How “Pulp Fiction” Made God and Miracles more Accessible in Mainstream Culture
Quentin Tarantino’s use of postmodern, rhetorical devices in his characters changed the popular focus of religious experience.
There is a scene in one of my favorite movies, “Pulp Fiction,” in which the two central protagonists (both hitmen) survive a shooting at close range. One of the men, Jules, believes that he experienced a miracle, while the other, Vincent, believes it was luck.
Directly after the incident, Jules is in a state of confusion and at a crossroads in his faith. Though he immediately adopts the word “miracle” to describe the event, he stands visibly confused and tries his best to make sense of it logically. In doing that, he instinctively commits to a more traditional understanding of the word “miracle” that focused solely on the event itself. He says, “God came down from heaven and stopped the bullets.” But hours later, it is clear that Jules has gained a more sophisticated understanding, and a debate ensues in which Vincent…
