Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas
explored in a literary work.
The Dishonesty of Authority Figures
Chinatown suggests that the very notion
of an honest, trustworthy leader is a myth. In Chinatown,
people in positions of power are never what they seem to be, and
their true nature is always harmful to the people beneath them.
Cross, who has no official power but who has used his money to essentially
run most of the city and the outlying area, uses the people he controls
as pawns for his personal gain. The district attorney in Chinatown
is legendary for his instruction that the police ignore any crime
that is committed. Russ Yelburton, a polite, highly respectable
family man, manipulates the public for personal gain and is involved
in the slandering and murder of his boss. Even Lieutenant Escobar,
a man whom Jake has worked with and respects, is willing to let
injustice occur without punishing the people who brought it to pass.
In the world of Chinatown, anyone with any authority
becomes a mere cog in a machine that maintains corruption.
The Corruption of the American Dream
One basic element of the American dream is the idea that
common people can move into unclaimed wilderness and transform it
into valuable land. Water, and the irrigation systems that provide
it, first helped the American West blossom into the rich and thriving
area it is it is today. Cross calls Hollis Mulwray a genius for
using water to help turn Los Angeles from a wasted patch of desert
into an ever growing metropolis. Cross, however, turns this approach
into an excuse for murder, killing Hollis when he interferes with
Cross’s plans for the new reservoir. Similarly, Russ Yelburton is
persuaded to betray both the public and a man he admires in order
to gain greater control of the water.
Part of the allure of America is its promise of success
for the common person, the chance to control one’s own destiny with
the help of available resources. Cross, however, corrupts the American dream
by stealing the most valuable of resources from the struggling farmers,
pushing them into bankruptcy in an attempt to further line the pockets
of his already rich associates. Chinatown shows
the promise of America’s future betrayed by the desires of its corrupt present.
The Helplessness of Common People in the Face of Evil
No matter how good a character is or how noble his or
her intentions are, Polanski is careful to show how impossible it
is for the common people to overcome or even escape the corruption
that is so pervasive in the world of the film and the world itself.
Unlike what Jake and so many other characters tell themselves, corruption
isn’t confined to just one area. Jake, who years before lost a woman
to evil forces in Chinatown, loses Evelyn in nearly the same manner. Evelyn,
despite her money and earlier flight from her father, proves unable
to run far or fast enough to escape death. Hollis, who tried to free
himself from evil by cutting ties to Cross, nevertheless loses his life
to his former business associate.
