![]() ![]() ![]() It is important that Vincent is alive at the ending scene of Pulp Fiction even though, as seen in the vignette “The Gold Watch,” he is later shot and killed. ![]() He continues to take hard drugs, continues to follow Marcellus Wallace’s orders to kill people, and is mainly concerned with himself. How is Vincent Vega a static character? Unlike Jules, he refuses to believe in what is referred to as a “divine intervention.” Pulp Fiction is a nonlinear movie, and the events that are seen before the final scene take place later chronologically. Had Tarantino meant to condemn Butch and Jules, we certainly would have seen them die. We can assume, therefore, that Butch and Jules do not die following their good choices. But, we do know that Vincent Vega, the main static character in Pulp Fiction, gets shot and dies a mere day after refusing to support Jules in his big decision. We do not know what happens to Jules after quitting gangster life, in the same way that we do not know what will happen to Butch after he leaves Hollywood. ![]() In a sense, Tarantino is only interested in people’s efforts to be good more so than any tangible end results. He states that he is trying very hard to change this. The biggest indication that Jules is serious about his existential turnaround lies in his final realization that he is the evil man. When Jules is pointing a gun and reciting Ezekiel 25:17 to Pumpkin in the diner, he uses the much more down-to-earth “and you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you” rather than “and you will know that my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.” This might seem like nitpicking, but this subtle change in diction shows that Jules is no longer interested in being a crime “Lord” and is no longer interested in exerting his power and authority over his victims. His change is evident and constant throughout the final vignette, “The Bonnie Situation.” The Wolf’s act of hosing down the two gangsters is a figurative baptism for the now-religious Jules. This change of heart is not as dramatic (and, indeed, not as highly emphasized) as Jules Winnfield’s religious conversion following his and Vincent’s near-death experience. He is able to ride off with his girlfriend and start a new life outside of Hollywood. Because Butch commits an act of morality and rescues Marcellus Wallace, he achieves reconciliation with the mob boss and is subsequently forgiven for not throwing the boxing match. The camera focuses on Butch for several seconds while he makes this decision, emphasizing its importance. Writer and director Quentin Tarantino rewards his dynamic characters and condemns his static characters, ironically making the extremely violent film Pulp Fiction a plea for morality.īutch Coolidge’s change of heart occurs when he decides to stay in the pawn shop and save Marcellus Wallace, who was previously his enemy. Vincent Vega, a static character, makes the wrong choices and is killed as a result, albeit indirectly. The 1994 masterpiece Pulp Fiction features several characters who, to borrow a phrase from Jules Winnfield, undergo “transitional periods.” Interestingly, the two characters who exhibit the most internal change, Butch Coolidge and Jules Winnfield, are also two of the few characters in the film who escape their respective situations with their lives. ![]()
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