The Phone Call

[Cally]

But, how would she have thought out all of the details of that bizarre, but not unknown, accident?

Ennis can't "know" it was the tyre iron, he hasn't ever met Lureen, he hasn't ever been to Texas. All sorts of things may be going on he doesn't know about. It could well have been a tyre iron, or some other metaphorical gay bashing, but Ennis can't "know" that.
He can strongly suspect it, but he can't know it.
Also why does Jack have to die in exactly the same way as Earl?
Exactly in the way Ennis has always feared?

All my thoughts too, Jess.  And I find the ambiguity artistically satisfying.

[janjo]

Yes, me too. The story is full of unanswered questions. Things that will never be able to be resolved.

[Sandy]

I noted a while back that the ambiguity seems to serve a narrative, almost mechanical purpose. It increases the tension and drives the story forward. In this case, the ambiguity in Ennis's mind between the tire iron and the tire rim motivates him to go the the Twist's ranch. What he discovers is not the answer to the question posed by this ambiguity, but the nested shirts. Once he finds the shirts and realizes how much Jack loved him, there is no point whatsoever in answering the question because the answer, either way, pales in comparison to the "answer" provided by the nested shirts.

And, it is not in Ennis' character to solve that subsidiary question--a red herring reall--because he'll have to stand it.

It's a classic case of "bait and switch," but Annie Proulx does it so subtly that we really don't notice.

[fofol]

 FWIW, on another forum, one usually well-informed member wrote that the alleged accident, itself, was highly improbable.  The logistics of being struck that way while changing a tire were unlikely.  Although my own wariness of just the jacks, when changing a tire made me not-so-sure, on the whole general subject, she was very persuasive in her post. Dangerous as jacks are, the really strange timing of a tire blowing up and knocking the rim into someone's face did seem far-fetched. Then, as sometimes happens, the news itself catches up with us.  Someone in Texas (!) died exactly the same way as Jack Twist supposedly did within, if I recall correctly, a month of her post.
   Which deflated, somewhat, the lady's use of improbability as proof of a cover-up.  The basic yes or no still remains.

   There are over 6,000,000,000 people in the world.  One incident has no effect on the statistical probability (or improbabilty) of that same incident involving another human being.  That said, she's lying anyway...     

[kathy]

  There are over 6,000,000,000 people in the world.  One incident has no effect on the statistical probability (or improbabilty) of that same incident involving another human being.  That said, she's lying anyway...   

I'm in complete agreement, fofol.     
kathy    
 

[tonydude]

  There are over 6,000,000,000 people in the world.  One incident has no effect on the statistical probability (or improbabilty) of that same incident involving another human being.  That said, she's lying anyway...   

   Yes, as BCJ said, it's beginning to look like she made up the whole story !!!!!  That's ok.  Ennis and Jack were real, with or without her  .

[janjo]

 I really don't think we can conclude that. She might have been lying, or maybe just reciting an oft told tale for the hundredth time.............................
Accidents do happen even to people who belong to persecuted minorities.

[kathy]

   Yes, as BCJ said, it's beginning to look like she made up the whole story !!!!!  That's ok.  Ennis and Jack were real, with or without her  .

Yes, Tony!! 
kathy   

[seagull]

I noted a while back that the ambiguity seems to serve a narrative, almost mechanical purpose. It increases the tension and drives the story forward. In this case, the ambiguity in Ennis's mind between the tire iron and the tire rim motivates him to go the the Twist's ranch. What he discovers is not the answer to the question posed by this ambiguity, but the nested shirts. Once he finds the shirts and realizes how much Jack loved him, there is no point whatsoever in answering the question because the answer, either way, pales in comparison to the "answer" provided by the nested shirts.

And, it is not in Ennis' character to solve that subsidiary question--a red herring reall--because he'll have to stand it.

It's a classic case of "bait and switch," but Annie Proulx does it so subtly that we really don't notice.

Sandy, I'm not sure I follow your logic here. I agree that the ambiguity drives the story along, but in what way does it drive Ennis to the Twists? It seems to me that the ashes are the motivation for his journey. In fact, Ennis says as much in the first words he speaks (beyond the polite formalities about cake and coffee): "I feel awful bad about Jack. Can't begin to say how bad I feel. I knew him a long time. I come by to tell you that if you want me to take his ashes up there on Brokeback like his wife says he wanted I'd be proud to." It's true that he has his suspicions about the tire iron "confirmed", at least in his own paranoid mind, but this is an incidental discovery for him, rather than his reason for journeying to Lightning Flat.

[Sandy]

I think that ambiguity of the tire iron vs. the tire rim is part of what motivates Ennis to go to the Twist's ranch. He goes there, I think, to see if he can get more information about Jack and his death that would help him resolve the ambiguity. Of course, he can't come right out and ask because that would reveal too much about his and Jack's relationship, so he siddles around the question.

