The point in which Indiana
progresses to the next level of service is when he chooses not to blow up the Ark. The Ark stands as the epitope of artifacts. Throughout the films artifacts are symbols of
history as well as a higher power. At
first Indy is willing to sacrifice history.
This is a sign of being a mercenary knight. In Temple
of Doom Indy willingly trades history for a diamond. The easy option for Indy would be to once
again trade history for what he wants.
In this case what he wants is Marion.
A change becomes evident based on the fact that Indy surrenders himself
because he is unable to blow up the Ark. It symbolizes how Indy has resigned
himself to the higher authority that history is. At the beginning of the film Indy is still a mercenary
knight. He displays this when he is
speaking to Brody about trying to get funding to go on another trip in order to
rectify his earlier failure with the idol.
Pfeiffer describes him as “a
daring adventurer traveling the globe in search of elusive treasures and
artifacts” (114). At this point this is what Indy is, but as the film he transforms
into something much more. The change begins to be seen when Marion is
thought to be dead. This forces him to
face mortality. For the first time Indy
has to face the death of someone who he loved not just who loved him. Realizing mortality is the first step for Indy
because it forces him to think if one cannot last forever what does. The answer is history. When Indy is trapped in the tomb holding the
Ark Indy realizes that long after life is gone history is left. He becomes over whelmed by the beauty before trying
to move the Ark. Even before entering
and before realizing that the floor was covered in snakes Indy is filled with appreciation
for thee history that is the Ark and the work site. This appreciation only culminates with the sense
of mortality when Indy is threatening the very thing he believes in. It takes Belloq’s recognition of the impermanence
of their own historical importance does Indy truly begin to serve history
instead of himself. Jones shows his
final obedience to the Ark when he saves himself and Marion from looking at the
Ark. Not making eye contact is a sign of
subservience. Indy is displaying that he
is unworthy of looking upon true history as well as following blindly the
advice the Ark had given him through the early pictures. The blind obedience and reverence for the
higher power is the true aspects of the indentured knight.
I think that Indiana progessed to his "next level of service" long before the decision came to blow up the Ark or not. Although in the Temple of Doom, his mantra was basically "fortune and glory", it's clear that he understands the importance of the archaeological discovery of the Ark. He takes up the call Tom Mather - from his government for a multitude of reasons. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, I think that Indiana Jones' motivation lies in the idea that archeological pursuits trump personal gain. This is why he is willing to put himself in danger, as he is fighting for the higher cause of history and learning. At this point, he has seen what "fortune and glory" gets him a la Temple of Doom, and because of that trip, he is seen teaching instead of swashbuckling. When he is faced with the decision to blow up the Ark, he recognized the power that the Ark had, and what would happen if the Nazi's found a way to not get melted / their souls ripped out. On top of this, it's clear that the explosion would kill Marion as well. To avoid that, he left the Nazi's to their fate. This is seen when he and Marion are tied to the post, and he tells her not to look. He knows the lore behind the Ark, and knows what will happen if they look upon it when it is opened. Indiana Jones is a smart man, smarter than the movies give him credit for.
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