My thought about your thought...

Posted by New Jersey Hughes from h186.n-D1A278.sac.verio.net on October 25, 2000 at 11:03:51:

In Reply to: A thought. (discrepancy?) posted by Canadiana Jones on October 25, 2000 at 05:02:29:

: Why was Indy's dad so shocked when Indy shot the Nazis in the Castle Brunwald? Wouldn't Indy's dad have known Indy fought in wars when he was younger? The thought of his son shotting an enemy in war time shouldn't have been a big shocker.

Maybe this is a possible answer. First off, a state of war didn't exist in 1938. Tensions were high in Europe, sure; Germany had done aggresive political things like annexing Austria and tearing up the Treaty of Versailles, but WW II didn't get kicking until September of the following year.

Also, Henry Sr. is a bookworm, a complete academician who's probably never witnessed anything more violent than a paper cut. Even if he DID know about his son's exploits (I'll get to that in a sec), he's probably never seen anyone killed in his life.

Finally, I'm sure we're supposed to go along with the notion that Henry has very little ideas about Indy's adventures. I mean, WE do, because we've seen the films; but remember the gag about Indy; that this tough adventurer is a bespectacled college professor who (when he's not on an adventure) gets flustered around schoolgirls. We know that Indy and Henry haven't spoken in years, and Indy even states that the last time they had a moment together, he had a milkshake (i.e., he was very young). We know from Young Indy that Indy ran off to war, but what does that mean to Henry? My uncle was a combat medic in Vietnam, but those words don't mean much to me. I've never been to war. But when he TELLS me about his wartime experiences, then I start to get an inkling for what it's all about. If Indy and his dad never talked, Henry might've just thought, in his academic, self-absorbed way "Damn foolish boy, running away from home and ignoring his studies", not "My son is KILLING Germans, as we speak!!" One of Heny's great character traits is his tunnel vision; if it doesn't relate to higher education or the search for the Holy Grail, than it doesn't fall into his view. "Hey, Henry! I read that the Germans just annexed the Sudetenland!" "Harumph. I can't see it from MY backyard..!"

Just my thoughts regarding your questions...

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: : Why was Indy's dad so shocked when Indy shot the Nazis in the Castle Brunwald? Wouldn't Indy's dad have known Indy fought in wars when he was younger? The thought of his son shotting an enemy in war time shouldn't have been a big shocker.

: 
: Maybe this is a possible answer.  First off, a state of war didn't exist in 1938.  Tensions were high in Europe, sure; Germany had done aggresive political things like annexing Austria and tearing up the Treaty of Versailles, but WW II didn't get kicking until September of the following year.

: Also, Henry Sr. is a bookworm, a complete academician who's probably never witnessed anything more violent than a paper cut.  Even if he DID know about his son's exploits (I'll get to that in a sec), he's probably never seen anyone killed in his life.

: Finally, I'm sure we're supposed to go along with the notion that Henry has very little ideas about Indy's adventures.  I mean, WE do, because we've seen the films; but remember the gag about Indy; that this tough adventurer is a bespectacled college professor who (when he's not on an adventure) gets flustered around schoolgirls.  We know that Indy and Henry haven't spoken in years, and Indy even states that the last time they had a moment together, he had a milkshake (i.e., he was very young).  We know from Young Indy that Indy ran off to war, but what does that mean to Henry?  My uncle was a combat medic in Vietnam, but those words don't mean much to me.  I've never been to war. But when he TELLS me about his wartime experiences, then I start to get an inkling for what it's all about.  If Indy and his dad never talked, Henry might've just thought, in his academic, self-absorbed way "Damn foolish boy, running away from home and ignoring his studies", not "My son is KILLING Germans, as we speak!!"  One of Heny's great character traits is his tunnel vision; if it doesn't relate to higher education or the search for the Holy Grail, than it doesn't fall into his view.  "Hey, Henry!  I read that the Germans just annexed the Sudetenland!"  "Harumph.  I can't see it from MY backyard..!"

: Just my thoughts regarding your questions...

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