pulp /pŭlp/ n. 1. A soft, moist, shapeless mass of matter.

2. A magazine or book containing lurid subject matter and being characteristically printed on rough, unfinished paper

 

In watching Pulp Fiction, it seemingly checks off all boxes of what is cinema. It is a truly remarkable film with almost every sensibility found around the globe, with its inspirational writing and directing that is the pinnacle of genius and authenticity. Quentin Tarantino bends the rules of film making in establishing that there are no rules and delivers us a movie that will not age with time. It is a one-of-a-kind picture that still has not been challenged over numerous decades. A story with this many layers, poses something new with every re-watch. It is a movie that has it all, action, violence, substance abuse, dancing, music, philosophical monologues, religion, family; just when you think something is going to happen, the most unexpected comes to surface.

Pulp Fiction is a movie that defies the law of time, with time being a character. The beginning is the end, and the end is the beginning, with a conglomeration of various stories in between that are chronologically out of order but fulfill our story in a unique way. Look at this film as a cinematic quilt, each square is an episode within the movie that ultimately find its way to create one big masterpiece. It is a non-linear movie, with three different stories within one story. Well, there are actually four stories. But to understand the story behind the three stories, no wait… four stories, you must understand a story within one of the main stories.

Story 1: Vincent and Marsellus Wallace’s Wife

Story 2: Marsellus Wallace and Butch

Story 3: Jules and Vincent

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Story 4: Pumpkin and Honeybunny

The story begins within the story of Jules and Vincent, they are hitmen sent by Marsellus to retrieve the infamous gold glowing briefcase. On their way up to the apartment, they mention a guy named Antwan Rockamora AKA “Tony Rocky Horror” who was thrown from the fourth story balcony. Fourth Story. Vincent and Jules finally make their way up to the apartment, the elevator stops on the fourth floor. Again, fourth story. From the dialogue, we can infer that Marsellus Wallace threw Tony Rocky Horror from the fourth story balcony for giving his wife a foot massage.

What is the significance of a name like Tony Rocky Horror? Well, I will tell you. The first story of the movie is about Vincent and Marsellus's wife, who went on a date per the instructions of Marsellus himself. On their date, they entered in a dance contest and won! For their prize, they received a trophy. What is a trophy given to performers who perform live musical performances on stage? A Tony Award. 

TONY

The second story is about an old boxer, Butch, who is coming to the end of his career and despite accepting a bribe to Marsellus to throw the fight, he uses the money to bet on himself. Butch defied the odds, with Vegas and the audience, and beat his favored opponent, actually killing him in the ring. Can we think of another boxer who defied all odds and beat his opponent? Rocky Balboa. 

ROCKY

The third story is about Vincent and Jules accidentally shooting and killing a man in the backseat of their car. The interior of the car was splattered with blood and brains, not to mention their suits. What is significant about this is they kill people for living, and minutes prior they killed three people and didn't bat an eye. But this killing, it left them terrified, so much so that they stopped at an old friend's house and called an expert for help. This situation left them in horror. 

HORROR

"Tony Rocky Horror" is simply a combination of the three stories of the film, or to be straight forward, it is the film. "Tony Rocky Horror" is the film, and by being thrown from the fourth story, it stands apart from the fourth story in the movie, being Pumpkin and Honeybunny. In the dialogue with Vincent and Jules, they briefly mention that "Tony Rocky Horror" didn't die from being thrown from the fourth story balcony, but rather he developed a speech impediment. This development of a speech impediment is far more than an unexpected and humorous fate for "Tony Rocky Horror." Perhaps the speech impediment is reason for the movie's appearance of jumbled up stories and unorthodox storytelling. 

In my opinion, Pulp Fiction is a movie about redemption but more importantly, resurrection. The resurrection trope is layered all throughout the film, and its incorporation of scripture makes it all the better. Each story within the movie has its own unique inclusion of resurrection, which helps further the narrative to new heights for its audience. 

The scripture that was recited various times within the movie was Ezekiel 25:17. Jules recited this verse aloud each time before killing someone because he thought it would be a cold-blooded thing to say to his victims.

"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the
Inequities 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

 What is ironic about using this verse just before taking their life is: Jules is the embodiment of the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. His righteousness and ultimate salvation were troubled and corrupted by his lifestyle and occupation being a hitman for a gangster in Marsellus Wallace. But he was resurrected, just as Saul (Paul) was spiritually resurrected on the road to Damascus. Just as Jules was resurrected, various characters in all the stories within the movie were resurrected. But not in the same ways, all serve and possess a different type of resurrection, Jules being the most significant.

