How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #1
He might have to stay with his married daughter until he picks up another job, yet he is suffused with a sense of pleasure because Jack Twist was in his dream. (1)
Proulx gets right to the point here, doesn't she? It's obvious from the beginning that Ennis and Jack have a thing going on, what with the mention of pleasure and dreams; now it's just a question of filling in the details as the story goes on.
Quote #2
"Jesus Christ, quit hammerin and get over here. Bedroll's big enough," said Jack in an irritable sleep-clogged voice. It was big enough, warm enough, and in a little while they deepened their intimacy considerably. (28)
There's a casualness to the invitation that suggests it's really no big deal here. We're out in the wilderness, it's cold, sure let's huddle together for warmth. But it also suggests that they're both pretty comfortable with each other at this point. But that doesn't lessen the shock when "comfortable" turns to "intimate."
Quote #3
Ennis ran full-throttle on all roads whether fence mending or money spending, and he wanted none of it when Jack seized his left hand and brought it to his erect cock. (28)
There are early signs of the characters' relative reaction to their sexuality here: Ennis is fighting, Jack is plowing forward. That's pretty much the way it goes for the entire story, as Ennis always tries to keep it quiet and Jack seethes under the restraint. You might argue that Jack's more comfortable with his sexuality than Ennis is, or you might argue that Ennis is just more realistic. Either way, it's clear that they're not quite on the same page.