In these two stories, the main character captivates us. Adrian in Good Morning Vietnam is what I would catorgrise as the shining apple in a pile of rotting ones, a pretty common character type in stories. In this dior situation, everything seems a little better because he is there. While having visible faults, he's extremely likable and charming to almost everyone he meets, and is not afraid to be himself. An ideal character, right? His interactions are bound to be interesting because he is, in this case, extremely funny. I know I would love to know someone like him. Good Morning Vietnam is not necessarily a comical story, especially considering it's setting is dead in the middle of a dangerous and uncontrollable war. The comedy is this story are the things Adrian says. Billy Pilgram is the main character of Slaughterhouse 5 and.....is not quite the shining apple. Billy, so far in my reading could be described as disoriented, fatalistic, introverted, and at times crazy. Yet, he is still not a fascinating soldier to others in the novel. He is pretty much overlooked by everyone in this story, and often looked down upon. It is clearly a more laughing "at" kind of story. Billy is such an uncomfortably real and unglamorized character that you can't help but find his circumstances funny. This man, this undeniably unequipped mans stages of life manage to captivate readers with the mindset of, will he ever change? Therefore, these protagonists extreme differences become irrelevant because they are both strong and interesting in their own way.
Furthermore, these stories have another undeniable similarity; Their settings in gruesome and active wars. This is a huge element of what makes these stories more interesting then others, they do not have a simple, adaptable setting. In Good Morning Vietnam, one of Adrians main struggles is trusting anyone he meets and developing friendships while forgetting they can work for the enemy. In the midst of his radio show and romance, he also forgets the severity of war, both from the enemy and his own american side and it hits him dramatically. Billy is placed in a position where he is unable to relate with the men fighting along side him. Billy also indubitably suffers by being a prisoner of war. Both stories reach points where comedy is almost completely removed and you are forced to think about the real darkness of their situations, which I think is really......cool. And the main ingredient for the depth of the stories.This can definitely be considered ironic, and almost a form of satire.
While on a surface level extremely different, Good Morning Vietnam and Slaughterhouse Five tell war stories incredibly through strong protagonists, use of humor, and flooring dark situations.
Based on this poster, this war movie looks to be a snickering comedy.
