MacGuffins and Messages in Indiana Jones: The Lingam Stone

In the second Indiana Jones film, “The Temple of Doom,” you have some interesting problems that keep it from rising to the same level of “near perfection.”

First, it is a prequel without bothering to be clearly one. So, Indiana Jones makes a joke about being very familiar with the Ark of the Covenant—something that is funny to the audience having seen the previous film—even though Jones hasn’t experienced those events yet.

For some, the fact that Jones is involved with pagan artefacts this time is a problem. However, it is important to remember that this is not a Christian, nor even a Jewish franchise, but rather a fantasy fiction. The question is not whether the power of the MacGuffins Jones is chasing are plausible or not.

In this case, the Lingam Stone is a MacGuffin that represents, in the words of the movie, “Fortune and Glory.” The issue Jones will face this time around is, what is more important, the welfare of a community or Jones’s fame? As an archeologist, Jones wants to discover famous historical artefacts and receive all the fame and money that those artefacts will bring him. Secondarily, there is still the issue of the power and control that these stones bring, as they are effective and empowering in the story. However, the question Jones faces this time is not, “do I use the stones to give me power?” Rather, he has to decide whether or not to give the stone back to the village that depends on it for survival.

The viewer is faced with the same question this time around. Are we living for our own benefit or are we willing to sacrifice fortune, money, glory, and fame for others?