Blog 8 APNR JCP

An allegory is a figurative representation of a literal meaning. The meaning is typically conveyed through a number of symbols and extended metaphors throughout the piece. This is a good tool for Coppola to use to convey his feelings about the war because it allows the reader to interpret what was going on as opposed to just being told literal facts.

One of Coppola's major messages was the death and destruction that came from the Americans involvement in Vietnam. The atrocities of the war were highlighted in the sanpan scene. After boarding, and subsequently shooting all the Vietnamese people on the boat, one woman was still alive. After realizing they were wrong to shoot the people, some of the soldiers wanted to save the woman but Willard shot her dead on the spot. This is a great example of the unnecessary civilian deaths in the Vietnam war. Furthermore killing is the point of the film. Willard is assigned to go kill a rogue officer Kurtz. In a mission to kill one man, far too many others lost their lives while in the of Willard to succeeding on his mission.

In addition to senseless killng, Willard's mission also represents the crews transformation. As the mission progressed the men one by one lost themselves. Willard was harmed enough from his first tour in Vietnam, and now his life and thoughts are entirely consumed by his mission of terminating Kurtz. Lance turned to drugs and loses himself in the high. Cheif breaks down when Clean is killed. The change in the men shows the horrors of war. It is not something where a soldier can go in, complete his mission, and come home. They will all be forever hardened by the war and affected by its aftermaths.

Coppola used many symbols to convey his beliefs on the war. He used face masks to show the point when the men changed. After Lance turned to drugs he wore camouflage face paint symbolizing his true self was gone. Also when Willard kills Kurtz his face is covered in mud symbolizing he is no longer the old Willard, he is simply a killing machine. Also the river is the literal and figurative representation of their mission. As the crew moves out of civilization on the river, they also move out of the normalcy of themselves. Finally Coppola's use of fog is a representation of the unknown that the soldiers are going to have to face.