Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Foreignness and the Other

For the viewers, everything in this movie so far has been foreign. We're in the 1930's. We were in a Shanghai nightclub. Now we're in the jungles of India. But when we see the way the native guide reacts to the statue in the jungle, we know we are entering territory that is foreign for the characters. And they're scared of it.

India didn't achieve independence from Great Britain until 1947. During Temple of Doom, it was still a British colony. Lal's comments show us his distaste for being colonized—and who on earth can blame him?

Here we have another barb from Chattar Lal toward the British. However, we will later learn he's a villain. Putting these lines in the mouths of a bad guy make it seem like only bad people would want independence from Great Britain.

The word "thug," a word which is a loaded word for the "other" in modern society, comes from the Thuggee Cult, a group of brutish killers who performed thousands of sacrificial killings in the 1800's. That's one way to scare people from a foreign land – tell them that a dangerous cult is back.

Once again, the idea that Pankot Palace, and whatever is happening within its walls, is also foreign to Indiana Jones is reinforced.

The entire dinner scene is hilarious, as more and more grotesque food is brought out. But it's also rooted in a general fear of foreign cuisine.

Well, except the people who are doing the worshipping. But since they're non-white, it doesn't seem Indiana Jones counts them. He's definitely an ethnocentrist. If a ritual happens in the jungle, and a white man isn't there to witness it, did it happen at all? Indiana Jones would say no.

Sweet home, Missouri. Wonder how Indians feel about such Missouri delicacies as the St. Paul sandwich?