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why didn,t Ennis let jake stay in the divorce sence?

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mama:
I don't know why didn't Ennis let jake stay with him and his girls when he came all the way to see him he could tell him to stay and be careful not to show any emotions around the girls and have good time with him and his girls as there dad's friend and it was his fault to send the post card  :s)

rimasworld:
Well as we know, Ennis wasn't good at expressing himself and I think Jack just showing up like that really caught him off guard and he didn't know what to do. You could tell he was very uncomfortable probably because it was not a planned meeting out in the middle of nowhere and his girls were also there which added to the discomfort. I think he felt bad about what he did to Jack but just didn't know how to handle the situation. Probably when he told Jack about the divorce he wasn't expecting Jack to drive there without notice since it had never happened before. I felt bad for both of them in that scene.

mama:

--- Quote from: rimasworld on Feb 16, 2014, 04:59 PM ---Well as we know, Ennis wasn't good at expressing himself and I think Jack just showing up like that really caught him off guard and he didn't know what to do. You could tell he was very uncomfortable probably because it was not a planned meeting out in the middle of nowhere and his girls were also there which added to the discomfort. I think he felt bad about what he did to Jack but just didn't know how to handle the situation. Probably when he told Jack about the divorce he wasn't expecting Jack to drive there without notice since it had never happened before. I felt bad for both of them in that scene.

--- End quote ---
that sence makes me so sad for jake if he gust let him stay for some time may be jake wouldn't be that heart  but as you said he didn't know what to do :_(

FlwrChild:
I think taking a chance like that was just too foreign a concept for Ennis. The way he looked when that truck drove by showed just how paranoid he was about people seeing him with Jack. He'd already said that if "this thing" of theirs took hold of them in front of other people, "we're dead." And later when he asks Jack if he looks at the people in town and thinks they're looking at him like they know, to me it shows how that fear is always with him, even when Jack is far away. So to have Jack stay with him, or even spend time with him while his girls were there, would just be more than poor Ennis could handle.

thunderwolf:
Hmm. This is a tricky - but great question. Here's MHO

Really getting into this, I can put myself into what I'd feel if I was in Ennis position.

Ennis lived his life by controlling what he could and putting up with what he couldn't. In the script Ennis is described as being surprised to see Jack, but still pleased. I didn't really get this from the movie. Ennis had already revealed through actions, not words, the depth of his feelings and physical hunger for Jack. Having Jack turn up out of the blue, not prior announced, would be for someone who lives his life through control and suppressing his emotions, too  hard to handle. Having his daughters there too, who he undoubtedly loved, but felt he was not the daddy they deserved, would also add to the weight of his anxiety at seeing Jack. These was two separate worlds, that were not meant to collide into one. Ever.

Having Jack arrive, all guns blazing, honking the horn disturbing the controlled silence and restraint of Ennis life caught him off guard. The way that the dialogue unfolds, you can see and hear that Ennis did not expect or want Jack to believe that the divorce postcard meant that the situation between them had changed. The way that Ennis rebuffs Jack's attempt to embrace him too tightly, or kiss him, and leads him over to meet his daughters. This is a visual reminder that Ennis has a life and responsibilities, that is not Jack. As a parent, you can understand why Ennis has to put his daughters first here. But why does that mean Jack has to leave, and is not invited to stay?

From Ennis' perspective, he'd always been quite honest with Jack about what their relationship was, and the terms of their getting together. Whether he felt happy about it, or felt it was the right thing to do, it's irrespective. Ennis valued restraint and making do. Therefore, letting Jack leave, on the promise of seeing each other next month, was the only course of action available.

This is where this scene both bugs me, wrenches at my heart and makes me love the movie. I can see Ennis perspective clearly. I just don't get Jacks! Why is he there? Is it just pure optimism and dreaming. The movie truly leads us to believe that Jack feels this is the turning point, what he's waited for, but why? Why?

On a personal level, I believe everyone in this world has two deaths. The real one, and the one that everyone knows about. For my reading of the movie, this is when Jack dies. He's never the same again. The charm and eagerness of his youth, are trodden on for good, and the character we see further on is a ghost of his former self. :(

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