# What was in the suitcase in "Pulp Fiction"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 13, 2005, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-in-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/335498 "2005-12-13T22:24:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-in-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/335498/21 "2005-12-14T05:36:52Z")
My initial interpretation was that it was, on a literal level in the movie, something like “whatever your heart desires.” Whoever looks into the briefcase sees whatever they most want to see; it’s a wish fulfilled. On a non-literal level, it’s an homage to the mysteriously glowing contents of the box in Robert Aldrich’s _Kiss Me Deadly_ (an alltime favorite film of mine too). Tarantino’s later quote, “whatever you want it to be,” I took as confirmation of my initial theory. Overall, of course, it’s a Maguffin. ---
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-in-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/335498/22 "2005-12-14T05:40:02Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > It’s Tinkerbell in the suitcase? I like this one best! See, whoever sees it knows exactly what it is immediately. And it’s glowing! My “Crown of Thorns” idea doesn’t fit the glowing. It’s still fun to speculate. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-in-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/335498/23 "2005-12-14T06:24:34Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > One theory I’m fond of is that it’s the diamonds from the Reservoir Dogs caper. (Granted this falls squarely in the “whatever you want it to be” camp, and I’m not claiming that it’s definitive in the slightest.) It just gives a nice continuity for me. But that doesn’t make sense because Mr. Pink had the diamonds at the end and he got captured or killed during the last scene(it’s hard to tell because all you have is distant shouting to go by). Unless there was some bizarre switch-aroo where Mr. Pink didn’t bring the real diamonds that has no basis in the script and would have gotten him killed if they had gotten out of there alive. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-in-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/335498/24 "2005-12-14T06:27:52Z")
> [@Rubystreak](#): > > I’m not saying that it was Marcellus Wallace’s soul in that briefcase, but it’s not silly either. There IS a supernatural turn in the story when Jules decides that a miracle took place, that God got personally involved in his life and turned him away from a life of crime. Vincent Vega scoffs at him, but then meets an ignominious fate. While not strictly supernatural, it is certainly bizarre. . Not really. They were in a dangerous business and Vincent didn’t strike me as being particulary bright. And there’s nothing bizarre about staking out someone’s apartment, going to the bathroom and leaving your gun on the counter outside so the guy you’re waiting for can walk in and blow you away with it when you leave the bathroom. Just incredibly stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-in-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/335498/25 "2005-12-14T08:13:27Z")
in an interveiw with Travolta he said that QT told him to imagine it was the greatest thing he could think of (or something close to that) and Travolta imagined a stack of movies he’d be making as good as the one being made right then. ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-in-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/335498/26 "2005-12-14T08:36:55Z")
About 7 or 8 years ago I was bartending a celebrity party and was in something of a brash mood. Ving Rhames was there, didn’t seem to into it, and when he walked by my bar I caught his attention and shouted out, “Hey, Ving. What’s up with the bandaid?” With little else to do, he started up a chat and told me it would all come out in **Pulp Fiction 2**. :eek: Then he went on to say it was a matter of, “whether they could get the money together [to make the movie].” He was completely serious. Scout’s honor. ---
**Author:** ![RumMunkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@RumMunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RumMunkey)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-in-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/335498/27 "2005-12-14T13:18:48Z")
> [@](#): > > in an interveiw with Travolta he said that QT told him to imagine it was the greatest thing he could think of (or something close to that) and Travolta imagined a stack of movies he’d be making as good as the one being made right then HA! Then he went on to make “Broken Arrow”, “Face/Off”, “Battlefield Earth”, “Lucky Numbers”, & “Ladder 49”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-in-the-suitcase-in-pulp-fiction/335498.md?page=1)