Posted by Josh Lipovetsky in Hello! Welcome to FilmInsight!
The Darjeeling Limited is not intended for everyone, and will surely be disliked by many movie critics. To capture the true beauty of The Darjeeling, you must understand the symbols presented throughout the film. There is a large amount of symbolism in this movie, but the 3 main elements are: the 3 feathers, the belt, and all of the suitcases carried by the brothers. Each object carries a symbolic message, which can be viewed upon close interpretation of the film.
Each brother is presented with a feather. These feathers can represent different things; but one of them is they way you feel about the way life is going. When they perform the ritual, we can clearly see that each brother feels differently about the way their life is going. Francis Whitman (Owen Wilson) performs the ritual correctly, symbolizing that he is excited about his future, and will keep his past in the back of his mind (burying the feather under a rock). Francis feels that his spiritual journey will change him for the better. Peter Witman (Adrien Brody) does not feel the same way about his life. Not only does he not bury the feather, but he keeps it. This symbolizes the feeling of being incomplete. With a baby expected in the next 6 weeks, he feels uneasy and confused, not sure where his life is going. Peter is scared to let go of his past, and move forward. He fears a major change in his life, and is afraid to break out of his comfort zone, so he keeps the feather. Finally, Jack Whitman (Jason Schwartzman) lets the feather get blown away by the wind. This represents unhappiness and anger. Jack wants to forget his past, and to start a new life. He does not want to get involved in conversations, and writes short stories to help him move in the right direction (seeking happiness). The stories were described by Peter to have an angry nature. But the wind can only take a feather so far, and Jack will eventually have to confront his feelings in order to move on.
Francis carries a valuable belt, which represents love. The belt carries old, loving memories of his past; and at times, he gave the belt to Peter, ready to leave his old memories behind in order to create new ones. However, when Francis feels unhappy/depressed/angry, he seeks the old love again by taking the belt away from Peter. This happens a few times throughout the movie, symbolizing that Peter is not yet ready to give up a material object of love. Whenever Francis gives his belt to Peter permanently, it is a symbol that he is happy, and has created new loving memories on his journey. He is also passing his love down to Peter, who is in desperate need of it. As one would say, “Let the belt work for you as it did for me”.
One more element of symbolism in The Darjeeling Limited are the suitcases of the brothers. All of the suitcase represents the past lives of the Whitman brothers. Whether it be happy, sad, or neutral memories. Whenever they travel, they always keep their suitcases close-by. However, as they experience a spiritual change towards the end of the movie, they don’t need their past anymore. While running to catch a train, they all throw their suitcases on the ground, leaving them behind. This is the turning point of The Darjeeling, symbolizing that all 3 brothers have experienced a spiritual change, and are ready to make new lives for themselves. Shortly after, they perform the feather ritual together correctly, a symbol of true change.
The Darjeeling Limited is a movie based on symbolism, with a message behind each line, character, and event. You may have to re-watch the movie to gain the intended insight of the director. But The Darjeeling is meant to be a work of art, not an entertaining film. It is a symbol of life, and the things we do as a people in order to change our own.
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In general I think this movie is a case study examining a families attempt to cope with trauma. That being said I disagree with your analysis of the feathers. I believe that they are symbols of the brother’s pasts.
Metaphorically they want to be able to “bury the hatchet” and put their fathers death and mothers abandonment issues behind them.
Francis puts his feather under a rock. He ignores and tries to disregard the past. You can see this reflected in his behavior towards his brothers throughout the movie. Even in the opening scene he ignores their separation and emotional distance by plotting out this collective spiritual journey.
Additionally throughout the movie Francis’ behaves as though he isn’t seriously injured. I believe the audience is asked to examine the motives of his accident. Was it truly “an accident” or a suicidal cry for help?
Symbolically the bandages show that he is healing from deep wounds both physically and emotionally. It is only later in the airport that he can acknowledge and expose his wounds in the presence of his brothers.
Comparatively Jack holds his past close to his chest. He lets the past dictate his current actions. Jack is haunted by his mother’s constant abandonment. Due to this crippling fear of abandonment Jack masochistically seeks out women that he knows will leave him. Through sexual escapades Jack seizes control by vicariously responding to the women he is with as though they were his mother (as reflected by the opening vignette). He desperately wants to not care.
By far my favorite movie symbol involved Peter. He wears his father’s sunglasses which aren’t even his prescription. He blinds himself to the world by seeking to emulate his father because he is scared of being inadequate. He was powerless during his dad’s death which shook his confidence. He now doubts his abilities as a husband and a father himself. Although he tries to emulate his dad his behavior is more reflective of his flighty mother. One of my favorite scenes is on the bus just after the experience with the death of the small boy. Peter’s eyes are open and clear. It’s the only scene where he does not have an eye cover.
Wow, you nailed the purpose of the movie right on the head! A character study of family members who have gone through a trauma. And some may believe that they are acting absurdly, but it’s just human nature!
In general, Darjeeling Limited is definitely up there as one of the most complex movies I have ever seen. It really is symbolic of many things.
About the feather, I completely agree with your interpretation. As I stated previously, the feathers have multiple meanings. Each of the brothers lives were completely different. As you would expect, the way they deal with their feathers is different. I believe that the feathers deal with the past, present, and future.
In terms of the past: That is what you interpreted. The brothers coming to terms with the death of their father. They all deal with past trauma differently.
In terms of the present: What I wrote in my analysis: How they feel about the way their life is going at the moment. By burying the feather under a rock, he was in denial, as you stated. He just wanted to erase the past, on move on with his life the way it was before.
In terms of the future: The feathers can also represent where the brothers would like to go, and their respective rituals for the future.
The past/present/future are just 3 ways to analyze the feathers, but there are even more possibilities. What genius filmmaking!
Maybe the injury was a suicidal call for help? Again, it’s so open-ended. I really like your view on the injury, and I would definitely understand if it is a cry for help. He does seem to feel sorry for himself.
It’s a shame about Jack, though. He might be scarred for life, and unable to be in a stable relationship. Wow, that glasses symbol went over my head! Blinding yourself to the outside world by physically impairing your vision? Talk about a direct metaphor!
And the scene where the boy dies is very sad. Horrible as the event was, it gave Peter some clarity on his situation, and a realization that things weren’t so bad.
Thank you so much for your comment, I really appreciate your deep insights!
Josh Lipovetsky.