At the heart of every Indiana Jones adventures lies not a search for fortune and glory but instead a far more emotional prize. In Raiders it’s Marion, in Temple of Doom Willie and Shorty. In The Last Crusade it’s his father, and Crystal Skull Marion once again, and as Dial of Destiny rounds off the series the prize he seeks isn’t the Antikythera but a reunion with the most treasured thing he’s ever lost; Marion.
As he struggles to balance his compassion with his ambitions, Indy has sacrificed important relationships. It is only the Indiana Jones after the adventure in Temple of Doom who learns that he must sacrifice his own desires (and sometimes his own safety) for the good of others. We see him learn in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark that rescuing Marion Ravenwood is more important than capturing the Ark of the Covenant. And in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indy travels across the world not in search of the Holy Grail, but in search of his missing father.
It’s in Dial of Destiny that we see Indy’s heroism in crisis once more. He’s lost his son. He’s lost Marion (again). And as we see in the unfolding story, it’s only in his relationships with others that he finds a way through his turmoil. Over time, Indiana Jones lives up to the wisdom imparted to him by Albert Schweitzer, and as his old friend Ned Lawrence implores him to do, he doesn’t lose sight of his own generous soul.
