Analysis #5 - The Imaginary and The Juicy - Pulp Fiction

Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction follows post-modernism/post-structuralism viewpoints.  There are several things that can be stated about this movie falling in line with these theories.  First and foremost, the story is non-linear; it jumps all over the place.   The film has a disconnection between the characters actions and dialogue.   At one point, the characters Jules and Vincent are walking into a building have a dialogue about foot massages and whether or not it constitutes cheating.  There is no connection between this dialogue (signifier) and their upcoming actions (signified) that they are about to whack several guys in an apartment.   In another scene, Jules and Vincent are at Jerry’s house trying to get help to get rid of a dead body of a boy that Vincent accidentally killed.  Vincent and Jules are calmly talking about how great the coffee tastes as if the fact that they have to get rid of this body is insignificant.  In addition, post-modernism comes into play because this shows that there is no sense of morality in the characters’ actions   Finally, there is a scene where Jules, believes he experiences “divine intervention” when he is shot at, but suffers no wounds.  Vincent disagrees with him and says it was luck.   In post-structuralism, one might argue in favor of Vincent that there is no proven truth that this experience was divine intervention casting a shadow on the Enlightenment era.

In taking a look at Quentin Tarantino’s writing through Foucault’s viewpoint, he considers that it is important to carry the author and his text forward and this is determined by its culture.  “Discourse that possesses an author’s name is not to be immediately consumed and forgotten…Rather, its status and its manner of reception are regulated by the culture in which it circulates.” (1470)  This holds true for Tarantino as he has gone on to make other films and has commanded a vast following due to his talent as a unconventional writer and director. 

Works cited:

Michel Foucault 1926-1984, the Norton Anthology of Theory & Criticism

Leitch, New York, 2010, 2001 - p 1470