You Might Feel a Sting: Hierarchies of Control in Pulp

Fiction Sasha Risler

The following tracks the analysis of Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino,

1994) in terms of its refusal to comply with the generic standard of

noir films through the elements of textural, structural and character

hierarchy. As stated by Joe Allen from Lancaster University, the film

manipulates “accepted notions of character, narrative, and text”

to assert the notion of control. I will consider the components of

character, narrative and textual elements to explain the

hierarchies of control in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction.

Introduction

“Pu

lp /

’pe

lp/

n. 1

. A s

oft

, mo

ist,

sh

ap

ele

ss m

ass

of

ma

tte

r. 2

. A

ma

ga

zin

e o

r bo

ok

co

nta

inin

g lu

rid s

ub

jec

t m

att

er a

nd

be

ing

c

ha

rac

teris

tica

lly p

rinte

d o

n ro

ug

h, u

nfin

ishe

d p

ap

er.”

2 lorem ipsum :: [Date]

Honey Bunny: When you go on like this, you know what you sound like? Pumpkin: I sound like a sensible fucking man, is that I sound like. Honey Bunny: You sound like a duck. Quack. Quack. Quack. Pumpkin: Well take heart, ‘cause you’re never gonna hafta hear it again. Because since I’m never gonna do it again, you’re never gonna hafta hear me quack about how I’m never gonna do it again.

“Pulp Fiction is a comedy about blood, guts, violence,

strange sex, drugs, fixed fights, dead body disposal, leather freaks, and a wristwatch” –

Roger Ebert

Character

Dialogue

The conversation between Honey Bunny and Pumpkin

seen in the prologue contributes to the audience’s

understanding of character and character relations. The

dialogue in the scene and throughout the film is “as

humorous as the violence is venomous, making ‘pulp’ the

last thing on our minds” (Ziem). The discourse between the

two characters deviates from the generic dialogue and

brings to life the “unimportant or empty moments that

more conventional crime stories, noirs, and thrillers omit”

(Howley). The ‘small talk’ is not to be overlooked, for it

plays a key role in establishing the character and

character relations immediately in the film. In terms of

control, this scene sets the stage for what will ultimately be

3 lorem ipsum :: [Date]

Ma

rce

llus: N

igh

t of th

e fig

ht, yo

u m

igh

t fee

l a slig

ht stin

g. Th

at's p

ride

fuc

kin' w

ith

you

. Fuc

k prid

e! Prid

e o

nly h

urts, it n

eve

r he

lps. Y

ou

figh

t thro

ug

h th

at sh

it. 'Ca

use

a

yea

r from

no

w, w

he

n yo

u kic

king

it in th

e C

arib

be

an

, you

go

nn

a sa

y to yo

urse

lf, "M

arc

ellu

s Wa

llac

e w

as rig

ht."

Inter-Character Power Relations

A shift in hierarchy occurs that showcases inter-character

power relations, particularly in “The Gold Watch” sequence.

Until this sequence, Marcellus maintains ultimate power and

authority by remaining faceless, suggesting that not even

the audience is privileged to identify him. However,

throughout the entirety of the mini-narrative, the highest

position of character authority changes many hands: “it

changes to Marcellus as he regains consciousness and

shoots at Butch, chasing him down the street; then to Butch

as he hides inside the door of the pawn shop before

wrestling Marcellus to the ground; then the pawn shop

owner gains the torch as he points a shotgun at both Butch

and Marcellus” (Allen, 4). Marcellus is stripped of all

authority when raped, temporarily placing control into the

hands of Butch. Allen suggests that the dramatic shifts of

authority could be said to “mirror the characters’ desperate

attempts to regain control of their situation”. This sequence

portrays an interesting power dynamic between the two

characters, suggesting that a hierarchy of characters is a

leading component of the film.

4 lorem ipsum :: [Date]

Appearance: notions of professionalism and its subsequent authority

Throughout the film, Vincent and Jules are dressed in matching black

suits, thus providing the audience with visual cues that the characters

hold professional authority.

When Vincent and Jules are stripped of their blood soaked suits in order to

avoid being caught for the accidental murder of Marvin, they are jokingly

referred to as “dorks” when seen in their casual t-shirts and gym shorts.

However, it is when they are in these casual outfits that “Jules manages to

perform what is arguably the most authoritative and power-laden act of the

whole film, the foiling of Pumpkin and Honey Bunny’s robbery”(Allen, 5). It is

during the epilogue that Jules is shown “to be a figure of great control even

when stripped of the properties that once embodied this control” (Allen, 5).

5 lorem ipsum :: [Date]

Narrative

Fragmented Structure

Rather than adhering to the generic

formula of classical narratives, Tarantino

reinterprets the generic formula and

deviates from the classical form. Pat

Dowell suggests that the fragmented

structure has a beneficial effect on the

audience. “An audience does not have

to identify each of the references in

order to understand the narrative

progression of the film itself, but on the

other hand an understanding of such

references builds up a mental picture of

the intertextual world that Pulp Fiction

inhabits, and the more references an

audience picks up on the more powerful

the audience becomes” (Allen, 6). Here

in lies the key to the audience’s control:

the number of references they can

identify.

In the essay entitled, “Are Movies Going to Pieces?” published in 1964, Pauline Kael

attempts to explain the dissipation of narrative cohesion in films. Kael suggests that the influence of television is largely to blame

concluding, “the old staples of entertainment – in offensive genres like the adventure story

or the musical or the ghost-story or the detective story – are no such longer

commercially safe for moviemakers, and it may be that audiences don’t have much

more than a television span of attention left” (Kael, 1966, 345).

