An Examination of Jack Twist and My Opinion About His Sexuality
Introduction and Disclaimer: Like a great many others, I have become an obsessive fan of Brokeback Mountain. As such, I have spent a great deal of time thinking about the movie, and its main characters, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist.
During the course of all of this thinking, I came to a few conclusions and formed a few thoughts on Ennis and Jack. Of course, these are only my thoughts and opinions, so that means that they are not by any means canon or exact. I am not Anne Proulx, so I don’t know exactly what goes on in the minds of these guys. (I do occasionally wish I was though… then I could say, “I was only joking… Jack didn’t die and he and Ennis are living happily together in Truckee, CA! That would have been a much happier ending… don’t you think? 
) Some of you may recognize parts of this… some of it was written, by me, in a post on a previous thread and has been expanded on here.
Anyway, the following are my assessments in regards to Jack and his feelings about his relationship with Ennis, and what I feel is the answer to the question that many people have asked. Was Jack gay, how did he know that Ennis would be receptive to him, and did he plan/arrange their first sexual encounter? First off, let’s cover the question of how Jack knew Ennis would be receptive.
Pretty much from the first time I watched the movie my thought on this was simple. Jack knew there was a chance that Ennis might respond favorably to an advance because Ennis, though in my feeling unknowingly, did in fact put that vibe out there!
The reason I thought this was, Ennis did all/most of the changing! Jack's demeanor and personality didn't change at all. From day one he was open and talkative, where as Ennis was closed and quiet. I think that over the time they were together, Jack observed Ennis and took note of the changes that took place in his comfort around Jack. The other thing that was a pretty good indicator that Ennis had feelings for Jack, even if he didn't realize it, is the way Ennis takes care of Jack. Getting the soup, worrying about the tent, switching jobs with him because he is so miserable, shooting the Elk. All of these things were unbidden and unexpected niceties. Jack on the other hand, while he does try to clean Ennis wound after the bear incident, really doesn't do any obvious things or make any really changes in himself to please Ennis other then be himself and try his best to make Ennis smile/laugh.
So even though I believe that Jack knew he had a chance, slim or not, I think he also chose the time that he did because of the fact that there was a possible "Drunk out of my mind" escape route available. After all, Ennis was indeed drunk enough that he would not have realized or remembered if Jack was as drunk or not. If Ennis had refused then and there, or had been angry the following morning, Jack had that to fall back on and hopefully keep their friendship from being completely destroyed in the event of a refusal.
The next question is, did Jack plan ahead of time for things to happen that night. I don't think so actually. I think that Jack saw his opportunity and decided to take it, but I don't think he planned it. There's no way he could have actually, not really. Ennis is/was unpredictable enough that there was no way Jack could have known he was going to stay in camp that night. Also, note in the scene when Jack wakes up and hears Ennis' teeth chattering. He looks and sounds disgusted here, clucking his tongue and speaking harshly, as if he is thinking "Oh for heaven's sake!" I think basically he had no real plans for anything when he called Ennis into the tent. He was obviously pleased by having him there, because of the little smile we quickly observe after he settles in (though whether this was scripted or simply a smile on Jake’s part is unclear) but I don't think there had been a 'plan' all along to get him there, not in that way anyway. After Ennis was there, I think Jack found himself so aroused by the close proximity that he decided that he couldn't wait anymore and said, 'f*** it, it's worth a black eye to find out if the signs he's giving mean what I think," and went for it.
Finally, the last question… was Jack gay? This is a sticky one. For a long time my thought was no, however, the more I think about it the more I think that he was. My reasons for this are somewhat simple.
Jack is obviously attracted to Ennis from the first moment he see him, and unlike Ennis, I believe that Jack was well aware of that attraction. He never tries to hide it from Ennis either, and in some ways, though he does not come right out and say anything directly, he is not very subtle about it either. The looks he gives him, the things that he says, the way he smiles at him, all of there things strongly speak the words “I want you!”
In the movie it doesn’t say so, and it doesn’t indicate it in the short story until after their four year reunion that he had been with others, but I believe that Jack had had some previous experience with men before he met Ennis. Anne Proulx, in an interview states this as well.
However, the biggest indicators to me that he was gay come after their time together on the mountain. After they part, he goes to Texas to rodeo. While there, before he meets Lureen, we observe him hitting on a rodeo clown. We know he goes to Mexico after the divorce rejection, and though it doesn’t say so, we can assume that this is probably not the first or the last time he did so. He had an affair with Randall that, presumably lasted several years, and he clearly states to Ennis during their last meeting that he can’t make it on “a couple of high altitude f***s” a year. This is the best indicator to me that he is gay… obviously he not only desires sew with men, but it seems that is the only kind of sex that he finds satisfying. To me that speaks of a gay man.
