Hoo: Indy Knighted

Indiana Jones’s transition from mercenary to indentured knight was a rather gradual one. This sluggish change can be compared to Han Solo’s transition from mercenary to civic hero. The duration of Han’s transition was also spread across multiple films in a trilogy. It seemed to take Han even longer than Indy to change. It took Han until the end of the third Star Wars film to fully evolve into a hero. Indiana Jones, on the other hand, only took until the end of the second film in the series to blossom from mercenary into a noble indentured knight.

            One could argue that this transition occurred early in The Raiders of the Lost Ark. The moment that Indy agreed to work under the Untied States government in order to find the Ark of the Covenant could be seen as him making the transition. The government can be seen as the king that Indy is indebted to and in turn must obey. The problem with this hypothesis is the fact that Indiana was still fully in the deal for selfish reasons. He still wants all of the glory for himself. A scene that exhibits this notion occurs when Indy is packing for Nepal. As Marcus warns him of the Ark’s unimaginable power Indy simply shrugs him off as the audience views him throwing his whip and gun in his bag. His actions signify that, at this point, he is still the old mercenary Indiana. 

            The point at which Indiana truly metamorphoses into an indentured knight occurs just “before the supernaturally driven climax wreaks havoc on the villains” (Pfeiffer 117). The scene that best demonstrates this transition is the bazooka showdown scene. Belloq and the Nazis are making their way to the Ark revealing site with Marion Ravenwood in captivity when they are surprised by a bazooka-toting Indy (actually a modern-day rocket-propelled grenade). Indy appears at the crest of a ridge and threatens to destroy the Ark of the Covenant if Ravenwood is not returned to him. Belloq then calls his bluff and Indy surrenders himself to the Nazi crew. A twofold change can be observed as occurring within his character. First he exhibits his acceptance of the chivalric code in that he is (seemingly) willing to give up the bounty of the Ark in order to save his love, Ravenwood. In addition, he demonstrates his indentured servitude to the history of the world. This is made clear in that he refuses to actually destroy the Ark. In the past, Indy had used the relics he discovered simply as a means to an end. He only cared about fortune and glory. The newly knighted Indy now realizes the importance of taking care of such relics in order to make better sense of the past. The camera angle demonstrated this change that occurs in Indy. Earlier in the film, as the Nazi’s catch Indy removing the Ark from the underground tomb Belloq looks down upon him while sealing the tomb. In this scene Indy is literally above Belloq and the Nazis indicating a change in his character. He is no longer a simple mercenary but rather a noble knight.