Full Metal Jacket Essay Questions

Why does the film begin with the story of Private Pyle?

Herr and Kubrick wanted to interrogate not only the physical experience of war, but also the psychological experience of being trained as a soldier. Hartman's brutality and abrasiveness retain a moral complexity—on the one hand, Hartman wants to treat the men savagely because they are still in a relatively safe environment where acquiring certain skills will improve their chances of survival later on. On the other hand, his almost pathological hatred of Pyle turns the entire platoon against him and leads to a grisly murder-suicide. Pyle is a vulnerable character who must bear the cost of the grueling process by which the men are turned into killers.

What is the significance of the film's title?

"Full metal jacket" refers to a soft-core bullet with a hard outer layer, usually consisting of metal. The name symbolizes the fact that all of the film's characters conceal their inner vulnerabilities in order to become, in Hartman's words, "born again hard." Pyle is not able to excise the "soft" aspects of his personality until the other members of the platoon literally try to beat it out of him in a vicious act of hazing. Although the hazing seems to work, insofar as it makes Pyle professionally competent, it also drives Pyle into insanity. Pyle is the only character to recite the words "full metal jacket," symbolizing the danger lurking behind this process.

Why do all the men have nicknames?

The fact that all the men go by nicknames reinforces the theme of the duality of man. Each man leaves his previous identity behind, assuming a new identity in wartime; thus, rather than going by their given names, each man assumes a new name that suggests something about their inner character—Joker, Cowboy, Animal Mother, etc. Joker, for instance, masks his inner turmoil with humor and cynicism, while Animal Mother releases primal waves of aggression. Each man's nickname reveals their essence, which determines how they act and react in times of war.

Why does Joker hesitate before killing the sniper?

Throughout the film, Joker seems to feel ambivalent about the war effort—wearing both a peace symbol button and a helmet that reads "BORN TO KILL." Unlike the majority of the other men in boot camp, who are assigned to infantry, Joker is assigned to combat journalism, which means he likely will not need to subject himself to the bloodshed that many of the other men face. Despite this, Joker longs to go into the field and experience combat, although he is unwilling to take responsibility for the lives of others, like Rafterman. When faced with killing the sniper, Joker must consider whether it is an act of mercy or an act of brutality, ultimately deciding that it would be an act of mercy.

Why did Kubrick include the story of Handjob?

Much of Kubrick's film is dedicated to exploring the intertwined relationship between sexuality and death, creation and destruction. Hartman states early on that the men must abandon all thoughts of sexual relief, instead urging them to name their rifle after a woman—a symbolic act that replaces sexual gratification with violent gratification. The story of Handjob, as Cowboy tells it, reveals a man who is desperate to remain attached to conventional sexual pleasure based around the male orgasm. Unable to experience the kind of sexual relief he needs, Handjob compulsively masturbates until he is deemed insane.