Let’s start with the most obvious resurrection story, Marsellus’s wife. The reckless nature of Vincent’s occupation and frivolous experimentation with boundaries almost led to the death of Mia Wallace, Marsellus’s wife. While on the job, Vincent decided to meet up with his drug dealer and casually get a baggy of heroin and shoot up just before taking Mia out for dinner.  Well, after a night of crossing multiple boundaries with his boss’s wife, Mia, including her wearing his jacket, Mia finds Vincent’s baggy of heroin in his pockets. While Vincent is talking to himself in the bathroom mirror, Mia assumes the white substance is cocaine and snorts it. She immediately falls unconscious in an overdose, and Vincent finds her in the most helpless state, barely alive. The movie portrays her as good as dead; Vincent then gives her a shot of adrenaline to her heart, and she comes back to life. Her resurrection story is real and physical, she was dead but now is alive. Mia now gets a second chance to act out her life. (Significant since she is a failed actress) This story is sealed with a Vincent and Mia handshake, which serves a deeper meaning in it of itself.

As I mentioned before, time is a character within this film. Time is tied to the character Butch, but I would like to place emphasis on time. Time is captured as a character through a watch, a watch handed down through generations of war veterans to Butch, by his dad’s military brother. One may ask, how can time be resurrected, it is continuous and can’t die. But a person’s time is finite. Butch’s father wore that watch, and that watch symbolizes his time on earth. He ultimately ended up dying in battle wearing that watch, signifying his time has come to an end. Time was then resurrected back to life with the transfer of ownership from the father to Butch, Butch now being the recipient of time and all that attaches itself to it. The watch has been passed through generations of war veterans, and although Butch isn’t in the military, he has his own battles to fight. Time is a crucial piece here and plays a role throughout the film. “It’s time Butch.”

The next usage of resurrection is a unique one to the storytelling of the film. We see a resurrection in the life of Vincent, but not in the same way as Mia. Vincent’s resurrection is reliant upon the order of storytelling because we see him die in Butch’s apartment due to his lack of awareness, and then alive again for the continuation of another story. If time were linear in this film, Vincent’s resurrection would be non-existent. But the usage of this methodical storytelling forces the viewer to acknowledge the death of Vincent because of its abrupt and unexpected nature, but also allows the viewer to forget his death due to the furtherance of the plot and change of stories. In this way, Vincent has come back from the dead and has been resurrected to show a profound consequence to his actions. Jules was convicted and gave up the hitman life and urged Vincent to do the same. We see in the story of Butch that Vincent shrugged off Jules’s suggestion that ultimately led to his demise.

The most profound of these resurrections is Jules, who’s resurrection is that of the heart. Jules felt the direct hand of God save his life in his encounter at the apartment with Vincent. When Jules and Vincent least expected it, a man fired six shots at them and missed all six shots at point blank range. This is when we see a noticeable change in Jules, when he felt the hand of the Lord upon him and used this experience as a sign to change his life. Jules should have been dead but by a divine miracle, he has been saved. In the same way, he was dead in his trespasses and sin, but was saved spiritually through this experience. Just as Saul (Paul) was on his way to Damascus to execute followers of Christ but was transformed by the direct intervention of God Himself, so was Jules transformed on his road to “Damascus.”

This transformation of Jules leads us into the fourth story of the movie, which is about Pumpkin and Honeybunny’s robbery of a diner, a diner that Jules and Vincent just so happened to be at. In this attempt to infamously resemble Bonnie and Clyde, Jules confronts Pumpkin during the robbery. In this altercation, Jules takes control of the situation and recites Ezekiel 25:17. A verse that Jules would initially say to take the life of his victim, becomes clear to him of exactly what the verse actually means. Jules is to be the shepherd for the weak through the valley of darkness, which is Pumpkin in his failed robbery attempt at the diner. Jules could have easily killed him and justified in doing so. But instead, Jules showed mercy, just as God showed him mercy and spared his life when he should have receieved the wrath and fury of the Lord. 

This film is uncapturable, it cannot be tamed by a simple analysis. It is a film that keeps on giving, the more we watch it, the more it gives. It is so twisted and unmatched, no explanation or review does it justice.