In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, principles equal strength. Sure, as a professor, Indiana may miss more school than a college senior with a schedule full of electives, but he has a strength of character that makes up for it. The same is true of the company he keeps: Henry is a spiritual, studious man driven by strong morals. Brody may be a blundering goofball, but he's loyal to a fault, just like Sallah.
Donovan and Elsa, meanwhile, present the opposite end of the spectrum. While Henry's quest for the Holy Grail is driven by devotion and unquenchable curiosity, theirs is driven by a hunger for a power, immortality, and insatiable greed.
Questions about Principles
- How would you describe Henry's values? What's important to him, and why?
- How have Henry's principles affected his relationship with his son?
- Compare Elsa's attitude about her association with the Nazis to Donovan's. How do they differ? How are they the same?
- Do you feel any sympathy toward Elsa or Donovan? Why or why not?
Chew on This
Indiana and Henry may not always see eye to eye, but the one thing they've always had in common, underneath it all, is their principles.
Greed isn't the only weakness of character that leads to Donovan's demise: he's also passive, pretentious, and chicken-hearted.