Ink Is the New Black: an Archetypal Analysis of Tattooed Characters in Film
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UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Ink is the New Black An Archetypal Analysis of Tattooed Characters in Film Tyler Raible 7/23/2015 I would like to take a brief moment to thank a few people who were instrumental in the development of this thesis project. First and foremost, I want to thank my thesis committee. Dr.’s Depoe, Jenkins, and Zoller were a great help throughout the project and supported me both inside and outside the classroom. I would also like to thank my cohorts in the department. Even though they may never read this, they were the inspiration that kept me working through many a sleepless night. And lastly, I would like to thank you, the reader. Whether you grabbed this thesis because the title was interesting, you like tattoos, you know me personally, or a professor assigned a thesis for reading, it is comforting to know that all of this work is being read by at least one other person. That’s enough from me; feel free to dive right in. -Tyler Table of Contents Page # Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Literature Review 3 Chapter 2 Method 17 Chapter 3 Analysis 28 Chapter 4 Discussion 114 Implications and Conclusion 133 References 138 Chapter 1: Introduction and Literature Review Introduction “I know what you're thinking... the funny thing is, that usually women ask that question before men do. But the answer is yes. I'm covered with pictures from the neck right down to the toes. Everywhere, and I mean everywhere… They're not tattoos, they're skin illustrations! Don't you ever call them tattoos! … Let me tell you - don't you look at those illustrations too long, because they'll come alive and they'll tell you stories.” - The Illustrated Man, 1969 (from script) In 1951, Ray Bradbury published a collection of short stories entitled “The Illustrated Man.” The book describes a vagrant’s tattoos, linking every “skin illustration” to another story. Although the stories are largely unrelated, the unnamed narrator uses the vagrant’s body to weave a narrative. The tattoos, allegedly created by a time-traveling woman, are a mark of shame for the vagrant. He does not want to be covered in tattoos; he despises his head-to-toe illustrations. Eighteen years later, Bradbury’s “The Illustrated Man” was first translated into film. Although the cinematic version did not describe each story, the focus is shifted from the narrator to the vagrant, a man named Carl. Carl spends the duration of the movie describing his tattoos to a fellow traveler. As in the book, each tattoo tells a story. But instead of looking at each story as an independent entity, the film links together three of the larger stories and expands the prologue and epilogue. The changes to the story do not alter Carl’s view of tattoos; he is ashamed of them. Even though the movie was viewed as a critical and financial failure, the views expressed by 1 Bradbury’s characters are indicative of the views of tattoos at the time. The average tattoo owner was a sailor, a con-man, a biker, a drunk, a punk, or a prostitute. Tattoos were not something that any respectable person in the 1950’s and 1960’s would wear (Steward, 1990). Bradbury’s tale reflects that negative perception of tattooed people at the time. It is a pastime for the drunk, the dirty, and the deviant members on the fringe of society. Cultural implications aside, the film maker uses the tattoos as a way to show just one representation of the character. Carl sees the negative associations with tattooing and is afraid that he is going to be lumped in with the degenerates. The tattoos in The Illustrated Man show a one-dimensional view of tattooing at the time. Carl sees his tattoos as a burden and a source of shame. However that is not the only way that tattoos have been used in film. The use of tattoos in film has changed subtly over the years. While it was originally meant to indicate a sinister or nefarious character, a tattoo now shows something else. More recently, tattoos are used on characters to display a level of depth and complexity. As we will see in this study, the use of tattoos in film has changed dramatically over the years. In Bradbury’s 1969 story, the tattoos are a source of embarrassment and regret. A little more than a couple decades later in 1991, the tattoo is shown as a way to indicate an evil character. But in 2011, the tattoo is just another layer of nuance added to already complex characters. The goal of this study is to understand the way in which film makers utilize tattoos in their work. While the positive and negative associations with tattooing still exist, cinema has shown that the perception of tattoos continues to grow as complex as the characters who wear them. With that in mind, the following analysis contains reviews and dissections of nine films over the last 20 years in order to deepen our understanding of the increasingly complex use of tattoos in cinema. 2 Literature Review Historical and Cultural Context of Tattoos Tattooing as a practice has seen a huge spike in the U.S. Tattoo shops are popping up in even the most unlikely of places (Obenschain, 2013). Patrons of these tattoo shops range from ex-criminals (Martin & Dula, 2010) to professional executives (Chen & Li, 2006). Even popular figures in the media are getting covered in tattoos. Athletes like Chris “Birdman” Anderson are quickly identified by the tattoos on their skin. Music artists like Justin Bieber are also getting “inked up” and paraded around both the internet and magazines (Thomas, 2015). Aside from tattoo shops and pop stars, anyone can see examples of tattoos by just walking down the street. Tattoos can be found on movie stars, athletes, musicians, teenagers, criminals and teachers. There are television programs that focus solely on the inner workings of tattoo parlors. The community of tattooed people has been growing at an incredible rate (Braverman, 2012). In spite of the growth of tattoos, the art of tattooing has a rich (and sometimes dark) history. In 1991, archaeologists near the Italian-Austrian border discovered the oldest natural mummy known to man. This specimen, commonly referred to as the Iceman, became a huge scientific and historical research topic. It is estimated that the body dates back to 3300 B.C. Upon further examination of the body, archaeologists discovered the presence of carbon tattoos on his skin, mostly around his knee and ankles. It is believed that these tattoos were used to relieve pain in his joints (Owen, 2013). His tattoos may be the oldest, but they are only the beginning. The next generation of tattoos can be found on Egyptian mummies. At this time, the practice of tattooing was exclusive to women. The markings were found mainly on the hands and bellies but there were a few instances where the tattoos had been placed on the face. While no one knows for sure why 3 mummies have tattoos, one way of thinking is that the placement of the mark generally indicated its function. The Egyptians used tattoos as a way to ward off disease in the women. An additional function was the relief of pain, especially during child birth (Lineberry, 2007) Another generation of tattooing soon followed in the Maori warriors. These people used tattoos as a way to signify strength, prowess in battle, and rank. The more tattoos a person had, the more respected they were in the community. It was not uncommon for a Maori chief to have his entire body covered in tattoos (Lineberry, 2007). A darker part of tattooing history involves the branding of others. In ancient Rome, runaway slaves had tattoos planted on their foreheads to show that they were to be reprimanded if caught off the owner’s premises. These markings also served to identify who the slave belonged to, equating the humans to cattle. More recently, tattooing was used on Jewish prisoners during the Holocaust. Prisoners in certain concentration camps would get a specific number tattooed on their forearm, much akin to a barcode. These numbers were used for identification and inventory. Although these are two darker examples of tattooing, it is important to note that some of the memories of Jewish oppression are still alive in our time. Older generations will be more sensitive to tattooing because of the historical applications in their lifetime (Lineberry, 2007). Tattooing has been practiced for well over 5000 years. Throughout its history, it has been associated with many different types of people. Warriors had tattoos placed upon their body to give them strength in combat, while gang members used them as a form of identification. Even now, people are tattooed in order to elicit a response in others or to express a level of individuality (Lin, 2002). Members of the military got tattoos to represent which the branch they joined, while bikers got tattoos to reflect which type of motorcycle they preferred. In contrast, 4 members of the circus sideshows could be covered in tattoos simply as an attraction or oddity. Being covered in ink gave the sideshow exhibit a little color (literally) and appeared exotic. Athletes are another group that have been known to sport large amounts of tattoos. Professional athletes are notorious for it. It is hard to watch a professional football or basketball game without seeing at least one sleeve of tattoos. Musicians are another set of people who utilize tattoos. The ink can represent the music in their life or just giving in to an image that is expected.