The claim that he wants to get the ashes to scatter on BBM is, I believe, a pretext to explain his presence at the Twist ranch. At least, that is what Old Man Twist takes it to be when he says that he knows where Brokeback Mountain is. And it makes Ennis back off from insisting because what objective claim does Ennis have to the ashes? We know that he has an emotional claim on them, but Ennis is not going to assert that claim because, again, it would reveal that emotional relationship. Good friends don't get ashes. Spouses do, families do.

I would say that this ambiguity also motivates the reader to keep moving on, as well. Ennis wants to know and we want to know. Much of the tragedy of the story turns on who knew what when, so this ambiguity and others help to move the narrative.

[fofol]

I think that ambiguity of the tire iron vs. the tire rim is part of what motivates Ennis to go to the Twist's ranch. He goes there, I think, to see if he can get more information about Jack and his death that would help him resolve the ambiguity. Of course, he can't come right out and ask because that would reveal too much about his and Jack's relationship, so he siddles around the question.

The claim that he wants to get the ashes to scatter on BBM is, I believe, a pretext to explain his presence at the Twist ranch. At least, that is what Old Man Twist takes it to be when he says that he knows where Brokeback Mountain is. And it makes Ennis back off from insisting because what objective claim does Ennis have to the ashes? We know that he has an emotional claim on them, but Ennis is not going to assert that claim because, again, it would reveal that emotional relationship. Good friends don't get ashes. Spouses do, families do.

I would say that this ambiguity also motivates the reader to keep moving on, as well. Ennis wants to know and we want to know. Much of the tragedy of the story turns on who knew what when, so this ambiguity and others help to move the narrative.

   I believe, Sandy, that you've also just explained to me why Ennis's focus never difts over to OMT behaving so badly - it's just not what he's there for, so he couldn't care less.

[morrobay]

I think that ambiguity of the tire iron vs. the tire rim is part of what motivates Ennis to go to the Twist's ranch. He goes there, I think, to see if he can get more information about Jack and his death that would help him resolve the ambiguity. Of course, he can't come right out and ask because that would reveal too much about his and Jack's relationship, so he siddles around the question.

The claim that he wants to get the ashes to scatter on BBM is, I believe, a pretext to explain his presence at the Twist ranch. At least, that is what Old Man Twist takes it to be when he says that he knows where Brokeback Mountain is. And it makes Ennis back off from insisting because what objective claim does Ennis have to the ashes? We know that he has an emotional claim on them, but Ennis is not going to assert that claim because, again, it would reveal that emotional relationship. Good friends don't get ashes. Spouses do, families do.

I would say that this ambiguity also motivates the reader to keep moving on, as well. Ennis wants to know and we want to know. Much of the tragedy of the story turns on who knew what when, so this ambiguity and others help to move the narrative.

if Lureen is telling everyone the same story, why would he be able to find out anything new from going to the Twists?

As for Ennis not reacting to OMT's "behaving so badly", he chokes up, almost cries, at what he's told...that's a pretty strong reaction

[Sandy]

First, we don't know that Lureen told everybody the same story. Or the whole story. Ennis was looking to suss out more information, if he could.

Please note that going up to the Twist Ranch to find out more information and to offer to scatter the ashes are not mutually exclusive tasks. Both can be present. He doesn't have to have just one reason, or any reason, he goes.

Second, I have nothing particular to say about Ennis' reactions to Old Man Twist or lack thereof. That's a theme another poster took up.

[morrobay]

First, we don't know that Lureen told everybody the same story. Or the whole story. Ennis was looking to suss out more information, if he could.

Please note that going up to the Twist Ranch to find out more information and to offer to scatter the ashes are not mutually exclusive tasks. Both can be present. He doesn't have to have just one reason, or any reason, he goes.

Second, I have nothing particular to say about Ennis' reactions to Old Man Twist or lack thereof. That's a theme another poster took up.

I'm not up on all this, I haven't been on the s&i thread much, but since she sounded so rehearsed - like she'd been repeating the story over and over and word for word - made sense to me that she was telling everyone the same thing...

[Sandy]

I do agree that it sounded rehearsed, or at least an oft-repeated story. Having been in her situation (having to answer calls about people's deaths), I know how easy it is to fall into a rut. Although the "party line" usually only takes shape after some trial and error. However, one often edits information about the death when talking to strangers and non-kin. For example, one could say that person X died of liver cancer rather than alcoholism. As far as Lureen is concerned, Ennis isn't kin or a friend (she's never met him and he was "responsible" for Jack taking off on those trips to Wyoming).

Still, it's not clear that she told Ennis the whole truth (or any truth). She probably did what she could to get him off the phone.