Re:One thing. Have any of you ever wondered why Jack married Lureen in the first place? They had nothing in common and she certainly could have had a better pick within her daddy's community. Could it be that she got pregnant in the back seat of her daddy's car that first night they met? Hmmm... it would for sure give her daddy a good reason to hate him.
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As a thought on this posting, I had the distinct impression, from the short story and then the movie, that Jack was out for Lureen's money. I think, for her, Jack represented a bullrider's passion and daring -- the kind of "bad boy" most fathers want their daughters to avoid. Though we don't see it in the movie, the ss suggests that Jack is frequently gone on (legitimate) business trips after Lureen takes over BUT (paraphrase) "finds plenty of ways to spend his newfound money" (I was thinking on boys, etc.). I believe they were drifting apart b/c of this and, even more importantly, over Lureen's refusal to acknowledge their son's learning disabilities. Note that when Jack stands in front of Lureen's huge desk at one point in the movie, she looks at him through a haze of cigarette smoke, half ignoring him, and he begs her to talk to the teacher, since the teacher won't stand to hear from him anymore. To me, that definitely looked like a reversal of the stereotypical irritated husband- nagging wife relationship. Jack is obviously very maternal and protective, with his son, as well as with Ennis. But, back to the start, having money is quite important to Jack, perhaps due to his hard upbringing and need for stability financially as well as emotionally.
Thoughts?
