Tools of Characterization

Characterization in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Actions

Indiana Jones is a beloved character because he doesn't just talk the talk, he walks the walk. And he punches the punch, whips the whip, and jumps the jumps (over flaming lava).

He may be a sarcastic jerk at times, but he demonstrates his heroism by saving the village children even though there's nothing in it for him. He also defends his companions…even though at times he doesn't seem to like them all that much.

By contrast, Willie screams. A lot. She's not a fan favorite character because of her howling, shrieking, screeching, squealing, bellowing, bawling, and…we're out of synonyms.

She's 95% useless, but the 5% usefulness comes at a critical time. We can't forget that she braves the bugs to pull the switch and disarm the trap. She also punches a guard clear out of the mine guard at the end. When they absolutely need her, Willie comes through.

Clothing

Willie gets some of the fanciest clothes seen in movies. These aren't what you'd generally wear on a trip through the jungle, but these dresses are fitting of her social status as a rich nightclub singer. She gets decked out like a princess in Pankot Palace, and even her sacrificial gown is glamorous…even if it is surprisingly fire retardant.

She manages to look sexy even while running from danger. (Hey, no complaints here.)

Indy, on the other hand, always has something practical on. Or he just takes his shirt off to show off all the pec work he's been doing. (No complaints here, either.)

Perhaps the character best characterized by clothing is Short Round and his Yankees baseball cap. It's doubtful he had that as an orphan in China. And it shows that Indy is attempting to Americanize the boy. (Or, if you're a Red Sox fan, indoctrinate him over to the dark side.)

Food

If we were in Indy's shoes, we'd be eating all the time. Witnessing human sacrifices and running from brainwashed slave drivers really works up an appetite. But there are only two food sequences in this movie, although both are important.

The first occurs when Indy and pals crash land in India. The village offers them what little food they have. It shows us that these are compassionate people. Or they're buttering Indy up to ask him a favor. The scene also shows us Willie's general snootiness. She's rather not eat than eat food that's gross to her, and Indy takes her to task for her rudeness.

This scene is contrasted by the dinner scene at Pankot Palace. This scene is mostly played for comedy, as one ridiculous dish after another is brought to the table. We have snakes filled with eels, eyeball soup, crunchy beetles (not even dipped in chocolate), and chilled monkey brains for dessert.

These foods, which the people of Pankot consider delicacies, shows us the vast economic difference between the Maharaja and the people of the nearby village. Maybe because they're just showing off their wealth, Indy doesn't criticize Willie for freaking out over the gross nature of this food. We hope he at least takes her out for a Big Mac after all this.

Physical Appearances

Unless you're a Pokemon, no one looks cuddly with a skull on his head. Mola Ram looks scary. Not only does he wear a skull on his head, but his skull's wearing a shrunken head. Why stop there? Why doesn't the shrunken head wear a teeny tiny little skull on it too?

Anyway, even without the skull, Mola Ram's intimidating. He has big eyes and a big red stripe painted on his bald head. He walks a fine line between cartoonish and villainous, which makes him even scarier. Once you've seen a guy pull someone's still-beating heart out, you have no idea what he might do next.