When we
first see Indy, he is mysterious and brave. He is on a mission to find a golden
idol in a cave in South America. He seems to know exactly what he’s doing and
where he’s going. While you can say he saves his “partner” many times through
the cave, you could also consider that he is doing it to better his chances of
getting the golden idol. Ford even says himself, “He does brave things but I
wouldn’t describe him as a hero,” (Pheiffer 115). This is a perfect description
of the early Indiana Jones. He does heroic things but he isn’t necessarily
doing them to be a hero or to save anyone besides himself. Again, this is very
similar to early Han Solo.
Before
Indiana makes his evolution to indentured knight, he leaves Marion tied up.
This shows directly that he still hasn’t let go of his selfishness. Shorty
after this Indiana is given a choice whether he is going to act as a mercenary
or an indentured knight. He has to choose whether to save Marion or save the
ark and he choses to save the girl. He has to literally choose between having
the glory of saving the ark or doing the right thing and saving the girl and he
chooses the girl. This shows that he has made an evolution and has finally
stopped only thinking about how he can benefit himself.
The
parallels between Han Solo and Indiana Jones are glaring. They both start off
as only trying to benefit themselves. There are after fame, glory, money and
their overall benefit. Like in Star Wars, Ford has a female character that has
a lot to do with his evolution to a better person. Marion and Princess Leia
both have a huge hand in bringing out the best in Ford’s characters. Without
these female characters Ford’s characters may have never been able to tap into
their consciousness and find that selflessness inside. It is apparent in both
films that Ford’s characters have both changed for the better and care about
more than just themselves. Indiana shows remorse that the ark isn’t being used
in the right way and that he was betrayed by the government. Indiana before
would have only cared about the glory of being the one to capture the ark. He
know understand that its bigger than him and there’s a bigger purpose than just
his personal benefit.
I really like what you said about Marion and Leia both having pivotal effects on the character development of Han Solo and Indiana Jones. It is possible that both characters might have failed at developing into better people if they didn’t have a woman they were trying to attract (which provided them a piercing motivation to better themselves). Women are powerful. One time, about a year ago, when I was listening to the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Tom and his co-host spoke about “The power of women” in between a couple R&B jams. During this conversation, I specifically remember Tom saying, “A woman can make a man feel like a king or a bum, it’s all up to her.” You’re observation has made me realize that we should probably spend more energy deciphering how the relentless motivation of women affects the actions of men in the stories we watch and read.
ReplyDeleteI also like the part you added about Harrison Ford saying that Indiana Jones is brave but not heroic. I agree completely. I think that Indiana Jones is a man with extraordinary skills, and bravery (which are common heroic traits), but he never really uses them in a heroic manner. Essentially he has the skills of a hero, but not the character of one. He extends his skills, but not for a heroic cause. I think that’s an important lesson to learn from Jones.