Pulp Fiction: Christian Redemption in the Face of Postmodern Nihilism
Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994) is a post-modern crime film based on three non-linear narratives. Inspired by crime pulp fiction the film appears to have a nihilistic framework in which human connection is comprised of banter about popular culture and a unified criminal code of hyper-violence under Marsellus Wallace (Conrad, 1997). Yet, I will argue that the Nihilism causing a void in meaning leading to the criminally motivated value system of the characters in Pulp Fiction is a façade as a Christian moral framework intended to be noted in encoding can be decoded in the spiritual redemption of Jules Winnfield and Butch Coolidge (Davis & Womack 1998, 63). In order to understand this gap in perception we must contextualize this film within its time and place in popular culture.
Stuart Hall’s Circuit of Culture Framework
Creators of artifacts encode various ideologies within the artifact which is then subjectively decoded by consumers which is moderated by external factors.
Visible
1. Representation
a) What is being signified and how is it signified?
There is a margin of error between what is being signified in the film and the decoding of this signifier to a majority of individuals. One interpretation of the film is that it is Nihilistic, yet upon further analysis one can conclude there are Christian elements within the character’s Butch and Jule’s redemption (Conrad, 1977).
Decoding of Popular Culture Signifiers: Perceived Nihilism in Pulp Fiction
I) Vincent Vega
Vincent Vega is portrayed as fun-loving hedonist throughout the film. A notable scene portraying the use of popular culture in the movie is the Royale with Cheese scene where Jules and Vince are discussing the difference between American and European culture icons before performing a hit job for Marsellus Wallace.
Upon initial analysis one may conclude that the use of discussion of popular culture is a form of Nihilist human connection in supplement of discussing moral truths (Conrad, 1997). The popular culture signifier of the quarter pounder with cheese represents the lack of moral framework of those in the film as they can discuss such lighthearted matters prior to their acts of murder.
Yet, upon further analysis one can perceive that the use of the pop culture signifier of the Royale with Cheese is to humanize these characters otherwise perceived as “gangland caricatures” (Davis & Womack 1998, 61). Through the cognitive phenomenon of “dédoublement” we see ourselves in the characters Jules and Vince through their common conversation that we participate in our own lives, despite “gangster” activities which we may find morally refutable (Davis & Womack 1998, 61). Therefore, we find a sense of humanity in those deemed beyond the margins of moral normalcy through Vince’s popular culture references and joy in life’s pleasures (Davis & Womack 1998, 61). This may be casual to the feelings of sympathy one may feel proceeding the death of Vincent despite the immoral acts he has performed (Davis & Womack 1998, 61).
Encoding: Intersection with Religion
Despite the majority of interpretations of the film which decode the film as post-modern and nihilist, religiosity can be seen through the framework of Christian redemption in the characters Butch Coolidge and Jules Winnifield (Davis & Womack 1998, 63).
Christian Redemption
I) Butch Coolidge
Despite the trials of violence Butch pursues throughout the film in an effort to contribute to the demise of Marsellus, his act of saving Marsellus is an act of spiritual redemption (Davis & Womack 1998, 63). In an act of self-sacrifice, such as the crucifixion of Jesus, he chooses to value justice over self-preservation. In addition, Butch out of the available weapons (a chainsaw, a hammer, a baseball bat, and a sword) chose the sword, an ancient biblical weapon of redemption in pursuit of justice in God’s name in opposition to the modern American tools:
“ For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer” Romans 13:4 (Holy Bible New International Version 2011).
II) Jules Winnifield
A second major spiritual transformation in the film is that of Jules Winnifield. Jules is the symbolism that miracles do exist in a two-dimensional post-modern world which reflects the metaphysics of Wile E. Coyote (Davis & Womack 1998, 63).
In the beginning of the film, upon the execution of Marsellus Wallace’s enemies, he makes banter about the popular culture signifier of “The Big Kahuna Burger” then recites the quasi-imaginary bible verse which is meaningless in the beginning as he fails to adhere to the value system of this message itself (Conrad, 1997).
