Topic: Dear Mrs. Proulx,

[Patriot1]

Dear Mrs Proulx,

I just read a quote of yours that has my head exploding.  The quote contradicts your story and the way people view your story.  Here is the quote:

"The most difficult scene was the paragraph where, on the mountain, Ennis holds Jack and rocks back and forth, humming, the moment mixed with childhood loss and his refusal to admit he was holding a man."

I need to ask you this: If Ennis, while simply holding Jack, couldn't admit Jack was a man, how on earth could Ennis have fallen in love with Jack? Who did he think he was falling in love with...a girl?  Could he somehow admit Jack was a man when he fell in love but was incapable of admitting that Jack was a man when he did a simple thing like hold him?  That sure is confusing Ms. Proulx.

Another question: Ennis and Jack were frolicking around the mountain in the nude during the day and at night, they were having sex, kissing and hugging and in general having a gay old time with each other.  If Ennis couldn't admit Jack was a man while holding him, did Ennis fantasize that Jack was Alma while they were having all this fun?

So as you can see, your quote sure does make things awfully confusing.  Do you care to expand on your quote?

Thank you for a beautiful story,
A faithful fan


Anyone want to play the part of Annie Proulx?

[tpe]

Dear Patriot1.

Play it as it lays.

- Annie Proulx

 

[proulxfan]

I don't know about playing her, but she says as much in the story; that was why Ennis approacked Jack from behind as he didn't want to admit to himself it was a man he was holding. And that maybe they had never really gone far beyond that after 20 yrs. (Paraphrasing here but I don't have the text right in front of me.) I think it's consistent with what we see from Ennis all through the story and the film.

[backtobrokeback]

One can also read that scene as Jack's understanding of the embrace, or Jack's way of making sense of "what was, and what he knew", to explain to himself why Ennis couldn't fully commit to him. 

Although the book doesn't mention face to face sex or even kissing, I think the staircase kiss pretty much undermines the idea that Ennis didn't know he was in love with a man.  Ennis may have had a mental divide between 'sex' and 'love' that he couldn't overcome, and as Proulx has said, they don't understand what they are going through anyway.  They have no point of reference for it. 

-btb