Symbolism In Apocalypse Now

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From start to finish, the movie “Apocalypse Now” from 1979 is a very symbolic film about the Vietnam War, and how it must have felt for the soldiers of the United States of America to fight such a meaningless fight. Right from the very first pictures/scene of the movie, the symbolism is shown. Palms in a Vietnamese forest are visible, but shortly afterwards, they get burned down by US Huey helicopter’s napalm firebombs. Following the opening scene, we get alongside of Captain Benjamin Willard, and hears his thoughts. He is thinking of how he can only function well while he is in combat in the Vietnamese jungles. His life at home is nothing like it was before, and he had been struggling back home to come back to the normal civilian life, and
And as we see, when the Captain boards a boat to get to his designated mission, the crew, who has been there for about 18 months, still has the spirit of a newly deployed soldier. They have not yet realized the cruelty of the war, because they have probably never been in any real combat. That was soon about to change, as they sail deeper and deeper into the North Vietnamese Army’s territory. As many other soldiers, they now go through an experience, that completely ruins their view of the war. They get so stuffed with all the terrible things they have seen, friends that have died, commanders that does not realize, that some mission just are not winnable, but they will still attempt, as it will give them promotions, thus the loss of hundreds or thousands of their own soldiers. They get so full of negativity, that they will begin to feel completely hollow inside. Like their lives has no meaning to it, as they will probably die anyways. The Poet, T. S. Elliot has written a piece of poetry named “The Hollow Men”, which tells the thoughts and feelings the soldiers had. Being so stuffed, that it is completely hollow. “Our dried voices, when we whisper together are quiet and meaningless, as wind in dry grass”. No matter what they say, or when they voice their opinions, no one will listen to

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