Pulp Fiction, Ezekiel 25:17

A quick review of Pulp Fiction and some of it's themes.

     Pulp Fiction, one of Quinton Tarantino's most famous films made in 1994. It's a movie that redefined cinema of the 20th century. In Pulp Fiction you follow a slew of characters ranging from gang members to reckless boxers. However, not only is it exciting, funny, and entertaining to watch, it's also a film with a lot of meaning.

     In Pulp Fiction there is a big theme focused around respect and honor. It's about protecting what you believe in and not letting anything get in your way. It's a theme that's restated multiple times throughout the film and gives the movie another level to look at while watching Pulp Fiction.

Vincent(left) and Jules(right).

     In the movie Samuel Jackson's Character, Jules, is known for reciting a line from the bible, Ezekiel 25:17. He initially talks about it just to have something cool to tell someone before he kills them, however through the movie and events that play out he realizes that it might mean something more than he thought.

     Jules has a gun pointed at Ringo. Jules is the righteous man, his colt is his shepard, and Ringo is the terrine of all evil men. This was his thought processes and this was everyone else's too. But, in that moment, he found a sense of clarity. That maybe, that's not how it went at all, that he was the shepard, Ringo was the righteous man, and the world was what was evil.

Ringo(left) faced with Jules' "shepard".

     This idea doesn't come to full until the end of the movie. It is though brought up a lot through the film. With Butch and Marcellus, when Butch takes Marcello's money. Butch is the righteous man, Marcellus is the evil man, and the money is Butch's shepard of salvation, his ticket out.

Butch accepting his way out.

     Vincent and Mia also are played in this trio. When Mia almost OD's Mia is the righteous "man", Vincent is her shepard, and the heroine is the evil. Without her shepard she would have been dead. He was able to protect her not only from the evil, but from herself.

Vincent giving Mia the shot.

     Then it's back to Butch and Marcellus, however the roles become slightly changed. It's also shown in the scene and the way they receive each other in the aftermath. Marcellus becomes the righteous man, Butch his shepard, and the homosexual rapists the terrine of evil.

Butch saving Marcellus.

     One of the more resemblance ones is where Vincent doesn't believe Jules' "moment of clarity" and in the end faces Butch (righteous man), a SMG (shepard), and Vincent (evil men). With that Vincent has no chance and in the blink of an eye has no way of turning back.

Butch staring down Vincent.

   


 Really the idea can be placed in many other ways in the story, I just felt that these were the most significant ones. Pulp Fiction is really in a class of it's own. The mix of the good stuff in it brings the whole story together and even shows a good theme in the end. That what comes around, goes around.

Alton W. Ruff, Main-Contributor
alton.w.ruff@gmail.com

Sources:

http://www.webspawner.com/users/ezekielpulp/

Pulp Fiction