in the mythical "Signal" which we're lead to believe is a very small town (100s) very close to the mountains, somewhere out toward DuBois (maybe). . .

Don't take this personal LC - I jus' like to keep these things straight . .

Hey, Jackster, no way I'd take someone giving out straight facts personal.
I just knew someone closer to the ranch community there would straighten me out... 
Besides, I'd say I wasn't too far off the mark...8000 is smaller than 9311 (not much smaller mind you). It's interesting comment you made, that the population decreased and that with the type of industry (roughnecks I guess) the population can be fairly transient. This means Ennis even has less to worry about.

Yes, you are right about Aguirre being over in Signal, and yes, being a city boy all my life (my handle notwithstanding) I forgot the distances involved. And as FlwrChild pointed out, Aguirre had no reason or opportunities to talk about it, except with the boys over drinks, I guess. And even then, I think he liked Ennis and disliked Jack, so he laid the blame for their wickedness on Jack leading Ennis astray.

The more I think about it, the more I realize how sad it had been for Ennis to build this huge wall to keep himself in, when it was totally unnecessary. It really highlights the horrific impact of crime against children. Ennis' experience at nine scarred him for life, yet he still talked of his father as if the guy knew everything and wanted to emulate him: Fireside chat: My dad...he was a fine roper...thought all'em rodeo cowboys were a bunch of fu@# up's." with big grin on his face. 

Ennis is such a lovable guy that I cannot imagine Alma or Aguirre or anyone else in town do anything to hurt him. They'd probably be the first to rally around him, if any outsider came to give him any trouble.

Hey, Jackster, thanks for straightening me out. 

[lancecowboy]

Yes, I would actually be surprised if either Alma or Aguirre said anything to anyone, even Monroe. By the way she was seething in the Thanksgiving scene, I'd say she'd been holding that in for a long time. And I doubt that she was equipped to vocalize any of her thoughts or feelings about the situation prior to that conversation, when it finally came spilling out to Ennis. Aguirre seemed like he'd be disgusted by it, but I doubt there was much opportunity or desire on his part to share the information.

Whether they did or not, of course, is irrelevant here, as it's only Ennis's perception that matters. I wonder if knowing that other people knew, and didn't say anything, would reassure him or just send him even further into his shell.

It's too bad that they were already so set in their patterns of communication (or lack thereof) that this proved to be a missed opportunity at any useful dialogue.

I think you are right, FlwrChild, the people who knew about Ennis would not talk about it, and the people who didn't know, had no reason to suspect. He was definitely walling himself off for no reason. I'd think he would still have trouble accepting the fact that people don't care much about what he does behind closed doors (as Jack said, nobody's business but ours). As you said, it's Ennis' own perception that matters, and the traumatic experience at nine witnessing Earl was simply too burned into his psyche to allow his reactions to be any different. He can consciously override his shyness, as he did at the end of the movie, but he would still feel uncomfortable and react initially with the same set pattern that was part of him for forty years.

Brokeback Mountain taught me to break out of old patterns, to open new doors, to follow new trails, to treasure every moment, to make the most of every opportunity, to not let the pot go floating by, to make those 14-hour drives each way, to stop and think before saying mean or hurtful things, to ride it out and stick with it, to know that I can be more than the victim of circumstances, to know that I can make a change from what I was to become what I want to be as Ennis had done at the end of the movie, but most of all to send up a prayer of thanks to heaven to be thankful that life was and is and can be just like this, always...if we'd only take the reins.

Ennis was trying to get a handle on this feeling...but Jack didn't know how to deal with it, perhaps out of his own shame that his relationship with Laureen was not "normal" or that he let his own selfish desires influence his advice for Ennis. Whatever the reason, Jack missed an opportunity to help Ennis overcome the most important reason for their not having a sweet life.

I guess the lesson here is to never turn my back on a conversation until it is done.
 

[dontwanttosayGB]

Just a quick note as I loved the original interpretation that started this thread.  I have alwasy been a believer that while most people say that Jack gave his all and he was the one constantly rebuffed, that in fact I think Ennis did make a couple of subtle overtures, and this is exactly one of those instances.  I do think Ennis was trying to feel Jack out and maybe trying to say some things that were nearly impossible for him to say.  I do think Jack misinterpreted it and that just lead to Ennis crawling deeper in his hole.  I don't blame either of them for what happened, as I don't think either really had the answer or even really had a clue on how to make their relationship work in the world and times they lived in.  I think that if Ennis had said yeah lets make a go of it, I could see Jack standing there with his mouth open not knowing what to do next.  I think one of their fundemental problems was that they never even gave themselves the chance to talk about it, to feel around in the dark, to see if there was a chance for them to get a life together.  So, IMO, they were miles from the life together because they weren't even able to just simply talk about it, and I think each made overtures but in all instances the other didn't catch the opportunity and it was wasted.  Not trying to pimp here but in my fanfic I am writing, I felt so strongly about this that I infact wrote in a chapter Ennis accusing Jack of missing those times when he tried to talk to him......I think all this just adds to the sadness and poignancy of the whole story because it really is about two lost souls that have no idea how to fulfill the desires of their hearts.

