I think you and I see this movie the same way. I never once saw Ennis as being gay. He was, by strict dictionary definition a homosexual in that he enjoyed and sought sex with someone of his same gender, but gay?....no, I just can not see it. He didn't go around looking at other men for the purpose of having any kind of relations. Ang Lee, however said the two boys were gay. I am not sure he is putting as fine a point on what gay is as I am. He may think that just because you sleep with a guy that makes you gay. Not in my book.
Now Jack, he was GAY. He started cruising Ennis almost the second he got out of his truck! He cruised the clown, he went to Mexico, he cruised Randall. I mean he is GAY.
Hehe...I do agree with you on a lot of things and definitely respect your point of view, but actually I see Ennis as gay man. Before I go into specifics of how I arrived at this thought, let me state:
(a) Jest because a man sleeps with a guy, that does not necessarily mean he is gay
(b) Just because a man does not pursue other relationships with men, that does not mean he isn't gay
One last thing before I begin, let me say that this is my belief and conclusion, and while I believe it solidly that doesn't mean it is "truth".
So we know Jack pursues Ennis, and we see other episodes where (at least to many) Jack appears to be trying to hook up with the rodeo clown and ol' Randall. Jack seems interested in men. Okay, not a big leap.
In contrast, at first I thought the lack of similar behavior in Ennis showed us that he perhaps wasn't interested in men. But the more I view the film, the more I think Ennis shows an interest in Jack. Perhaps one that Jack picked up on. And the signs of it are, to me, too early to simply attribute to the great force of capital-L Love that Ennis felt for Jack washing over him.
(1) Ennis is looks at Jack, from pretty early on, in ways that go beyond a simple "who is this guy?" glances. More than a time or two.
(2) Ennis is a polite guy, and
maybe the gesture of him ordering soup was only him being nice to Jack and not a sign that he felt a buzz for him. Okay. But why doesn't Ennis tell the truth of why he's ordering soup. A simple "Jack hates beans" would have been honest and simple. But instead he hides the fact that he's doing something nice for the other guy. Why? Would the supply guy have wondered why Ennis was being nice? Not at all. Rather inside ENNIS knew he was being nice to Jack because he felt something for him and he felt the urge to hide it. I think that, subconsciously Ennis feels the need to hide that he likes (and I mean likes-likes) Jack. Think of how an 11 year old acts when they "like" somebody...all self conscious and shy and secretive about it. I think that's why Ennis not only gets soup for Jack (in spite of liking beans himself) but more importantly he hides that he's doing something nice for Jack for no other good reason. You don't act all embarassed and secretive if your'e being nice to a new
friend. Nope, Ennis had the hots for Jack.
(3) The "you may be a sinner but I ain't yet had the opportunity" line is of course a point of debate and discussion. Is Ennis flirting? Well, I think that again it's not just in the line but the whole scene. Sure, maybe Ennis is just admitting to being a virgin. (And yes, I totally believe that line is about nothing but s e x. That's what "sin" was in those days to a horny 19 year old man.) But think of yourself back in younger days admitting virginity to a friend. Would you look them in the eye and hold that stare like Ennis did? Nope, nope, nope. Ennis is flirting, and not playfully, either. Sersiously.
Were all these things coming out of the growing L O V E Ennis was building for Jack? I don't think that was primarily it. Too soon. There was a noteable aspect of desire or even good old fashioned lust there driving this. If not full and dirty lust, at least the longing and desire that gay (or at least bisexual) men feel for anotherman.
Ennis was a man with serious anti-homosexual biases in his rearing and background. Could love for another man overcome this enough to actually lead him into a homosexual love affair of 20 years with another man? Perhaps, in spite of the incredible odds against it. But I just don't think that level of overpowering love was there that soon -- nowhere near early enough and strong enough to drive Ennis actions. I believe there were other things going on.
So if Ennis was gay, why then did he never do anything like Jack in terms of pursuing another man?? I think Jack happened all too soon for Ennis. Without someone like Jack and the circumstance that brought them together, Ennis would have not had an experience like this for a long time, if ever. Maybe, maybe Ennis would have come to grow into himself differently, would have come to terms with himself and his desires. Heck, maybe that coming to terms would have been ugly and not positive. But the relationship with Jack stoped that gradual development possibility dead. Because Jack happened, Ennis was forced to open his eyes to something in himself that he wasn't ready to see. He found himself stuck in knowing what he was doing on the one hand and denying what he was doing on the other hand. Forced to deal with this, he compartmentally split his life into two facets he could deal with but not merge. Kind of an equilibrium that he couldn't upset without disaster. For Ennis to admit and act on his homosexual feelings by looking for another man, that would have shattered the facade he had built in himself as a way to cope with the reality of who he was and what he wanted.
So when it comes down to it I believe Ennis was indeed a gay man, and his actions to wards Jack *before* one could reasonably think the overwhelming force of love overcamethe deep-seated inhibitions of a homophobic straight man. And he didn't pursue other men like Jack did because that would upset the delicately balanced facade he created in his mind to cope with who he was. He created it to cope with his desire for Jack because it came before Ennis was anywhere near ready to deal with it.
Others are absolutely free to disagree, but this is how it plays out to me.
