Apocalypse Now symbolism (Blog 4)

        If you look deeper into the meaning of the movie Apocalypse Now, you will notice many below the surface aspects of the character development throughout storyline. The film is a metaphor for a journey into the self and shows how the self, in the face of war, darkens beyond recognition. Which is also a possible reason that when Willard meets Kurtz they never really show his full face, and he is always shrouded in darkness. As they move upriver, Willard and the PBR crew become more agitated and separated from reality. Each experiences his own kind of mental breakdown. Chef enters the jungle, has a run-in with a tiger, and is no longer the same—his temper becomes shorter, and he withdraws further into drugs. Lance turns to drugs too, but he also camouflages his face, signaling a changed self . When Clean is killed, Chief breaks down emotionally and becomes a changed man. Willard, already broken from his first tour in Vietnam, becomes obsessed with his target. What originally is a mysterious, exciting voyage morphs into a descent into hell, and the characters respond by hardening themselves, withdrawing, and transforming. The cinematography reflects their impending madness by cloaking the journey in darkness and fog, creating an increasingly hallucinatory atmosphere.
        Other symbols throughout the movie include masks, the river, and fog. Masks are used at key points throughout the film to symbolize the anti-self—the new identity each character assumes in order to deal with the war, an act that requires a symbolic killing of the old self. The fictional Nung River is the setting of a literal and metaphorical journey. As the river takes the boat up to Cambodia and Kurtz, the crew moves beyond civilization to the heart of darkness within themselves.And finally fog suggests confusion and alienation for Willard and the rest of the crew, as they journey upriver into the unknown.