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by PBworks16 years, 5 months ago
McGuffin
The briefcase--what the hell is in it? Nobody really knows. This doesn't stop people from speculating though. Many people believe Tarantino foresaw his Oscar disappointment and wrote in the mysterious briefcase holding his "stolen" Oscars. Some say that the case had the stolen diamonds from Reservoir Dogs, one of his previous movies. Yet more people say that the briefcase actually held the soul of Marsellus Wallace. You are going to have to follow me on this one, this theory is a bit out there. Word is that Marsellus sold his soul to the devil for the fortune he now has and that his soul was actually in the briefcase retrieved from Brett in the beginning of the film. They claim the band-aid on the back of Marsellus' neck is where his soul was taken out. They also claim this theory is reinforced in many ways, one of which is the code used on the locks on the briefcase: 6-6-6. Brett and his crew have the briefcase because they were the couriers taking the case to Lucifer (I told you it was out there..). Jules and Vince show up as rogue angels and take back Marsellus' soul to return it to him. This radical theory is seemingly verified by Jules near the end of the movie when he is speaking with Ringo about his favorite (and fake) Biblical phrase, his "badass thing to say before killin' a %*#&!". Jules proclaims that he is buying Ringo's life and that he is sparing Ringo's life because he is going through "a tranational period." Jules explains that he used to say his famous Bible verse, Ezekiel 25.17, just because it was cool, but because of the events that happened earlier in his day, he was forced to re-think his words and their meaning:
"And if you ever heard it, it meant your ass. I never really questioned what it meant. I thought it was just a cold-blooded thing to say to a motherfucker before you popped a cap in his ass. But I saw some shit this mornin' made me think twice. Now I'm thinkin': it could mean you're the evil man. And I'm the righteous man. And Mr. 9mm here, he's the shepherd protecting my righteous ass in the valley of darkness. Or it could be you're the righteous man and I'm the shepherd and it's the world that's evil and selfish. I'd like that. But that shit ain't the truth. The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be a shepherd."
Jules is seemingly renouncing his faith and divinity by becoming a wandering "bum," as Vincent so eloquently puts it, by quitting his job and roaming the earth. Jules is figuratively shedding his wings and accepting his humanity and the free will that comes with it. This theory is in stark contrast with the literal translation we are shown in the movie. In the literal sense of the dialogue, Jules is finding God and is casting off his agnosticism. The contrast of these two meanings, one literal and one far more biblical, reveals a far greater meaning to a film about gangsters taking drugs and shooting people. One not normally seen.
The definition for the term "McGuffin" is as follows according to johnaugust.com:
"Over the years, the "McGuffin" has come to have a description formalized as: ‘ A device or plot element that catches the viewer’s attention or drives the plot. It is generally something that every character is concerned with.’ The "McGuffin" is essentially something that the entire story is built around and yet has no real relevance."
..or maybe thats all rubbish. We may never know. And thats why this movie kicks ass.
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