MovieChat Forums > The Revenant (2016) Discussion > Two Questions:

Two Questions:

posted 8 years ago by eholzapfel26
8 replies | jump to latest

1. Why does Glass leave Powaqa (the Indian girl) or why does she leave him after he saves her from Toussaint? Wouldn't it have been better for both of them to travel together since they were both lost in the wilderness - and if Powaqa wasn't lost, wouldn't she have helped her rescuer find a way back to food, shelter and medical aid?

2. Why does the old Indian (Powaqa's father) kill Fitzgerald at the end? Does he know Fitzgerald? Was he able to identify him as the man fighting Glass - his daughter's rescuer - from hundreds of yards away when Glass was dressed in the dead Captain's coat?
And why did he kill Fitzgerald, but not Glass?
Did the old Indian's daughter identify Glass to him as her rescuer? If so, no indication was given as she acted like she didn't recognize Glass when she rode by.

[–] errbin 8 years ago

#1 Glass does try to get the native girl to come with him but she's too busy cutting off Toussaint balls when the shooting started so she ran the opposite direction.

#2 The native girl could have told her father that Toussaint and his men were responsible for everything.... and coming across two guys trying to kill each in the middle of nowhere and the winner can't kill the loser... *beep* he'll finish it...

[–] eholzapfel26 8 years ago

I still don't understand - why did the Indian kill Fitzgerald? If the two guys who are trying to kill each other are complete strangers to the Indian, why get involved at all? Why would he care whether the victor finished off the loser or not? What business is it of his if he has no involvement with these men? And then, why only kill one of them?
If the Indian hated white men for what happened to his daughter, why not kill them both?

[–] hal-9010 8 years ago

By 1) you have a point, but as I remember they had to flee pretty fast and she just started running in the opposite direction and so there was not much time for planning. Glass barely got away as it was.

By 2) I disagree that she did not express any recognition. I remember that she slightly but specifically smiled to Glass as she rode by.... anyway, to why the Indians just killed Fitzgerald and not Glass: I am not sure. From their point of view they saw two fighting each other and the victor sends them a sacrifice/ a scalp for the collection. Someone who had signs of earlier scalping... read; not a friend of the natives...Perhaps this was Glass price to be spared? And since the enemy of my enemy is my friend, well Glass qualifies then... And who knows, perhaps the gril did recognize him even from that distance? Anyway this is how I see it.

___________
** I am normally not a praying man, but if you are up there, please save me Superman **

[–] eholzapfel26 8 years ago

Thanks. I specifically remember the girl glancing at Glass as her party rode by, but then staring straight ahead. It was a look that said, "I recognize you, I remember what you did for me, but because you're white and I'm native, I'm not going to acknowledge you because that is the way of things."

I don't recall her smiling at all - in fact quite the opposite - a look of apathy due to what I just stated above.

[–] hal-9010 8 years ago

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess ? IMO her "stare" expressed a thank you as she rode by him.

I wonder what others read from this scene?

[–] erickmarin52 8 years ago

#2 in the beginning if I'm not mistaken the chief gets shot off a horse by Fitzgerald. This would be a HUGE reason as to why he scalped him.

[–] fallguye6011 8 years ago

Fitzgerald also decked the chief with the butt of the gun after shooting him off his horse. The girl likely recognized Glass as the one who saved her so they did nothing but pass by.

[–] dba741 8 years ago

To me this seems very straightforward.

She obviously recognized who Glass was and how he had saved her from Toussaint's men, and told her father to help him out.

Simply because she decided to stay to cut off Toussaints's balls and not go with Glass, doesn't mean she wasn't still grateful to him for intervening in that situation.