Pulp Fiction’s non-linear story strictly follows 3 mythological tales
Est vs Actual domestic box office revenue: $91 – 101MM vs $108MM
91% of the events are borrowed from 3 mythological tales
Directed by Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction is known for its unique narrative structure. The movie explores the basic human desires of upholding honour, restoring order, seeking tranquillity, vengeance and redemption. Mythosis, harnesses mythological tales to extract the unique plot structure of Pulp Fiction. The plot structure reveals the reasons behind the compelling story and also exposes the gaps.
1. Mythological tales reveal the invisible plot structure of any story
1A. 91% of the events are borrowed from 3 mythological tales
Vincent's quest is driven by the desire to serve one’s clan and mirrors the tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology. Hanuman & Vincent demonstrate loyalty, showing a willingness to sacrifice themselves.
Butch’s quest is driven by the desire to collect & own and mirrors the tale of Valmiki from Hindu mythology. Valmiki and Butch both forge new relationships when they shift their focus away from themselves.
Jules’ quest is driven by the desire to be in a secure environment and mirrors the tale of Odysseus from Greek mythology. Both Odysseus and Jules, weary from life-threatening challenges, long to return home or find a safe place.
There are 3 underdeveloped quests. Marcellus’ quest for Vengeance, Mia’s quest for Curiosity & Wolfe’s quest for Order.
Detailed mirroring of each character’s primary quest to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”
1B. 32 mythological tales are the source of all stories, even the untold ones
Human beings are driven by 16 fundamental desires. Every desire, whether encountering fulfilment or unfulfillment, gives rise to two distinct quests. Thus, a spectrum of 32 unique quests mirrors every human desire.
We have discovered mythological tales from across civilizations that uniquely portray each one of these 32 human quests. While each mythological tale stands as a distinct quest, the true magic unfolds when these tales are combined. This synergy is evident in the epics of Odyssey and Ramayan, where various universal quests seamlessly intertwine.
Combining any five tales from the 32, generates a staggering 24 million unique story plots. Take it a step further, by combining six tales the possibilities explode to an astounding 600 million!
The plot of Pulp Fiction is a subset of plot structure #27,162 that interweaves the tales of Odysseus, Valmiki & Hanuman.
2. Plot structure potential of Pulp Fiction: $91-101MM
2A. Plot structure evaluation
An analysis of Blockbuster, Hit & Flop plots has led to the discovery of Mythosis Code. The Code reveals the story principles shared by all Blockbusters. We use the Code to estimate a story’s potential.
All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Pulp Fiction uses 3 universal quests of Tranquillity, Honour and Accumulation.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Vincent mirrors the universal quests of Honour. Butch mirrors the quest of Accumulation. Jules mirrors the universal quest of Tranquillity.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Vincent borrows 19% of events from the quest of Honour. Jules borrows 27% from the quest of Tranquillity. Butch borrows 39% from the quest of Accumulation.
Blockbusters interweave different quests to create a tight plot structure. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Pulp Fiction's quest interweaving score of 0.67 is above par. An example of interweaving the quests of Vincent & Jules:
2B. Estimating revenue potential from the plot structure
Pulp Fiction's plot structure reveals that Butch’s character is the most powerful. The plot structure suffers from the under-developed quests of Marcellus, Mia & Wolfe.
We have created an algorithm by assigning weights to the principles of The Mythosis Code. The algorithm calculates the potency of a story’s plot structure and estimates its corresponding audience appeal. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
Pulp Fiction has a script potential score is 0.29 and the movie will appeal to 8.26 – 10.09% of the population. Our estimate of the movie’s revenues from its audience appeal is $91 – 101MM in the domestic market. The movie’s actual revenue was $108MM.
3. The ideal plot structure of Pulp Fiction
We have identified 32 universal quests that represent every human desire. These quests are the superset of thousands of stories across cultures that reflect our collective subconscious. Each quest has a structured sequence of events divided into 5 major arcs.
We map a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale (universal quest) which reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. The ideal Plot Structure is constructed by plugging these gaps with the missing events from the tale. These events strengthen both the journey of characters as well as the weaving of quests without altering the story.
3A. Quest of characters and their mythological counterparts
Quest 1: Vincent mirrors the universal quest for Honour
Vincent’s desire for Honour stems from the need to serve one’s clan/order. The tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Honour.
Quest 2: Butch mirrors the universal quest for Accumulation
Butch’s desire for Accumulation stems from the need to collect & own. The tale of Valmiki from Hindu mythology has a robust expression in Dicken’s character of Scrooge which is the universal quest for Accumulation.
Quest 3: Jules mirrors the universal quest for Tranquillity
Jules’s desire for Tranquillity stems from the need to be in a secure environment. The tale of Odysseus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Tranquillity.
Tags:1994, Accumulation, Hanuman, Honour, Jersey Films, Long range prediction, Miramax Films, Mythology, Odysseus, Plot Structure, Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary, storytelling, Tranquillity, Valmiki
