Monday 7 March 2011

Pulp Fiction Textual Analysis

pulp_fiction.jpg



Pulp Fiction uses an interesting narrative choice, choosing 4 main characters to focus on and intertwining their stories through 4 different chapters in the film. This narrative choice leads to an interesting story that grips the audience throughout the film, as occasionally a character from one chapter will interact with a character from a previous chapter, or visit the same location, etc. This style of storytelling in a film makes for interesting scenes in which we see a character not relevant to another character's chapter in a situation at the end of that chapter, only for their story to be told in their chapter and their situation, etc. explained.

This is relevant to our film as we have 3 characters who each have an interesting backstory behind them that could be told in flashbacks throughout the film, and could show how each character meets, etc. The film also has a heavy use of guns, drugs, and car chases, etc. which is something typical of a police film. Interestingly, the character 'Mia Wallace' often takes drugs and is a very intimidating character, 'Vincent Vega', one of the other main characters, often feels intimidated and controlled by her as her husband is a very powerful mob boss, and although he is not in many of the scenes, not even being in the same place as the other characters, his power and control are channeled through his wife it seems, so she takes on a more masculine role when he is not in the picture, though his power is always present. This more masculine role leads to drug taking, carrying guns, etc. which is something that the character that Lara plays in our film can relate too, as she is an intimidating member of a team full of men, often carrying a gun and having power over people.