Lutz, Alex

HS 114
Professor Ellison
Extra Credit “Platoon”

Chris Taylor is the primary character in the film with whom the audience is expected to identify
and empathize. But what kind of man is Taylor? Is he a hero, or a person with an identity
problem, perhaps a character defect? If Sergeant Barnes is the antagonist deserving of moral
condemnation after killing Sergeant Elias, what should be our judgment on Taylor who kills
Barnes? Would Taylor’s desire for retribution against Barnes exist if the latter had killed only
the peasant woman during the sweep of the village? Why wasn’t Taylor equally indignant after
Bunny killed the deranged peasant after finding him in hiding?

Why was there animosity between the enlisted men and the Lieutenant? Was the animosity
deserved?

Note that the platoon consists of ethnically diverse men and yet there appears to be no racial
prejudice among them. What accounts for this?

Why were many of the men in the platoon supportive of Barnes despite their conviction that he
had murdered Elias?

If you were assigned to combat in that platoon which of the leaders would you prefer? Why?

Given the current debate on introducing women into combat positions, would the presence of
women in the platoon have altered the conduct of that unit? Would women be a positive of a
negative element in the platoon?

Taylor is