The Biblical symbolism in 'Pulp Fiction'

This analysis will look at the Biblical themes in Quentin Tarantino's 'Pulp Fiction'

Pulp Fiction is a 1994 crime drama that follows 2 hitmen named Jules and Vincent whose boss, Marcellus Wallace, sends them to retrieve his stolen briefcase, the mysterious contents of which are never revealed in the film.

The story unfolds in scenes that are arranged out of order to draw a contrast between Jules and Vincent at the beginning of the film and at the end of the film. The film’s main theme is forgiveness. In this video, I will analyze this theme and other elements from the movie. Thanks for checking out my video and I would appreciate it if you would leave a comment let me know what you think of my analysis of this film. 

Analysis of a scene from 'Pulp Fiction'

This is an analysis of 'Pulp Fiction'. In this scene, Vincent Vega accidentally shoots Marvin in the face.

After the previous scene where Vincent and Jules got shot at point blank range without getting hit by a single bullet, Vincent and Jules are in the car returning the briefcase to Marcellus and Vincent is trying to explain away the miracle they just experienced. Jules is convinced that he’s out of the business for good once they return the briefcase. Marvin, one of the kids from the last scene, is in the backseat listening to them. Vincent turns and points the gun, not consciously, but carelessly, at Marvin to ask for his 2 cents and the gun goes off by itself, blowing Marvin’s face apart and covering the hitmen with blood. Now, they have to make a detour to Jimmy’s to clean the blood out of the car before they can drop the briefcase off to Marcellus.

This scene represents the blood sacrifice of an innocent, in this case, Marvin, for all of Jules' and Vincents’ past crimes. John 1:29: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” The blood in the scene symbolizes the blood of atonement, which will be washed away when they are “baptized” and forgiven and given new lives by the Wolf, played by Harvey Keitel.

Analysis of a scene: 'Pulp Fiction'

In this scene from 'Pulp Fiction' Butch saves Marcellus Wallace.

In this clip, all of the foreshadowing in previous scenes, from Jules asking the men that stole the briefcase whether they thought Marcellus was a bitch, and also saying that “Mr. Wallace doesn’t like to be fucked by nobody except Mrs. Wallace,” to Marcellus advising Butch not to let Pride interfere with him throwing the boxing match—these seemingly random statements that at the time seemed like banter have become a prophecy for Marcellus whose pride and body are violated by Zed, a  racist friend of the racist shop owner. As Marcellus is being raped in another room, Butch, who is next in line and still tied to a chair, miraculously loosens the ropes and leaves the dungeon. Marcellus was only moments ago attempting to kill Butch but as he is about to leave, Butch pulls a sword down off a shelf behind the store-counter and returns to the dungeon to free Marcellus.

Analysis of a scene from 'Pulp Fiction'

In this scene from 'Pulp Fiction', Vincent and Mia enter dance contest at Jack Rabbit Slims

In the film's documentary, Travolta said that this is his favorite scene in the whole movie as far as production design. I never thought about this scene a lot as far as being important to the story but having seen this film so many times and gotten over the shock of it I can see other elements in it I’d missed. This scene shows the effects of the weed they’d smoked in the previous scene. John is more relaxed and this is symbolized by him removing his shoes, which is something you do when you are very relaxed. Now, he’s not thinking he’s with his boss’s wife; now, she’s just another babe and when they dance, they’re actually flirting. I get the sense that Mia is not completely satisfied with Marcellus and that she likes the element of danger in flirting with other men. The dead celebrities around the stage are a symbolic of a warning to Vincent, that he’s flirting with danger and even death but he’s too high to realize it. 

'Pulp Fiction': Marcellus paying Butch to throw fight

In this scene from 'Pulp Fiction', Marcellus pays Butch to throw a boxing match.

Clip 1

Clip 2

In these clips, Marcellus pays Butch, an over-the-hill boxer played by Bruce Willis, to through an upcoming fight. Again, the dialogue in this scene foreshadows scenes to come later in the film. Marcellus is mostly out of view except for the back of his head and we see Butch’s face as he is being instructed by Marcellus to forget his pride. That word Pride is a word that Marcellus will be forced to deal with himself later in the film and though it seems ironic and random that he uses the word, it is not a coincidence. Asking a proud man like Butch to throw a fight is tantamount to rape, which is symbolized by what happens to Marcellus later. After getting Butch to go along with taking a dive, Marcellus adds further insult to this by giving Butch some money. Now, remember the question Jules asked the man in the previous scene, when he asked “Does Marcellus look like a bitch?” In street talk, a bitch is a  prostitute or someone who will sell their soul, which reinforces my belief that Marcellus’s soul is in that briefcase because he believes that money can buy anything. And, in movies, a briefcase is almost always connected with money.

So, by not only making Butch throw a fight but by also paying him to do it, Marcellus is treating Butch like a bitch, or a prostitute. 

Also, in this scene we see Jules and Vincent. Right away, you can see the animosity in Vincent towards Butch, for apparently no reason. But maybe this disrespect on Vincents’ part is because no one respects a man with no principles and the word’s gotten around that Butch has been paid to throw a fight.