[jackster]

. . . I don't think either really had the answer or even really had a clue on how to make their relationship work in the world and times they lived in. . . .

Glad to see you go back to Ennis here "don't". How very true, people talk about how important role models are, and frequently it's hard to really see this. But IMO this is a case where neither guy had any idea of how to do this and a role model would have answered so many questions (in a way much different than Earl n' Rich did). Jack being more of a risk taker was willing to go out on a limb, but Ennis being more cautious (some would say paranoid) needed to know what it was going to be.

I think that if Ennis had said yeah lets make a go of it, I could see Jack standing there with his mouth open not knowing what to do next. 

Well, if Jack was standing there with his mouth hangin' open, maybe Ennis would of thought of somethin' real quick like . . . 

[lamusica]

I agree that Ennis was opening himself up to Jack  in the campsite scene, and Jack didn't quite respond as Ennis had hoped. But that doesn't lead me to think that Jack loved Ennis less than Ennis loved Jack, or anything of the kind.  In any relationship, one person loves more that the other.  Sometimes, if it's a long-lasting relationship, this changes from person to person.  Sometimes one loves more; at other times, the other does.  I think that's the case with this long-time relationship.  Ennis loves Jack, but is slow on the up-take.  I don't believe he knew he loved Jack until they came down from the mountain.  Jack, on the other hand, fell for Ennis immediately; thus the overtures to try to get Ennis to commit to working on the mountain again next year, and the impetus to seek out Ennis four years later.  But, as time progresses, theone who loves the most shifts back and forth, in my opinion.
     Jack loved the most when he came to Ennis after Ennis's divorce.
     Ennis loved the most when he chose Jack over Alma and the girls.

[lamusica]

My computer did something funny there......
To continue:  Ennis loved more at the time of their last meet.
                   Ennis loved more after Jack died.

Well, the point is made, and I realize I'm on my own with this opinion, but that's how I see it.  It's interesting to read other views, but I have seen nothing yet that convinces me that both of these men were not in love, nor that they would have continued to be in love had Jack not died.
Talk about a romantic!  C'est moi!

[jackster]

. . . I have seen nothing yet that convinces me that both of these men were not in love, nor that they would have continued to be in love had Jack not died.
Talk about a romantic!  C'est moi!

No argument from me lamusica, I'm with you on this 100%. I know others feel differently, but to me Jack only said he "wished he knew" how to quit Ennis, however he didn't know how. He couldn't.

[welshwitch]

For me that's one of the ironies of the movie, that Ennis just begins to crack open at the point when Jack is too angry and frustrated to listen and pick up the hint. "I wish I knew how to quit you" suggests to me that he can't get Ennis out of his head/heart but by now thinks he'd like to though he hasn't managed it (yet).

It seems to me that if he's anything like many people in such a relationship, Jack may when away from Ennis maange to convince himself that this time he's over him and is going to move on, but can't resist trying one more time and can't resist at all when they're together.

[tpe]

He couldn't.

I certainly agree that Jack never stopped loving Ennis, even though he may have considered planning a life without being with him.

[tpe]

For me that's one of the ironies of the movie, that Ennis just begins to crack open at the point when Jack is too angry and frustrated to listen and pick up the hint. "I wish I knew how to quit you" suggests to me that he can't get Ennis out of his head/heart but by now thinks he'd like to though he hasn't managed it (yet).

It seems to me that if he's anything like many people in such a relationship, Jack may when away from Ennis maange to convince himself that this time he's over him and is going to move on, but can't resist trying one more time and can't resist at all when they're together.

I suspect that the thought of moving on must have occured to Jack many times -- it's so human, no?   The fact that he persisted in spite of everything is perhaps the aspect I love the most.

