Pulp Fiction
A non-linear story that strictly follows 3 mythological tales
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$91-101 V $108MM
Mythosis universal quests used
3
Audience appeal
8.26% – 10.09%
Script Score
0.29
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. The invisible plot structure of Pulp Fiction
1A. The script of Pulp Fiction borrows 91% of its events 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.
NOTE: Detailed mirroring of each character’s primary quest to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”
Mythosis plot structure
#27,162
Tales interweaved
Odysseus, Valmiki & Hanuman
I. How does interweaving mythological tales lead to infinite story plots?
II. Can the pursuit of a Desire have more than one quest?
2. The potential of Pulp Fiction’s plot structure: $91 – 101MM
The interweaving of 32 mythological tales can generate a billion unique stories. By using these 32 tales, we can extract the plot structure of any story across various genres. Our study of blockbuster, hit, and flop plot structures led to the discovery of the Mythosis Code, a set of principles for creating compelling stories. The plot structure of a story is analyzed to see how well it adheres to these storytelling principles.
2A. Plot structure evaluation of Pulp Fiction
- 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 have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Pulp Fiction has a quest interweaving score of 0.67 and is above par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Vincent & Jules:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Pulp Fiction
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.
The Script Score measures a plot structure’s adherence to the four principles of Mythosis Code. We use the Script Score to estimate a movie’s audience appeal & revenues. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
Script Score
0.29
Audience appeal
8.26% - 10.09%
I. How is Mythosis Code used to estimate revenues?
II. Aren’t box-office revenues influenced by several factors beyond just the story plot?
3. The ideal plot structure of Pulp Fiction
We have identified 32 mythological tales, the superset of all tales across cultures. The quests of these tales have also recurred over time periods. They represent human behaviours that are deeply embedded in our shared memories. Each tale is the richest expression of the pursuit of a human desire. The tales have a unique pattern of events spread over 5 major arcs.
Mapping a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. Plugging these gaps with the missing events deepens the character quest. The missing events also provide an opportunity for interweaving the various quests. These events strengthen the story and unlock its hidden potential.
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’ 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.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The gap in Pulp Fiction’s plot structure arises from relatively weaker quests of Jules & Vincent in comparison to Butch.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot of Pulp Fiction is a subset of blockbuster plot structure #27,162 that interweaves the tales of Odysseus, Valmiki & Hanuman.
Contact us for Pulp Fiction’s plot structure #27, 162
Tags: Valmiki, Hanuman, Odysseus, Accumulation, Tranquillity, Honour, Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary, Jersey Films, Miramax Films, 1994