Full Metal Jacket

In Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, Leonard Lawrence’s experiences in basic training and death are a direct result of negligence on the part of private Joker. In the film, Paris Island is portrayed as a place where men are broken down and reconstructed as ruthless killers. The methods used by the marines to train soldiers are tested and clearly work on the average person. However, Leonard Lawrence was not an average man. Throughout most of the film he is despondent, almost oblivious to the gravity of his situation.

When Hartman is delivering his first day speech to the platoon, he insults and or punishes all of the main characters in the story, but Leonard’s abuse immediately seems more harsh than the others. The criticism that he draws from Hartman is just a taste of what’s to come. The other men are affected by Hartman’s presence in the barracks. They are scared stiff and completely focused on not becoming a target. Leonard is grinning and requires violent physical intervention from Hartman in order to stop. From this first interaction, Hartman learns everything he needs to know about Leonard. He learns that despite being thick and slow Leonard can be molded. Hartman also learns that he’ll need to pound harder on Leonard than on most of the men in the platoon.

During a marching exercise when Leonard mistakes his right shoulder for his left gunnery sergeant Hartman smacks him twice in the face. He smacks him so hard that the blow knocks Leonard’s hat off. We immediately cut to a scene that shows Leonard stumbling along, trousers down, thumb in mouth, following behind his platoon who are marching in unison. These punishments are far worse than anything else that is doled out to anyone during the film.

Private Joker becomes squad...

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...ry professionally trained killer could have sprinted the 10 feet in half a second and knocked Leonard out cold. The last chance wasted, private Joker stands like a statue waiting for the end. All hope is lost when Leonard loads the magazine and chambers the first round. There is no question that things have gone too far. Gunnery sergeant Hartman bursts into the latrine and amidst a barrage of verbal observations about the current situation, poses the question to private Joker, “why aren’t you stomping private pyle’s guts out?”. Private Joker’s failure to do just that, cost the lives of two marines that day. The cost of private Joker’s actions, and his inactions, would be high. He would have to live with them for the rest of his life.

Works Cited

Full Metal Jacket. Dir. Stanley Kubrick. 1987. Perf. Matthew Modine and Vincent D’Onofrio. Warner Home Video, 2007. DVD.