Continuity errors in Indy novels and physical impossibilities

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Posted by Dale Dassel from constellation.shreve.net on July 27, 1999 at 19:02:06:

Just a few interesting things I have noted ver the many years of
reading and re-reading the Indiana Jones novels.

INDIANA JONES and the SEVEN VEILS

At the opening of the novel, Indy and company are excavating a
Mayan pyramid in Guatemala. Here is a short excerpt from page 9.

'He was about to tell Deirdre to go and get Bernard when the
mask slipped a couple of inches. He caught it and carefully removed
it from the wall. "Well, that takes care of that."
"Takes care of what?" she asked.
"Never mind." He took off his shirt and wrapped the jade mask with it. "Take this down to Bernard for me, and tell him I've
broken through." He carefully handed her the mask as he took
the torch from her.'

In chapter 2, Indy, Bernard, and Esteban become trapped inside
the pyramid. Then something most remarkable occurs. Read this excerpt from page 25 to find out.

'Indy stood up and walked along the beam. It was plenty wide,
and the ceiling was just overhead in case he needed to catch his
balance. He'd taken only a couple of steps when he realized he
had company. Something was nipping at his lower back. He stopped
and wobbled, then grimmaced as he reached under his shirt and felt
a bat burrowing its teeth into his skin. Rocking unsteadily, he
ripped it free and flung it away. "Disgusting."'

To top it off, in chapter 3, we discover what supposedly
happened to the amazing disappearing shirt. Check out this
brief section from page 32.

'"I do not believe you." One Eye reached into a canvas satchel
and held up the jade mask. It was no longer wrapped in Indy's shirt;
One Eye was wearing the shirt. "You see the reason I doubt your
word, amigo?"'

Until this point, I had no idea that M.B.A. shirts were
endowed with magical powers. I wonder what other amazing secrets
we'll learn about Indy's gear? Next, we will focus on Indy's most
distinctive outfit component: the fedora.

INDIANA JONES and the SECRET OF THE SPHINX

In chapter 2 of this story, Indy has been thrown in jail.
Immediately we learn that all of his clothes were taken away,
and that he was given a prison outfit to wear. For the record:

'The prison cell was dark, damp, lonely. Since his capture at
Mount Hua, Indy had seen nothing but the back of an Imperial ARmy
truck, and the interior of the prison, which he had entered in
the of night. They had taken everything from him, including
his clothes and papers , and had given him nothing in return
except a uniform that was little more than rags.'

A few pages later, Indy is dragged from his cell and into an
interrogation room, where Master Sokai is waiting, along with
Indy's gear, laid out on a bench.

'The soldiers placed Indy roughly in one of the chairs, then
stood at attention behind him. On the bench were Indy's clothes,
his satchel, his papers, the whip, holster, and revolver, even
the ivory moon. The clothes had been cleaned and pressed.'

Indy changes into his clothing as he engages in a witty
conversation with Sokai. He puts his clothes on and laces up
his boots. Part of it goes something like this:

'"Sometimes," Indy said, "the s turn the whip against
the masters."
"An idealist," Sokai said. "How charming."
"What do you want?" Indy asked as he donned his hat.
Sokai picked up the ivory moon.

Here's the incredible part, folks: On the VERY NEXT PAGE,
Indy finds ANOTHER hat, and something even more remarkable
occurs.

'"I was so excited after I found this thing that I tripped
going back down the mountain to tell my guide about it, that's all."
Then he picked up his hat, brushed some dust from the crown,
and placed it in the satchel. He slung the satchel over his shoulder.'

The first mistake is obvious: how could Indy pick up the hat from the bench- the very same one that he had put on his head only moments
before- and put it in his satchel. The second mistake is even more
unbelievable: he puts the hat INSIDE the satchel.
Anyone who owns a Mk-VII bag knows that it measures 11" by
10 1/2", AND is divided into several compartments. And we are to
believe that he can place a Herbert Johnson HIGH CROWN fedora
into this small bag and not crush it beyond recognition?
Absolutely preposterous. But wait- there's more concerning Indy's
amazing carry-all bag.

INDIANA JONES and the UNICORN'S LEGACY

In the opening chapter of this story, Indiana Jones discovered
an underwater cavern which he intends to explore. He comes back
outside for matches, and is about to re-enter the cave with his
lovely companion, Mara Rogers. On page 15, he is preparing to
dive, by connecting them together with his bullwhip.

'Indy stepped into the stream. He thought of a response about
how she could warm him up, but kept it to himself. "Lucky you."
He reached into his pack and took out his whip.
"Let's not lose each other."

AH-HA!!! The trusty little Mk-VII, a mere 11" by 10 1/2"
can hold a fully-coiled twelve-foot David Morgan bullwhip inside?
Not in this lifetime- or any other. Believe me, after ordering
my own Mk-VII I was excited with the prospect of keeping my own
David Morgan bullwhip inside it for safe keeping. How naive of me.
If you only could have seen the look of acute disappointment on
my face when I discovered that it was never going to happen.
In closing, I hope you have enjoyed reading about the
continuity errors found in these great novels. Continuity errors
can be found consistently in films and television, but it is truly
a rare occurrence when they are found in books. Keep your eyes
peeled, fellow readers- you just might discover a few that I missed-
aside from Martin Caidin saying that Indy has a leather shouder bag
and carries his whip by the belt loop. And, please don't read anything
into the way I worded my report, I just wrote it that was to maximize
comedic content and, hopefully, make it more amusing and enjoyable
for you, the reader. I have nothing against these authors OR their
small continutity errors, which in no way detract from the stories
they write. Good luck, fellow believers! :)

-Dale Dassel


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