Duality of Man

Paper Summary:

The paper describes the two extremes of mankind seen in the film, ?Full Metal Jacket,? in which Matthew Modine plays Private Joker, a soldier confused by the duality of man. It discusses how Joker is paired up with Private Gomer Pile in the film to show the contrast of success and failure. The paper shows how, throughout the movie, Kubrick plays with the idea of pairs to let us know that some things only appear as two opposites when they are in fact similar in many ways. It describes how Joker?s confusion is a key theme in the movie, the contradiction of love and hate in wartime.

From the Paper:

"Kubrick uses a confusion between good and evil to portray the notion of two sides of mankind. During a line up at boot camp the drill instructor asks Private Joker, "Private Joker, do you believe in the virgin Mary"? Joker answers no, and is smacked across the face. The drill sergeant proceeds to ask him the same question over again, and Joker again answers no, and explains that he is an atheist. Joker tells the sergeant that if he reverses his retort then he will be subject to more extensive abuse. The sergeant admires Joker's loyalty and grants him a promotion."

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