The Use of Different Genres in Thelma and Louise and Pulp Fiction

The Use of Different Genres in Thelma and Louise and Pulp Fiction

The term ‘genre’ is used for classifying media texts into groups that

have similar characteristics. In Thelma and Louise and Pulp Fiction, a

mixture of genres was used in these films. This is known as hybrid

genre. In Thelma and Louise, the following genres were used throughout

the film: chick-flick, drama, comedy, musical, action, police chase,

western and romance. In Pulp Fiction, the following genres were used

throughout the film: gangster, sporting events (boxing), comedy,

action, musical, mystery, romance and suspense (the Adrenalin

injection for Mia).

Thelma and Louise is classified as a road movie because; the film

involves two female characters travelling around the western states by

road to escape the male society. Pulp Fiction is classified as a

gangster film, as it tells us a story(s) of two male characters, as

professional assassins and the lives of other characters associating

with these main characters. The film consists of three interwoven

stories: “Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace’ Wife”, “The Gold Watch”

and “The Bonnie Situation”. Pulp Fiction also tells another interwoven

story, “The Diner” at the beginning (prologue) and the ending

(epilogue) of the film.

Thelma and Louise starts with equilibrium, of an image of a broad

landscape that gradually brightens and then instantly turns back into

darkness. The connotation of this opening scene is, everything will

begin fine with the two women but, it could turn horribly wrong later

in the film. There was also a rock ‘n’ roll country music, Tex-Mex,

playing in the background to tell us that the film...

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...0’s- Buddy Holly, Marilyn

Monroe, Zorro, James Dean, Donna Reed, Martin Lewis etc.

Based on Vladimir Propp’s theory, Louise is the heroine in Thelma and

Louise, because she saves Thelma from the rapist, Harlan who is the

villain in the film. Another villain in the film is JD, who stole the

money from Thelma and told the police where they were going to. The

donor is Thelma because, she brought the pistol with her and this

pistol plays the important part in the film (e.g. murder, robbery,

shooting air holes in policeman’s trunk, etc). I think Harlan is the

dispatcher because after his death, the women were forced to runaway

from the incident. Thelma and Detective Hal are the helpers in the

film. There is no princess in the film but, at the end of the film,

Thelma and Louise (heroine) got their reward, which is freedom.