Indiana Jones and the displaced daddy : Spielberg's quest for the good father, adulthood, and God.

Abstract

"The Indiana Jones films define adventure as perpetual adolescence: idealized yet stifling emotional maturation. The series consequently resonates with the search for a good father and a confirmation for modernist man that his existence has "meaning;" success is always contingent upon belief. Examination of intertextual variability reveals cultural perspectives and Judaeo-Christian motifs unifying all films along with elements of inclusivism and pluralism. An accessible, comprehensive guide to key themes in all four Indiana Jones films studies the ideologicalimperative of Spielbergian cinema: patriarchal integrity is intimately connected with the quest for God, moral authority, national supremacy, and adulthood."--Abstract.