The success of Raiders of the Lost Ark certainly has to do with the prowess of Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall's ability to create an adventure of epic proportions on the big screen. But what makes this film a classic is its ability to communicate themes that all people relate to. Good vs. Evil, a search for greater meaning, life and death. All of these themes are represented in the film through Indiana's search for the Ark of the Covenant as he battles against his nemesis Dr. Belloq and the Nazi regime as they seek to find the Ark in order to wield its power to take over the world.
So, Indiana must overcome many obstacles along the way in order to retrieve the Ark. From his disbelief in the supernatural, to his ego's need to be the best at any cost, to his failings in his relationship with Marion, his nemesis Belloq's attempt to get to the Ark first and the Nazi's attempt to gain the Ark in order to rule the world. It is the overcoming of these obstacles that makes us root for Indiana. So when he must face the snakes when they find the room where the Ark is buried we participate in overcoming his fears in order for the greater good to prevail and humanity to survive.
Utilizing the Nazis as the ultimate enemy and symbol of evil in the world seems dated in our contemporary world, but in the mid 1980s the proximity of World War II was still fresh. And this film allowed audiences to travel back in time before the beginning of the War and watch as the Nazis are defeated. This "bad guy" in the film simply puts the audience on the side of Indiana as no one seeks to side with the Nazis knowing what they have done. In the end though the film reveals that it has not been about any one side seizing the artifact or its power but the reality that the Ark is not something that can be wielded. It is the power of God on earth and no one can contain that for their own purposes. We see this when Toht and the Nazis are wiped out when the Ark is opened. The Ark is stored in a warehouse by the United States Government, locked away along with thousands of other top secret artifacts in a massive warehouse. Thus the truth of what the Ark is appears to remain hidden from the world.
