>>>>.......A woman simply is, but a man must become. Masculinity is risky and elusive. It is achieved by a revolt from woman, and it is confirmed only by other men. . . ..
-- Camille Paglia......<<<<<
When reading, it helps to keep this definition in mind to the word DESIRE: ...the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
In my opinion,Ennis was never gay,or,as he pointed out to Jack..."queer". During ANY point of the film was Ennis EVER gay. THAT'S the beauty of Brokeback Mountain.THAT"S what gives the films now immortal words " Love is a Force of Nature." its impact.
THAT'S the power of love.
Jack and Ennis came together under certain favorable conditions or ,depending on your viewpoint ,unfavorable conditions..Whatever your viewpoint, they came together having within themselves something the other desired desperately. Ennis had a desire to feel appreciated,looked up to and respected.Jack had a desire for a strong authoritative male figure to validate his own masculinity. Which is pretty much the basic motivation of rodeo riders. To prove their masculinity and have it validated by other men.
Anyway,Ennis and Jack arrived together with an inate desire as every normal human being. A desire for physical intimacy.Up to this point,Ennnis had never felt physical intimacy with another human being.Not even from the woman to whom he was engaged.So I imagine it was an extremely powerful urge having been pent up all those years.I could be wrong but I also imagine the scene between Alma and Ennis sled-riding happened on occasion prior to the couples marriage, soooo , all that physical contact must have sent Ennis urges to the stratophere if Alma hadn't satisfied those needs,seal an intimate bond with Ennis before Jack did.Think hard about that sledding scene.Did the affection between Alma and Ennis seem genuine? Or did it seem a somewhat half-hearted attepmt by Ennis to cover up a supposingly repressed homosexual identity.
How about the bedroom scene after Ennis arrives home and comforts to sleep Jenny and Alma Jr. Was Ennis genuinely seduced by Alma or did he succumb reluctantly?We also know Ennis was " Putting the blocks " to Cassie. I believe he chose to because he was genuinely charmed by Cassie's beauty and personality.
Regarding Jack. His desires were evident to Ennis because Jack wore his heart on his sleeve.Or more appropriately,on his face,as was also evident to the rodeo clown having picked up Jacks vibes.Although the rodeo clown correctly perceieved it as sexual,Jack simply wanted the male approval and validation which had been so elusive to him.The same male approval and validation the rodeo clown fully enjoyed, as witnessed by the large group of male peers he aproached at the pool table.
I'm sure Jack tried his best to win approval through typical manly pursuits but none were effective.Jacks Dad surely never gave him support.Never passed on to his son his succesful rodeo riding secrets."Never came to see him ride." Fact is, according to Annies short story his father actually urinated on him. All Jacks attepmts seemed to fall short of his goal due to his less than satisfactory masculine adeptness.
Jack more then likely felt his line of approach was the only option remaining to him to have his desires fullfilled . After all,it worked extremely well on at least one occasion we know of,with Ennis at Brokeback. Exceeded his wildest dreams even.
When Ennis and Jack met,Ennis already had an established relationship with a woman.Jack on the other hand hadn't.When Ennis mentioned his engagement to Alma,to Jack, Jack immediately dismissed his comment by not elaborating on it further.Didn't really want to acknowledege it.
Anyway,As most men do,Ennis and Jack continued to bond through time spent working with each other.Under these conditions with some time spent together,a sip or two of spirits ,Jack's coaxing Ennis to open up and talk about himself ,enabled a guarded Ennis to slowly let his defense mechnism down.Which allowed Jack to make a connection and eliminate Ennis startle point all together.All these conditions made for a very powerfull seductive force.The seclusion and privacy of the mountains eliminated the risk factor.Then...K-A-P-O-W !!!!!!! They met each others needs in a very unconventional manner.Even worst.One that was taboo.
All that time spent together lovin' and workin' caused them to create a still stronger bond.An intimate bond. A bond shared in the same manner as husband and wife where the two became as one. This In spite of Ennis true heterosexual nature.Which Ennis never denounced nor gave any indication existed otherwise in manner,word or deed.He believed himself heterosexual to the end. Jack was simply very special buddy whom he loved dearly....physically.....powerfully.So powerfully the love could never be replicated.Not with a man.Not with a woman. Poor Ennis was left in limbo and in a crisis unfortunately.
Still,its a testament to how powerful a force love actually is.
Thanks HiAltShag . and welcome to the forum,
My opinion (as can be seen in the previous posts) is actually different from yours, but I must admit that whatever the answer to this question it is not at all straightforward.
You had mentioned the bedroomscene between Ennis and Alma. The most telling detail in that scene, of course, is that Ennis preferred to have anal intercourse with Alma in that scene. The implication is quite clear.
In a number of other threads, it has been noted that there was a clear lack of intimacy between Ennis and Cassie, at least as far as the scenes in the film are concerned. For example, there is not a single scene that shows them intimate, in bed, or even kissing. The fact that we don't see them intimate does not exclude the possibility that they were, but the fact that the film makers excluded any such scenes is quite telling.
In a repressed society, it is certainly quite common for gay men to have long established relationships with women, and many do marry and lead otherwise normal-looking lives with children, except that their true nature is revealed in secrecy, and with others who share the same orientation.
My deceased friend Robert is an excellent example. His first experience of having sex was with a woman, but decided for himself in the long run that this was not for him. Nonetheless, he maintained throughout his life a guarded attitude to his sexuality, refusing to hold hands or kiss other men (including his long term partners) in public. Some of his closest and most intimate (and I daresay, the most stable) friends were women, and he always accompanied them to public functions and trips abroad, even if the affection was platonic.
There is no easy way to tell whether Ennis was not or was gay. And I would also point out that the same is surprisingly true even with Jack!
What constitutes gayness? When does gayness end and bisexuality begin? Is there such a thing as "absolutely" straight? These questions are never easy to answer, especially when it comes to fictional characters like Ennis who may go in a number of directions.
As I said before, pursuing the answer to this question reveals more about ourselves than about the characters we are analyzing. It is a question that reflects on the individual journeys each of us has made.
