Jack Twist
| Jack Twist | |
|---|---|
 |
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| First appearance | Brokeback Mountain |
| Created by | Annie Proulx |
| Portrayed by | Jake Gyllenhaal |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Spouse(s) | Lureen Newsome |
| Children | Bobby |
Jack Twist is a fictional character of the short story "Brokeback Mountain" by Annie Proulx and the 2005 Academy Award-winning film adaptation of the same name directed by Ang Lee, where he is portrayed by American actor Jake Gyllenhaal. Jack's story is depicted by the complex, sexual, and romantic relationship he has with Ennis Del Mar in the American West from 1963 to 1983.
Gyllenhaal was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.
In an interview about her work, and "Brokeback Mountain" in particular, author Proulx stated Jack Twist is a "confused Wyoming ranch [kid]" who finds himself in a personal sexual situation he did not foresee, nor can understand. She said both men were "beguiled by the cowboy myth," and Jack "settles on rodeo as an expression of the Western ideal. It more or less works for him until he becomes a tractor salesman." Jack is also more romantic than Ennis, being the one who pursues the relationship and insists that they should live together officially. He is open about his desires and discontents, which is also shown in the novella, when he tries to open Lureen's eyes about their son's dyslexia even though he knows that he has no say in the matter, since she holds the money in the family.
One mystery surrounding Jack Twist (as well as Ennis Del Mar) is his sexual orientation, if any specific one at all. He has a sexual and emotional relationship with Lureen, but he still shows more sexual desire towards men in general than Ennis, who has no relations with men other than Jack. Jack sleeps with other men, including male prostitutes. While meeting Ennis in the mountains for the very last time, Jack says he is having an extramarital relationship with a woman; which might have affirmed that he is bisexual. However, it is likely that the woman, the "ranch foreman's wife," is actually the ranch foreman himself, as in a previous scene, he invites Jack to a cabin to "do a little fishing and drink some whisky ..." In a later scene, Jack's father mentions that Jack had revealed a plan before he died to come up with a male ranch neighbor friend and do up the family ranch and live there.
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Wikipedia