This was the first time that I have ever seen Pulp Fiction in its entirety. Tarantino (1994). Prior, I had only seen pieces of the film at a time, something obviously evident when I didn’t remember two of the three vignettes. And that in and of itself was something I did not know: that the film is actually three vignettes that tie together in some strange way.
In what has been described as a signature style of his, Tarantino employs non-linear storytelling in Pulp Fiction. Goodykoontz & Jacobs (2011). By using such a method, the overarching story, the one that unites all three vignettes, is difficult to follow. In fact, the only unifying theme I can find in all three parts is simply how the individual characters interact and their lives intersect. If I had to reach for a “unified story,” I would say that it is the story of man named Jules making up his mind to retire, after a string of very unfortunate events. Or, the story of two men settling a score between themselves, and each going on for “happily ever after”. At least as “happily” as Tarantino can get.
The film opens with a couple in a coffee shop that decide to rob the place. The opening credits quickly role, and the next scene is Jules and Vincent in an apartment to confront a guy named Brad. Jules and Vincent work for, what I can best discern is a crime/drug lord, Marcellus Wallace. They are there to confront Brad on Marcellus’ behalf. In this infamous scene, Jules is interrogating Brad about why he betrayed Marcellus. “Does Marcellus Wallace look like a bitch? . . . Then why are you trying to f*** him like a bitch?” Tarantino (1994).
Brad is subsequently murdered, and Jules and Vincent return to Marcellus to return a briefcase that I assume Brad had stolen (the betrayal.) During the scene at Marcellus’ bar, Vincent has a short verbal tussle with a man named Butch, who is also indebted to Marcellus. Marcellus charges Vincent with watching after his wife, Mia.
The next scene is Vincent and Mia spending time together at a retro-themed restaurant, after which she quickly overdoses. Vincent eventually saves her life.
Thus far, these two vignettes have followed each other chronologically, but the next story is most definitely non-linear. Next, we are further introduced to Butch, who we learn is a boxer that just won his final match. He is retiring because he has to run away from Marcellus and his gang. The morning after the match, as Butch and his girlfriend are preparing to leave, he realizes that he does not have his father’s watch. Because of very graphic reasons, the watch means a great deal to Butch. (Partly because his father died in the war when Butch was very young.) Butch decides to return home (they were hiding in an hotel) to retrieve the watch, despite the danger of the “thugs.” While there, Butch encounters Vincent again. It is obvious that Vincent was sent there on orders to kill Butch. However, because Butch was able to get the gun because Vincent was in the bathroom, Butch kills him instead.
While fleeing the murder scene, and feeling quite pleased with himself, remarking that “they underestimate,” him Butch sees Marcellus at a red light, walking across the street. So, he decides to run him over. But, and quite possibly in a state of hubris, Butch fails to kill Marcellus. Marcellus ends up pursuing Butch into a pawn shop, where both men are kidnapped. The kidnappers take Marcellus into a back room and rape him, while Butch is able to free himself. But, before he could run away selfishly, he has a change of heart, and goes back to save Marcellus. This allows Marcellus to forgive whatever is between them, and Butch is free to go. He returns to the hotel and he and his girlfriend ride off “into the sunset.” (This is figurative. They do not actually ride into the sunset. But they do seem to be well-off.)
The final scene finds us back where we left Vincent and Jules in Brad’s apartment, right before they returned to Marcellus. There was apparently another person in a side room when Brad was murdered who runs out and fires at Jules and Vincent six times; missing each shot. Jules takes this as a sign, a miracle. They eventually leave to evade the police, and they take along with them Marvin, a witness to the previous murders. While in the car, Vincent “mistakenly” blows Marvin’s brains out. They enlist the help of Marcellus and a cleaner, the Wolfe; and, eventually clean the car up. Vincent and Jules then go to the coffee shop in the scene before the opening credits, just before the couple decides to rob the café.
It turns out that Vincent and Jules leave the café and go straight to Marcellus to return the brief case. In other words, the story starts in Brad’s apartment, then moves to the death of Marvin and Jules and Vincent going to the café where a couple tries to rob it. After that, they return to Marcellus where Vincent has an altercation with Butch. At this point, Jules is out of the picture, “retired.” Vincent goes off with Mia, Marcellus’ wife, and she overdoses. Finally, Butch and Vincent meet again, Butch kills him, and saves Marcellus. Then, Butch and his girlfriend live “happily ever after.”
Now, the timeline can be pieced together by simple, little things that most people may overlook. For instance, you can tell the order of the scenes with Jules and Vincent by what clothes they are wearing. We know that when they arrived at Marcellus’ bar, they did not have on their iconic black and white suits. Then, in the last scene of the film, we see that they trashed their suits because they were covered in the remains of Marvin. Therefore we know that the scene of Brad’s murder is near the beginning of the timeline. Once these pieces are put together, the timeline seems to just fall into place, especially considering the other vignettes tend to be in chronological order.
Another way the timeline can be understood is by Tarantino’s use of foreshadowing, most of which you don’t realize until after the subtle prediction has come true. Look again at the scene of Brad’s murder. When Brad is shot, there is a flash of red light. This is possible symbolic of the death of Marvin, and how his brain explodes all over the car, in a “flash of red light.”
A further example, and staying in the same scene, is when Jules is interrogating Brad, “Does Marcellus Wallace look like a bitch?” Tarantino (1994). At the time that this scene happens in the film, there is no way of knowing what is to come, and it seems that the dialogue may have been added as an attempt at “tough guy humor.” But, later, when Butch and Marcellus are kidnapped, Marcellus is—to use the language from the film—“f***ed like a bitch.”
There are examples of foreshadowing in the other vignettes as well, such as the story of Mia. Before the viewer is introduced to Mia, we see Vincent buying cocaine. During this scene, the dealer says, “Heroine is coming back in a big f***ing way.” Just hours later, Mia overdoses.
And, as briefly mentioned, the quick verbal exchange between Vincent and Butch predicts Butch killing Vincent, because Vincent says that Butch can’t take him.
So, all-in-all, because of his non-linear storytelling, Tarantino borders on the territory of incomprehension, but because of his use of foreshadowing, and leaving small visual breadcrumbs, sense can be made.
Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2011) Film: From watching to seeing. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Constellation Digital Media.
Tarantino, q. (1994) Pulp Fiction. (Motion Picture). USA: Miramax