Django Unchained Essay Questions

Why does Candie insist on the handshake? Why does Schultz refuse?

Candie has taken Schultz's money and has given no guarantees on fulfilling his side of the deal to sell Broomhilda. Schultz has not only been outwitted, but has gradually realized how revolting the institution of slavery really is. When Candie asks for a handshake, as a last jab at Schultz to show off his victory, Schultz refuses and shoots Candie, in an attempt to claim victory for himself and proclaim his disdain for Candie. He even says that he "couldn't resist" shooting Candie, since he can't leave without gaining the upper hand.

In what ways does Schultz wage war against American culture?

The imagery of the film makes it is plainly obvious that Schultz does his best to stand out as a European in America. From the way he dresses, to his accent, even to his disgust at the institution of slavery—all show him as distinctly foreign. He works as a bounty hunter, executing an elected official (albeit a criminal one) and hiring a black man as an assistant. He works to free Django and his wife from slavery—an act that would seemingly be unthinkable for an American to do. No one in the film resists American customs and institutions like Schultz does. In fact, he dies because he refuses the American custom of the handshake. He stays in America because he can profit as a bounty hunter, and possibly for other reasons not explained, but he does his best to distance himself from American culture, by which he is fundamentally disgusted.

How exactly is Django shown to transform?

When Django is still a slave, he is not allowed to assume a personal identity. The audience does not know anything about how he behaves, since he has no power. As soon as he is given power by Schultz, he is given choices: how to act, how to dress, and how to express himself, such as when he decides to wear the blue suit. He can either escape and live a normal life, or become a bounty hunter with Schultz and kill people for a living. When Django chooses to kill, he takes the vengeful but righteous path, so that he may save his bride Broomhilda. By the end of the film, he has fulfilled the role of the "cowboy hero" as predicted by Schultz, who calls him the "fastest gun in the West."

What is the meaning behind the name "Candyland"?

The name of the plantation Candyland is superficially derived from Calvin Candie's name. However, the name of the plantation is also a reference to a larger metaphor in the film that links sugary sweetness to moral evil. Schultz, whose actual profession is dentistry, functions to remove immorality and corruption from the fabric of society by killing wanted criminals. Just as candy is seemingly the natural enemy of the dentist, Calvin Candie is the mortal enemy of Schultz. Candie's insistence on shaking Schultz's hand at the end of the film is what prompts Schultz to kill him rather than acknowledge any kind of partnership with him.

How are Django and Schultz linked, even after Schultz's death?

Schultz provides Django with important survival skills in the first half of the film, teaching him how to ride a horse, smooth talk strangers, and fire a weapon. Although Schultz does not survive the events at Candyland, the skills he imparts to Django are necessary for Django's survival. It is only because of Schultz that Django is able to cunningly outwit the Australian transporters tasked with bringing him to the LeQuint Dickey Mining Company. Django convinces them that a bounty for Smitty Bacall awaits back at Candyland, then executes them with the same quick-draw that Schultz taught him. Django saying to Schultz's corpse "Auf Wiedersehen" at the end of the film symbolizes the way in which Schultz's spirit lives on within him.