“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is The Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee” (Ezekiel 25 : 17) (Conrad 1997).
Yet, this Nihilism comes to an end following the miracle Vincent and Jules experience of dodging bullets (Davis & Womack 1998, 64). Vincent denies the divinity of this interaction, yet Jules recognizes its divinity and asserts his retirement from their profession. He, according to Naussbam, experienced a cataleptic impression — “a cognitive, philosophical phenomenon has the power, just through its own felt quality, to drag us to assent, to convince us that things could not be otherwise. It is defined as a mark or impression upon the soul” (Davis & Womack 1998, 64). Jules listens to transformative nature of this event and applies these ethics in his pursuit of a new life; a moment of clarity in a world of nihilism (Davis & Womack 1998, 64).
After Vincent and Jules go out for breakfast when they encounter Ringo and Yolanda — a robbery couple. In a gun stand-off Jules makes the decision not to kill Ringo and instead offers to buy his life by allowing him to keep the money in his wallet. He then recites Ezekiel 25:17 for one final time and adding:
“I’ve been saying that sh** for years, and if you heard it — that meant your a**. I never gave much thought to what it meant — I just thought it was some cold blooded sh** to say to a mother****** before I popped a cap in his a**. But I saw some sh** this morning that made me think twice. See, now I’m thinking, maybe it means: you’re the Evil Man, and I’m the Righteous Man, and Mr 9mm here — he’s the Shepherd protecting my righteous a** in the valley of darkness. Or it could mean: you’re the Righteous Man, and I’m the Shepherd; and it’s the world that’s evil and selfish. Now, I’d like that, but that sh** ain’t the truth. The truth is: you’re the Weak and I’m the Tyranny of Evil Men. But I’m trying Ringo, I’m trying real hard to be the Shepherd” (Conrad, 1997).
There are three interpretations to his passage (Conrad, 1997):
- He is the righteous man with his pistol defending him from evil under the commands of Marsellus Wallace (Conrad, 1997).
- He has done terrible things because the world is evil and coerced him to, but he is now the shepherd protecting Ringo from the evil world (Conrad, 1997).
- He is the evil and he is the shepherd protecting him from himself (Conrad, 1997).
The last option is the correct one. He has come to the self-awareness that he is the obstacle stopping himself from righteousness and in order to resolve this evil he must find a new life (Conrad, 1997). He reflects on his evil words which take life and finds the value in sustaining life for the first time (Davis & Womack 1998, 65).
b) How is the film structured and how does this fit in the expectations of this genre?
The film as aforementioned is non-linear and divided into three narratives. This is conceived to fail to fit into the expectations of classic crime films. Yet, despite the criticism it is in fact a classical film. Instead of adhering to a short attention span audience, it in fact complexly develops characters and does not rely upon spectacle (Howley). Where the popular culture references are seen as cinematic funhouse spectacle they are in fact classical techniques used to form collective memory of the past (Howley). Furthermore, the film has clarified narrative, a technique used by classical films, as Jule’s scripture acts as a link between the beginning and end of the narratives (Howley).
Such chronology is similar to the Bible, as the Bible is in non-linear chronological order, for example., in relation to the image above, the books of the bible tell stories in non-chronological order. Though they are non-linear the overall message of the bible remains intact: listen to the good news of Jesus Christs salvation. This then parallels to the non-linear narrative of Pulp Fiction in which the overall message conveys that in post-modern society one can reach salvation in the example of Jules.
2. Identity
a) Who produces this artifact?
The writer and producer of the film is Quentin Tarantino, an Italian-Irish American from Tennessee who resided in California (IMdB). His father, Tony Tarantino, was an actor and musician himself (IMdB). Quentin was a high school drop out with low economic status before his break into the film industry (Seal, 2013). He was a self-taught script writer as he worked at the video archives in Manhattan Beach learning about film production (Peary 2013, xvii). Quentin Tarantino, despite much theological affiliation in his films, has no religious affiliation. Rather he refers to cinema as being his religion (Hopewell & Keslassy, 2013).
