If the protagonists of Tarantino's debut "Reservoir Dogs" had flowers instead of colors as code names, Mr. Magnolia would be Harvey Keitel. An old-school gangster, a man of honor. Tough, loyal, fearless, not easily provoked. His weakness is the belief in the good, the right thing to do, even during a robbery. His paternal protective instinct becomes his downfall.
Mr. Magnolia is also an old-school fragrance. No deception. He wears his heart up his sleeve, as they say in English. Magnolia, rose, white flowers, sandalwood. It is what it claims to be and presents a distinctly good, fatherly figure.
Just as Keitel's Mr. White falls victim to his own consistency at the end of the film, Mr. Magnolia is ultimately betrayed by a synthetic postmodernity. Perhaps this betrayal is the fate that awaits every old-school man of honor in the next generation.
Neither Mr. White nor Mr. Magnolia lose their character because of this.