Kunzig – Raiders of the Lost Ark

The mercenary knight, which is what Indiana Jones was in Temple of Doom and the beginning of raiders, only has one purpose: fortune and glory. He serves only himself (or the person who will pay him) and morality is not high on his list of priorities. The indentured knight, on the other hand, serves someone else, a higher authority. He also pledges to protect a woman. In the case of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the higher authority is the U.S. government, and the woman is Marion. Since the mission given to Indiana Jones by the U.S. government will also fulfill his quest for glory, and bring him some fortune (the price a museum would pay for the ark), it can be difficult to tell whether Indiana is in reality serving himself or the higher authority. But at least it is clear that he is somewhere in between from the beginning: he recognizes the cultural and historical value of the Ark and that its place is in a museum, and is not thinking of selling it to the highest bidder (like he might have in Temple of Doom). However, it is easier to tell when his commitment to the lady truly appears, and this is a big part of being an indentured knight as well. Some might say this moment occurs when he and Marion are in the underground room where the Ark was kept, along with a lot of poisonous snakes. But his efforts to get her out of there were just as much to save himself, and while it is a step in the right direction, he is not quite there yet. I would say the moment his dedication to Marion is most clear occurs when she is taken from the ship by the Nazis, into their submarine, but he was not found. Rather than stay on the ship, where he is safe and believed to be dead, he chooses to swim to the submarine to save her. We know his priority is Marion and not the Ark when on the island, he threatens to blow up the Ark if they don't give her back. But he is unable to do so, which could imply that he is in service of a higher authority: history. When the Ark is opened, releasing its powers and killing the Nazis, Indiana Jones recognizes that the Ark is in fact magical, but also dangerous, and respects the U.S. government for seeing the importance in retrieving it so it can be studied (and not used for evil). He dutifully brings it back to America.