Darth Vile said:
I'm more than happy for you to have that take on TOD, but there is very little to substantiate a discernable development of character. Also, if Indy is such a different hard-nosed mercenary in TOD, why does he hang around with an orphaned kid from the start? Why is he so respectful to the elders in the Indian village ("you're insulting them and embarrassing me")? I see nothing in the movie (other than some throw away lines) that suggests Indiana Jones went through some significant emotional journey.
No, I do think there is a change of Indy's character in TOD. It is indeed evident in his words, as you have pointed out, and in his actions, as Lance has mentioned.
In fact, we see the very moment he changes. He has just picked up the stones, and is about to walk away, when he hears the screams of the slave children, and he hesitates. You can tell that he wants to keep going, but something inside won't let him. Perhaps that inner goodness is what causes him to care for an orphaned kid and be respectful to elders; he is basically a good guy who has been "pushed out of the light," and is redeemed through his actions in the temple.
Alternatively, you could say that he keeps Shorty around because he needs someone to drive his getaway car and watch his back, and he is polite to elders because he wants their help in getting to Delhi. Either way, the man we see at the end of the film has profoundly different priorities and motivations than the one we see at the beginning.
Lance Quazar said:
Far from "regressing" the character, he's given extra dimensions in "Doom", since we see his mercenary tendencies, which he overcomes by film's end.
In "Raiders", Indy is fairly one dimensional, a tried and true good guy from beginning to end. The only remotely discernible arc Indy has in "Raiders" relates to his skepticism about the Ark, but that's far more oblique than what happens in "Doom".
I agree with your comments on Indy's character in Doom, but disagree with your statement that his only arc in Raiders is in regards to his skepticism. Remember he also develops with regard to his feelings for and treatment of Marion. In the beginning, he really only cares about getting the headpiece and, by extension, the Ark. Sure he's sad when he thinks she's been killed, but by that night he's completely re-focused on his Ark quest. Even when he finds Marion alive, he leaves her prisoner so that he can continue to look for the Ark, disregarding the strong possibility that she might be tortured or killed as a result. By the film's end, however, he is perfectly willing to let the Nazis keep the Ark in exchange for Marion, quite a change from his earlier behavior.
