A major theme of O'Brien's and Komenyaka's that echoes in Apocalypse Now is the sense of living in two worlds. Regardless of whether a soldier is in combat or safe at home it becomes difficult to escape the war. The war has become lodged into all of the soldiers's minds and it is impossible to be set free. A great example of this the opening scene of Apocalypse Now when the audience sees Captain Willard's present world of a hotel in Saigon collide with his reoccurring thoughts of war. His actions of fighting the air and punching a mirror are strong indicators of PTSD.
Another major theme one sees in Apocalypse Now is how fear can cause the soldiers to act out in ignorant ways, not seeing the repercussions of their actions. An example of this would be when, despite Captain Willard's insistence, the crew of the boat searches a Vietnamese trading boat. All of the soldiers become filled with anxiety as the boat is being searched. However, one soldier completely loses it and shots all of the Vietnamese on board when a woman runs after a soldier who is about to search a basket. A moment later the soldiers look inside the basket and find an innocent puppy. Fear and action without thought constantly lead the soldiers to instances of inhumanity and guilt.
No comments:
Post a Comment