Well, yeah. His motel imploded, leaving him penniless and a shrunken shell of a man. A few years later, he sneaks his way back into the US figuring his appearance had changed radically enough so that he wouldn’t be captured.
Unfortunately, he still had to find work but couldn’t because his alter-identity started to fray and Andy was worried that it would draw some scrutiny. Realizing that he’s f-ed no matter what, he gives up his dreams of normalcy and becomes a petty thief.
That line - “Is that what I think it is?” - is quite useful. It eliminates a lot of things.
It eliminates a lot of unique objects that Ringo would not recognize: Holy Grail, Tesseract, a soul, etc. It also eliminates anything too obvious to ask about, ie. stacks of dollar bills.
But a bunch of shiny stones could be diamonds or beads. White powder in plastic bags could be heroin or baking soda. Ringo might have a fair idea about which is more likely, but wants some confirmation.
I’ve read what was ACTUALLY in that suitcase. But given the glow I always figured it was some gold (I think Quentin Tarantino has basically been quoted, about the contents of that suitcase, that “it’s whatever the viewer wants it to be.”).
But what *kind *of McGuffin? A classic, art deco 1920s style McGuffin, a post-war stainless steel McGuffin, a 1968 genuine plastic (don’t settle for imitations) McGuffin, or a 2000XP Turbo Laser Stealth McGuffin?
It’s an important distinction! I don’t think anyone would call the 2000XP “beautiful”. They would the 1920s version, but those are too fragile to carry around in just any old briefcase.