Non-Visible
1. Production
a) Who pays for the production and what is their background?
The production company of the film was Miramax. The budget for the film was 8.5 million dollars and it grossed 214 million dollars (Seal, 2013). Miramax was founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, and the film Pulp Fiction was overseen by them (Biography, 2018). Harvey Weinstein, although not Christian, is Jewish (Wikipedia) and Judaism has similar theological values to Christianity in the context of the Old Testament. Both believe in action geared towards higher power which may have some correlation with the encoding of spiritual redemption in the production.
2. Consumption
a) Are the people who consume it different from the people who make it?
The people who produce this artifact, white males, are the same as those intended to consume it, white males who enjoy lurid content (Austin 2002, 158). This fits into the narrative of the bible, in which males are given the central narratives, and subsequently is reflected in the institutional structure of the religion as males, predominantly white, are given prestigious roles in the head of the church: the Vatican.
b) How and why do you consume it? Who is it available to?
Currently the film is available on Netflix and is therefore accessible to an array of people at a low price. Yet, upon its release it was at the Cannes Film Festival (Peary 2013, xviii) a prestigious film festival for the elite and those with social capital. Therefore, consumption of the film was no publicly accessible until its release in local theatres and VHS.
This parallels the mass production of the bible, in which when first created was available to a select few elites, as there was limited copies and a lack of literacy resources to the public. Then, the bible became mass produced and the knowledge became accessible to the public. Thus, initially there was a monopoly on knowledge.
3. Regulation
a) Who regulates this artifact and how?
The film was regulated by the Motion Picture Association of America and it was rated “R” (18+) for violence, strong language, sexuality, and drug use (ScreenIt, 1997). The film used the “F word” over 255 times (Perez 2015, 26). Such regulations were created to restrict the exposure of graphic imaging to children.
The MPAA was founded by William H. Hays, a Presbyterian American politician (Authors of Britannica Encyclopedia, 2019) (NCAC). This may have influenced the censorship of this film as the regulations for censorship were formed around public morality; of predominantly Christian origin.
b) Is it obscene and to who?
The film was highly controversial for its obscene violence, drug use, language and sexual imagery yet it is seldom discussed for its lack of positive representation of women and minorities.
i) Women in Pulp Fiction
The role of women throughout the film are those to be cared for (Roussouw 2013, 95). Rather than being autonomous beings both Mia Wallace and Fabienne are both treated as if they can not take care of themselves and that they ought to be economically dependent on men. Therefore, there was limited female representation, which was of a negative nature. Subsequently, there was no representation of minority women.
This representation implicitly is harmful as it implies that women cannot achieve spiritual redemption; a repeated religious prophet narrative where men achieve the transcendence ie. Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha etc.. Rather, women are often viewed as “the evil woman” or the temptress, as seen in Adam and Eve, which is reinforced through the narrative of Mia Wallace through implying sexual tension when having a nightcap with Vincent and her overdose.
ii) Minorities in Pulp Fiction
In relation to Black Panther, there is a parallel between the dualism of T’Challa and Killmonger and the dualism of Marsellus and Jules. Where Marsellus is viewed as the “typical American thug” (such as Killmonger), Jules is viewed as the “enlightened one” (such as T’Challa) (Derry 2018, 3). Subsequently, the cause of “evil” within the film is attributed to an African American individual, Marsellus, in which a fellow African-American man, Jules, is battling against philosophically (Derry 2018, 4). This is the normative and harmful narrative of black on black conflict in popular culture.
Conclusion
Therefore, through Stuart Hall’s Circuit of Culture Framework, one can conclude that there is a gap between the percieved decoding of the film and the encoding of the film. Popular culture symbols can be perceived as postmodern Nihilism, yet they come to an intersection with religion in which Christian spiritual redemption is found in Butch and Jules through human connection. Subsequently, the elements of production, identity, consumption, and regulation implicitly reflect normative Christian theology. In future films, there ought to be more consideration of better representation of women and minorities.
Word Count: 1887
References:
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