Mini-Narratives: shift from generic to real

The film is broken into three mini-narratives: ‘Vincent

Vega and Marcellus Wallace’s Wife’, ‘The Gold

Watch’, and ‘The Bonnie Situation’. “Instead of

ending each of these narratives in the conventional

place the narrative continues in an attempt to show

what occurs outside the traditional stock elements”

(Allen, 2). For example, when Vincent and Jules visit

Brett to recover Marcellus’ briefcase, they execute

Brett and his friends before leaving. Allen notes that

the generic narrative would end here. However,

Tarantino pushes the scene further through the event

in which the two gangsters ‘miraculously’ avoid

being shot by Marvin, who hid in the bathroom

during the execution. Tarantino admits that the

audience is familiar with these scenes, however they

are “genre situations unraveled in real ways” thus

competing for the control over the audience’s

Accidental Incident

Within each of the three narratives, the accidental incident is used to deviate from the generic

model of classic noir films. The influence of the seemingly accidental component is vital, for in each

of the three narratives, once each have “passed the safety of the generic cut off point, the

unexpected occurs, thus leaving the characters with a situation that desperately has to be

resolved” (Allen, 3). For instance, after Vincent and Jules regain custody of Marcellus’ briefcase

from Brett’s apartment, an unexpected gunshot caused by a bump in the road results in an untimely

death for Marvin, who is seated in the backseat of the car. Just as Vincent and Jules’ plan was

going according to plan, the two gangsters suddenly find themselves covered in blood while driving

through LA. Up until these seemingly accidental occurrences, the “characters are in control of their

individual narratives” however, the narrative “moves one step ahead of the characters” leaving the

characters shocked, thus mirroring the audiences’ astonishment (Allen, 3). These accidental

incidents are meant to create confusion within both character and audience and provide “vital

opportunities for the character to regain control of what the text makes both character and

audience believe is an impossible situation” (Allen, 3).

Jule

s: Wh

at th

e fu

ck’s h

ap

pe

nin

g, m

an

? A

h, sh

it ma

n!

Vin

ce

nt: O

h m

an

, I sho

t Ma

rvin in

the

fac

e.

Jule

s: Wh

y the

fuc

k did

you

do

tha

t!

Vin

ce

nt: W

ell, I d

idn

’t me

an

to d

o it, it w

as a

n a

cc

ide

nt!

Jule

s: Oh

ma

n I’ve

see

n so

me

cra

zy ass sh

it in m

y time

…

Vin

ce

nt: C

hill o

ut, m

an

. I told

you

it wa

s an

ac

cid

en

t. Yo

u

pro

ba

bly w

en

t ove

r a b

um

p o

r som

eth

ing

.

7 lorem ipsum :: [Date]

Textual Elements

Camera Movement

The prologue of Pulp Fiction uses

camera movement to contribute

to the hierarchy of control. In the

opening scene, an extended shot

reveals Honey Bunny and Pumpkin from the waist down. Tarantino chose to

place the focus on the two characters, thus indicating their importance to the

plot. Through use of the camera movements, the audience can understand

the role and relationship between the two characters, however the lack of

information creates an element of tension and suspense. This technique forces

the audience to immediately fall under the control of the characters, as they

leap onto the table indicating that a robbery will occur.

Props

When identifying the use of props in Pulp Fiction, the scene in which

Vincent and Jules are at Brett’s apartment imposes subtle, yet

profound instances of dark humor. Jules places Brett’s cup of Sprite

on the table in the exact position in which it was picked up, stating,

“That’s the spot”.

In terms of control, Jules is of a greater hierarchy than Brett who sits

quietly at the table as Jules eats his food.

8 lorem ipsum :: [Date]

Conclusion

Hierarchies of control exist in Pulp

Fiction that is depicted through the

elements of character, narrative

and text. “Tarantino uses smoke

and mirrors to disguise three stories

that individually aren’t complicated

in structure and puts them together

in a way that gives them the

semblance of pulp; makes them

appear to us as soft, moist, and

shapeless stories. Tarantino colors

chaotically outside the lines, and in

doing so, seamlessly blends together

these stories, laughing in the face of

normal filmmaking and storytelling

conceits all while making it look so

easy” (Ziem). Tarantino refuses to

follow the generic standard of films

and instead, deviates from the

classical structure, thus creating a

masterful work of art.

9 lorem ipsum :: [Date]

Works Cited

Ziem, Keaton. "Structure of Pulp Fiction: Method in the Madness Main." Structure of Pulp Fiction: Method in the Madness � Main. The Script Lab, n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. <http://thescriptlab.com/features/main/1457-structure-of-pulp-fiction-method-in-the-madness>.

Allen, Joe. "Crimeculture." Crimeculture. Lancaster University, n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2013. <http://www.crimeculture.com/Contents/Articles-Summer03/AllenPulpFict.html>.

Barr, Kevin. "Narrative Structure in Film: 'Pulp Fiction' & 'Citizen Kane'" Suite101.com. 101, 8 Feb. 2011. Web. 6 Mar. 2013. <http://suite101.com/article/narrative-structure-in-film-pulp-fiction--citizen-kane-a344847>.

Howley, Kevin. "Breaking, Making, and Killing Time in Pulp Fiction | Filmonogamy." Filmonogamy. N.p., 3 Mar. 2011. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. <http://filmonogamy.wordpress.com/2011/03/03/breaking-making-and-killing-time-in-pulp-fiction/>.

Lyotard, Francois and Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory, Manchester University Press, [1995]