 

[lamusica]

I love that phrase "I wish I knew how to quit you."  It reflects Jack's real hopelessness at that point.  He has accepted the fact that Ennis is not going to go off to live with him.  He has accepted the fact that he will only have Ennis a few days at a time, a few times a year.  However, he can't quit him -- cannot stop loving him and yearning for those few days now and then.  Again, the constancy, even when it may not have been in his best interest.  Had Jack settled for someone else, maybe, in the long run, he would have been happier; maybe he would have been content enough not to roam; maybe he could have avoided being killed.  However, Ennis had a hold of his heart and that's all she wrote!

[myprivatejack]

I love that phrase "I wish I knew how to quit you."  It reflects Jack's real hopelessness at that point.  He has accepted the fact that Ennis is not going to go off to live with him.  He has accepted the fact that he will only have Ennis a few days at a time, a few times a year.  However, he can't quit him -- cannot stop loving him and yearning for those few days now and then.  Again, the constancy, even when it may not have been in his best interest.  Had Jack settled for someone else, maybe, in the long run, he would have been happier; maybe he would have been content enough not to roam; maybe he could have avoided being killed.  However, Ennis had a hold of his heart and that's all she wrote!

Really,Jack was catched between his great love for Ennis,the sentimental side,and the impossibility of having nothing else than few days a year to live this love,the realistic side of their relastionship.And this phrase-beautiful but horrible at the same time-,exactly,LM,reflects his inner battle between dream and reality;how he wished finding a way to run from that man who  he realised couldn´t offer him anything but love-but not the kind of love he needed-,but he couldn´t,because his love and need for him was greater than his despair.Great sadness which he must overcome¡.

[lamusica]

how he wished finding a way to run from that man who  he realised couldn´t offer him anything but love-but not the kind of love he needed-,but he couldn´t,because his love and need for him was greater than his despair.

Truer words were never spoken, MPJ.  I love the phrase, " because his love and need for him was greater than his despair."  That really sums it all up.  Things could get really bad, but the love provided the rose-colored glasses that we all use to see things better than they really are where love is concerned.

[myprivatejack]

Truer words were never spoken, MPJ.  I love the phrase, " because his love and need for him was greater than his despair."  That really sums it all up.  Things could get really bad, but the love provided the rose-colored glasses that we all use to see things better than they really are where love is concerned.

lamusica   Truer words are what are felt,not only spoken,and I´ve said simply what everybody who has loved any time has felt also.And Jack was made for love and be loved

[Halenfarewell]

I think you're right and it's too bad that conversation never took place.
Ann

[myprivatejack]

I think you're right and it's too bad that conversation never took place.
Ann

Hi,Ann¡    Yes, where're feelings that don't need to be revealed with words;but in their case,it would be more than advisable that they had had a deep conversation about these feelings.Or better said,about these feelings turn into reality.

[Mahogany]

The dialogue isn't about being gay, Ennis is concerned that people know what they do up in the mountains.
He doesn't have to be worried about his sexuality, because he knows and we know Jack is the only exception. If he never met him, he would be a 100% straight guy.

He is right about the suspcious looks at him, people in Riverton really suspected about them, but those people never did anything bad to Ennis and were never a threat. Ennis was his own enemy.

[bluemountainsky]

Once again, I believe one of the main points of the film and story is the detrimental effects of internalized homophobia. Ennis was a gay man who hated being gay, couldn't accept it because he was taught since he was a child that it was the worst thing in the world. To not understand that is to fall into the same trap that Ennis himself fell into. The inability to accept himself because of the severe stigma attached to it. He was a deeply closeted gay man, and it was the society he was born in and lived in that made him that way. He represents the millions of gay men that have struggled against themselves just for being who they are, desperately trying to be "normal", wishing they can just pray being gay away...it's a tragedy. "Ever get the feelin..." is another tacit recognition by Ennis. Deep down inside, he knows who he is, but can't reconcile the fact within himself. Just like he understood the relevancy of the Earl and Rich story, just like he knew if his father walked in that door and saw him naked in bed with a man, he would beat him to death with a tire iron. On some deeper level, he knew the truth.

 As time went on, people around Riverton knew about Ennis. It's a small town, where everyone knows your business.  It would have been impossible for there not to have been rumors about Ennis after his divorce from Alma, because I am sure she told Monroe, and especially after that Thanksgiving fight. So I don't think it was Ennis's paranoia. I think people did suspect, hence when Cassie came, even though it's obvious he didn't want her, he relented and started to date her. She was a good cover and although he didn't want her, he could stand her. It was after the last meeting with Jack that he realized and therefore broke up with her by deliberately ignoring her. This is why I believe Ennis was finally going to agree to Jack. If Jack had lived till November, I think Ennis would have finally accepted his proposal.