![]() Not so in AWE: the entrance is humble, awkward, and very human. I find it interesting that in both CotBP and DMC, Jack makes a grand entrance as Captain Jack Sparrow. There’s only one circumstance where we see the human Jack emerge and assert itself: when he’s with Elizabeth. The persona has been a part of Jack for a very long time, and held the human Jack in bondage. As dollsome pointed out in her excellent AWE meta, the Locker finds Jack in hell which, in Jack’s case, is “living with yourself for eternity.” We find the human aspects of the man Jack Sparrow under the command – the very cruel and strict command – of Captain Jack. ![]() The persona is most clearly defined in the Locker. Once again, at the core, we have ego responsible for Jack’s bondage.Įven the Pelagostos understood: they wanted to “release him from his fleshy prison.”įurther, Jack’s persona won’t consider honestly settling his debt with Jones, which also appears to be ego-driven: “The Flying Dutchman already has a captain, so-“ Instead he seeks to escape, which ultimately leads him to death and the Locker: the worst punishment a man can bring upon himself. It’s certainly implied that this title is a key part of it (“Haven’t you gone about all these years introducing yourself as Captain! Jack Sparrow!”), not actual ownership of the Pearl (as Jack’s argument that he’d only been captain two years didn’t fly with Jones). Looking a little deeper, why did Jack strike such a deal with Jones in the first place? Given that there’s no evidence that Jack had a pre-Jones connection with the Pearl, I would argue that the persona wanted the title of Captain so badly that he sold his soul to the devil for it. Captain Jack actually makes a poor captain, but as we’ll see later, human Jack makes an excellent one. It was Captain Jack’s preoccupation with survival/self that led to the neglect of his crew. This is the reason for Jack’s bondage, not the responsibility of managing a ship and a crew. Why is Jack’s survival threatened? Because of the deal struck with Davy Jones. The freedom she brings is subsumed by the desire to survive (she’s careened on the island of the Pelegostos, left behind to see Tia Dalma, abandoned to the kraken). In DMC, the Pearl becomes of less importance. For status, says “Captain!” Jack Sparrow. Why does he want the Pearl? For freedom, says human Jack (on the beach with Elizabeth – where he is most stripped down emotionally). We see the effects of this persona from the beginning: in CotBP, Jack is obsessed with retrieving the Pearl, and revenge against Barbossa. It’s been an obvious fact from the beginning that Captain Jack Sparrow, with his title and hat and swishiness, is a persona adopted by the man Jack Sparrow. DMC is a tougher case to argue, but I believe that Jack’s bondage that he struggles with throughout the trilogy can be accounted for by something else: ![]() In CotBP, Jack escapes death and goes straight to the Black Pearl – and freedom. The Pearl is the flagship in the battle, leading the fight for freedom. Jack is only freed from the Locker with the Pearl. To Will, she’s a tool, and to Barbossa, she is a possession. To human Jack, and to Elizabeth, she is freedom. It seems to me that the Pearl holds many meanings, that she is different things to different people. I’ve heard arguments at various times that the Black Pearl really isn’t the freedom that Jack thought her to be instead, she brought him bondage, in the form of obsession in CotBP, and responsibility in DMC. She declares it to be a balance of desire and character, rather than the simple lust of the flesh. And freedom! … And they will know what we can do, by the sweat of our brows and the strength of our backs, and the courage of our hearts.” – Elizabeth Swann, At World’s Endįor the first two films, Jack Sparrow defines freedom for us, most succinctly in Dead Man’s Chest. To act on selfish impulse.” – Jack Sparrow, Dead Man’s Chest You long to do what you want to do because you want it. What the Black Pearl really is… is freedom.” – Jack Sparrow, Curse of the Black Pearl Our two main characters, Jack and Elizabeth, are constantly on a quest for it – one that’s not over. The Pirates trilogy has always been about freedom – the eschewing of tradition, breaking out of social norms, and overcoming oppressors.
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