Ideologies presented in Pulp Fiction

Ideologies presented in Pulp Fiction

 "Ideology is usually defined as a body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, group, class, or culture. The term is generally associated with politics and party platforms, but it can also mean a given set of values that are implicit in any human enterprise -- including filmmaking.”

In Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino tells the story of four characters whose lives all intertwine at different points of the film. When making the film, Tarantino wanted to show redemption by allowing the character to make their own moral judgment in difficult situations, and their choices would result in either reward or retribution. The character that this is shown best through is Butch Coolidge, played by Bruce Willis. To begin with, the character lacks any sort of morals, getting himself out of bad situations using violence, and this reaches a peak when he steals Marsellus Wallace's money. The point of the film where Butch's moral stance changes is when he has faced the choice of fleeing a dangerous situation or staying and help Marsellus escape two rapists. Butch makes the decision to stay and help Marsellus, which leads to him being rewarded by Marsellus, who clears his debt and helps Butch to regain the respect of his peers.

Tarantino also addresses drug use and religion in the film through the other main characters. Mia Wallace, played by Uma Thurman, and Vincent Vega, played by John Travolta, are shown casually and recreationally using hardcore drugs like heroin and cocaine throughout the film, but the horrifying scene of Mia's overdose allows us as an audience to make our own judgment about how we feel about the character's drug use. Tarantino uses hitman Jules Winnfield, played by Samuel L. Jackson to show strong religious messages, particularly in two scenes of the film. One where Jules claims he has a new belief in 'divine intervention' after a near death experience, and once again when he makes his extremely famous Ezekiel 25:17 to the men that they have been ordered to kill by Marsellus. 

By showing the audience the idea of the American Dream through such a negative situation, particularly getting rich through illegal activity, it lets us as the audience to think about the reality of the American Dream and leaves us thinking about how far we would go ourselves to ultimately achieve the 'American Dream'