Pulp Fiction

Butch is introduced to us in a scene which chronologically precedes every other event in the film. As a child he is told by a friend of his fathers about his family history relating to war. The Gold Watch, which has been passed on for four generations, is presented as being of the utmost importance – as if losing it would be a failure to carry on the famly bloodline. The watch symbolizes whatever virtues of character Butch’s forefathers would expect him to uphold. These virtues aren’t described outright, but the family history of fighting in battlefields brings to mind the virtues of strength, courage and honour. Historically, it was unfashionable for men to wear wristwatches prior to World War One. They were specifically adopted for use by soldiers because of their practicality in the battlefield. So when Koonz refers to the gold watch as “Your grandaddy’s war watch”, he isn’t just speaking metaphorically.

Captain Koons tells Butch “Hopefully, you’ll never have to experience this yourself” before going into detail about the POW camp in Nam. However, for Butch to carry on the family virtues symbolized by the watch, it’s essential that he does experience the battlefield hardships of his forefathers. And this is exactly the journey that unfolds for him in the remainder of the film. Although we don’t see him soldiering in the military sense, Butch’s battles with Marcellus Wallace (and Wallace’s henchmen) are chok full of subliminal details relating to the wars fought by his forefathers.

When the gold watch is held out to young Butch, he swiftly grabs the family heirloom and we cut to Butch preparing for a boxing match. His choice of a boxing career is undoubtedly a continuation of the fighting spirit of his forefathers. This is emphasized by the ring of a boxing bell that punctuates young Butch grabbing the watch from Captain Koons’ hand. It’s also re-emphasized in a later scene as Butch enters his apartment to retrieve the watch. We see a variety of boxing medals on display. He’s a proud fighter.

However, chronologically the scene that follows on from Butch as a child is the bribery scene, which is prior to the boxing fight. The significance of pride as a family bloodline virtue is a key element of the bribery scene, because it’s Butch’s pride that is under direct attack from Marcellus. After telling Butch that he’s too old to make it as a boxer, Marcellus adds insult to injury, “That’s pride fucking’ wit’ you. Fuck pride! Pride only hurts. It never helps. … You my nigger?” Butch maintains a deadpan expression, but subtly insults Marcellus back by virtually announcing that he’s going to betray him, “It certainly appears so”.

Pride resurfaces as the core issue between Butch and Marcellus as they fight in the store. Butch, punching Marcellus in face, “You see that. That’s pride fuckin’ wit’ you.”

But pride isn’t the only virtue at stake for Butch. After he falsely accepts the bribery offer, Vincent Vega insults him at the bar, “You aint my friend Palooka … I think you heard me just fine punchy.” Butch looks upon Vincent and Marcellus greeting each other with hugs, as he realizes that they look upon him as a brainless punchbag. So Butch goes out of his way to prove them wrong. He not only makes himself a pile of cash by both accepting the bribe and laying bets on himself to win the fight, but he also punishes Marcellus by letting the word out about the supposed fix. As well as Marcellus losing all his bets, it would become common knowledge on the boxing circuit that Butch had utterly outsmarted him in business. Even the risk of capture, brutal punishment and certain death by Marcellus’ henchmen isn’t enough to sway Butch from defending his pride as a fighter and a strategist.

After Butch wins the fight by killing the boxer he was supposed to lose to, he has a conversation with someone called “Scotty” in a telephone booth. He tells Scotty, “It’ll take me and Fabienne a couple of days to get down to Knoxville.” This hideout destination is of paramount importance because, as Captain Koons explained to young Butch, the all-important gold watch was bought in a general store by his great grandfather in, of all places, Knoxville, Tennessee. Butch even verbally links the concept of watches to the Knoxville hideout, “Next time I see you it’ll be on Tennessee time.” Apparently Tarantino was also born in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Another subliminal connection between Butch’s battle and the battles of his forefathers can be found in the two scenes from which he awakens from nightmares. The first, as already mentioned, was a cut in straight from young Butch grabbing the gold watch from the captain – implying that he was dreaming about his father’s ordeal as a POW. In the second instance of Butch waking from a nightmare, a noisy war film called Nam’s Angels is playing on the TV set. Again we have an aesthetic association between Butch’s nightmares and the Vietnam ordeals of his father. Butch asks what the movie is. His girlfriend, Fabienne, replies, “I’m not sure the name.” Butch asks, “Are you watching it?” She replies “In a way” as she stands reflected in the TV screen, as if she’s actually in the war film.

A few minutes later Butch discovers that the gold watch is missing from their luggage and he responds by flipping out and throwing the TV set. This could be a further symbolic connection to the war film content.

Butch then parks his car and proceeds on foot to reacquire the watch. Pay close attention to this scene. It is infused with details relating to the infiltration of a POW camp. In a long steadicam shot, we follow Butch as he sneaks through an alley … then a hole in a wire fence … and as he climbs over another fence. Listen also to some of the background noises dubbed over the scene. Faintly, we can hear a helicopter and barking dogs. In case you think these war-themed sound effects are incidental, listen to the radio that plays through a window in the alley. It’s an advert for Jack Rabbit Slims, where Vincent Vega took Mia for dinner in one of the film’s other stories. The sound effects in this scene have been specifically chosen for thematic effect.

Once in the apartment, Butch guns down Vincent with a machine gun – yet another war reference. And after leaving the premises we hear more war related sound effects - airplanes and then motorbikes as Butch gets back in the Honda. Motorbikes were very prominent in the war film that his girlfriend was watching.

By taking such a great risk to retrieve the watch, Butch is displaying the same courage as his forefathers. He had an incredible stroke of luck by finding the machine gun while Vincent was in the lavatory,

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