Apocalypse Now depicts the harsh psychological effects war has on soldiers. For example, the first scene of the movie shows the protagonist Captain Willard, where he’s in a hotel room and he feels as if he’s wasting his time because he’s not at war. He cannot live a normal life in society without wanting to get back to the jungle. He even punches his fist into the wall because he feels forced to return to combat. You can almost say war is like a drug because its addicting in a way and has harsh side effects. This is a clear sign of the damaging effects war has on people. All throughout the movie, you can question the sanity of the soldiers because there is no sense of morality in this film. The movie is not making an argument. The soldiers act in a reckless irrational manner. This film reminds me of Tim O’Brien and Komenyaka’s writing because they all have something in common: the fact that war changes you. After war, you will never be the same. All of their stories involve flashbacks from the war and how it has affected them. For example, at the beginning of Apocalypse Now, Captain Willard has flashbacks in his hotel room from being in the jungle and he pretends he is still there. In Komenyaka’s poem, Facing it, he can see the booby trap’s white flash in the reflection of the memorial. In O’Brien’s, The Things They Carried, he has a flashback on when he received his draft to go to the war. These are also all moments related with PTSD. Their way of describing exactly how they felt during the war is very helpful for people who haven’t experienced war to relate to them on a better level.
I think PTSD is a great point to make when discussing war and especially focusing on flashbacks and how it affects the soldier. I think in movies as well as literature, it gives the audience a better understanding of the effects that war has on people. I also thought it was an interesting point about how Willard became addicted to the war. I never thought that soldiers would want to come back tot he war but after seeing Apocalypse Now and reading The Things They Carried, I have a better understanding of it.
ReplyDeleteI like how you drew on the fact that despite the differences in these stories there is a unifying aspect of how PTSD dramatically affects how the soldiers interact with each other and the people they come into contact with. And I agree with you on the point that to these men, war is a drug. It has completely infiltrated their system and freedom is nowhere in sight.
ReplyDelete