Topic: John Twist - Secret Life?

[aimi15]

I cannot get the idea out of my mind that there is more to John Twist than I previously thought. Jack as we know, married Lureen and produced ONE child. Perhaps he wanted to try to live a heterosexual life, perhaps it was a cover for his REAL life. As it said in the story he didn't really want ANY children.
John Twist was married and produced ONE child, and as we know he was a miserable bitter SOB and humiliated Jack as a child. Was John Twist also repressed and thats why he was so bitter and only did the bare minimum to hide away his secret desires?

God this film is SO fascinating!!!

[tpe]

How interesting.  aimi15, I quake at the mere thought of your suggestion.

Would I side with caution and say no?    It is too unfathomable for me right now.  Let me collect my thoughts on this...

 

[aimi15]

And the more i think about it the more puzzled i am. Most men, particularly in those days, would be proud and pleased to have a first born son, but as Jack says his old man never taught him a thing, never once went to see him ride. I am going to think seriously on this, it has thrown me.

[filazahies]

I really never thought about that possibility. It could be, though, for the reasons you mention, aimi. But I don't really think so...
Well, let me think about it. Probably I'll re-read the short story and see if I can figure out something from there.

[davidgray624]

I cannot get the idea out of my mind that there is more to John Twist than I previously thought. Jack as we know, married Lureen and produced ONE child. Perhaps he wanted to try to live a heterosexual life, perhaps it was a cover for his REAL life. As it said in the story he didn't really want ANY children.
John Twist was married and produced ONE child, and as we know he was a miserable bitter SOB and humiliated Jack as a child. Was John Twist also repressed and thats why he was so bitter and only did the bare minimum to hide away his secret desires?

God this film is SO fascinating!!!

I have to agree with filzahies on this one. I don't think John Twist had a secret life like that. I think he did have some problems or conflicts in his life. He wasn't born a SOB, you know? It's a neat idea, but i really don't know if I can believe it. It seems like he would be a little more understanding towards Jack. hmm... 

[aimi15]

Yes i myself have no definite ideas one way or the other. I tend to agree with filazahlies, but sometimes your train of thought can take you some really strange directions!

[tpe]

I got to thinking about this some more. 

I don;t think it was the intention of the author to suggest a secret life for John Twist. 

That said, it is plausible to build up a scenario where this can be made reasonable.  I feel that in the movie in particular, John Twist seemed to have known about his son's double life.  He seemed to be contemptuous, but other than that, he seemed not to have been very confrontational about it.

This is an probable opening for the above scenario...

[Patriot1]

I got to thinking about this some more. 

I don;t think it was the intention of the author to suggest a secret life for John Twist. 

That said, it is plausible to build up a scenario where this can be made reasonable.  I feel that in the movie in particular, John Twist seemed to have known about his son's double life.  He seemed to be contemptuous, but other than that, he seemed not to have been very confrontational about it.

This is an probable opening for the above scenario...

Jack surely didn't find him confrontational at all.  Jack felt comfortable enough to talk to his father about being another guy up to the ranch to live.  If John was a raving homophobe or anything like that I am sure Jack wouldn't feel comfortable bringing the subject up with him; and yet he did, twice.

As for John having a secret life, I can see no evidence from book, screenplay or movie that would suggest such a thing.

[filazahies]

I've read the short story again and I can't find anything that makes me think John Twist had something to hide. He's just a SOB, probably because life has't treated him very well...