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In Pulp Fiction, during the epilogue ("The Diner" part), Jules and Vincent talk about the meaning of the lives they were conducting and Jules' intentions to retire from his life of crime.

At a certain point, there is the following dialogue (taken from Wikiquote):

Vincent: Jules, look, what happened this morning, I agree, it was peculiar. But water into wine, I...

Jules: All shapes and sizes, Vincent.

Vincent: Don't fucking talk to me like that, man.

Jules: If my answers frighten you, then you should cease asking scary questions.

I can't understand the meaning of these lines, in particular the reason why Vincent gets upset.

BCdotWEB
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Fabio Mariani
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    Getting upset with people seems to be part of Jules's character: the movie shows him get testy with Butch and Winston Wolf as well as Vincent. – Shiz Z. Dec 20 '16 at 18:13

1 Answers1

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The idea is that the two hitmen were miraculously saved when the bullets from the "hand cannon" mysteriously didn't hit them (though there were bullet holes in the wall directly behind them.)

Jules recognizes that it was a miracle, takes it as a sign from god that he should repent--a second chance at a virtuous life.

Vincent is having none of it. "Water into wine", which is a reference to one of Jesus' miracles in the New Testament, is Vincent rejecting the idea that it is a miracle.

"All shapes, all sizes" is probably Jules saying that miracles can take many forms.

Vincent gets upset because he doesn't want to change his life, and the idea that a higher power may be pulling the strings is upsetting, possibly because the implication that we aren't in control of our destinies.

It's worth noting that redemption is a major theme in Pulp Fiction.

  • The "mcguffin" in the briefcase is understood to be Marcellus' soul. He does get it back but has to suffer grievously. (Suffering and redemption are closely related, as in the story of the crucifixion. Note than in Marcellus' case, the ordeal is something he would find deeply shameful. This is surely no accident, as his introduction in the film involves lecturing Butch on not giving into pride when he steps into the ring to throw the fight. Marcellus is humbled by his ordeal and can therefore be redeemed, as redemption in this context requires humility.)

  • Butch is redeemed after his betrayal of Marsellus by making a moral decision to save Marsellus, even if it means he may be sacrificing himself. (His decision shows that he is able to fulfill the precept "love thine enemies", and receives forgiveness for his own transgression.)

  • Vincent refuses to repent and continues his life of crime. Unredeemed, he dies by his own gun at the hands of Butch while taking a crap. (Note that bad things seem to happen for Vincent when he is in the bathroom, probably a reference to his heroin addiction--junkies are notoriously constipated and often use bathrooms to surreptitiously shoot up.)

DukeZhou
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    I think you are generally correct, but: 1) you mean "Vincent gets upset"; and 2) Vincent is not self-reflective, but he has shown many times to be reactionary. He is upset because he thinks Jules is preachy and full of shit, and he has no reason to think he himself is wrong or doubt his own assessment. He is not upset about the existential question of God, he is mad at a preachy Bada** Motherf***er (as certified on Jules' wallet) – Yorik Dec 20 '16 at 17:51
  • Good catch on the Jules/Vincent transposition (corrected). On the reason he gets upset, I agree with you regarding the surface reason (Jules' preachiness) but I wouldn't underestimate QT regarding deeper character motivations. – DukeZhou Dec 20 '16 at 18:00
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    I disagree that Vincent gets angry because he "doesn't want to change his life". I saw it more that Vincent isn't religious, and neither was Jules, only now he's acting like Jesus and has taken on a holier-than-thou attitude. Jules has become a different person, and Vincent is angry because it seems like his best friend just went insane. – DaaaahWhoosh Dec 20 '16 at 20:03
  • @DaaaahWhoosh No arguments with your take, but there is something deeper going on. One way to interpret it is that Vincent can't explain what happened, but to admit there's a supernatural force at work would shatter his whole worldview. It's not simply that Jules is being "holier than thou", it's that he's trying to force Vincent to acknowledge that a miracle occurred. – DukeZhou Dec 20 '16 at 20:14
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    @DukeZhou I'm hesitant to think that there's anything deeper going on here. Jules is being irrational, and Vincent wants him to debate honestly instead of talking like a prophet. Vincent thinks he can win the argument, but Jules has stopped listening to him. – DaaaahWhoosh Dec 20 '16 at 20:32
  • @DaaaahWhoosh You say Jules is being irrational, but how do explain the bullets passing through them? Don't dismiss QT as a shallow writer because of the subject matter of his films. He's regarded as one of the best dialogue writers out there, and makes art films in the guise of genre. (You may also want to look at one of QT influences, Sam Peckinpah, where there are deep, thematic elements at work despite the seeming simplicity.) – DukeZhou Dec 20 '16 at 20:52
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    @DukeZhou I'm probably explaining myself wrong. I get that QT is good at what he does, but I don't think every single line in the film has some deeper meaning. Dialogue is about the relationships between characters, first and foremost, and I think that's all this specific line is about. It shows us that these two characters, who used to be similar, are now essentially speaking different languages. – DaaaahWhoosh Dec 20 '16 at 21:00
  • @DaaaahWhoosh Again, not argument with your interpretation. Totally valid. I'm just saying it's probably not the only level. One of the best tips I ever got on dramatic writing was "What does the character want? What does the character really want?" (Sometimes even what do they really, really want.) Great dialogue is almost never operating on a single level. And there is a metaphysical/philosophical element to the the Vincent/Jules storyline. – DukeZhou Dec 20 '16 at 21:07
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    @DukeZhou Oh, okay then, sure. Still not sure I agree, but that makes enough sense to me to have to watch the film again before I try to disagree. – DaaaahWhoosh Dec 20 '16 at 21:08
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    I don't think the mcguffin in the briefcase is neccessarily Marcellus's soul, it might just be a reference to the movie "Kiss Me Deadly"(1955), since whatever is in the briefcase glows like in that other movie and it's a mystery as to what it is, and Quentin Tarantino makes references to other movies in his films. –  Jan 04 '17 at 18:10
  • That's a fair point, although in "Kiss Me Deadly" the glowing substance in the briefcase was meant to reference radioactivity per the Cold War setting and themes of that film, and Tarantino stated it was not the origin of his choice. Nevertheless, the redemption themes of Pulp Fiction don't rely on the contents of the briefcase. – DukeZhou Jan 04 '17 at 18:17
  • I still like your answer, very good ideas. I just thought QT may have just been paying homage to other films as well. –  Jan 05 '17 at 03:09
  • "It's worth noting that redemption is a major theme in Pulp Fiction." Related: Pulp Fiction’s theme of redemption – galacticninja Nov 08 '23 at 12:51