Question: After Pyle's "blanket party", Joker notices that he's slowly losing his sanity by talking to his rifle constantly. Why didn't Joker report this to Hartman?
Captain Defenestrator
30th Jan 2017
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Answer: When Joker first notices Pyle talking to his rifle, he says, "I don't think Leonard can hack it. He's a section 8," so he probably figured Pyle would get kicked out of the Marines. Besides, Hartman wasn't exactly Mr. Approachable. Regardless, in the scenes right after that, Pyle shows he's an expert marksman and perfect Marine (the sixth general order questioning scene where Joker is the one who admits he forgot some information).
24th Jul 2012
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Question: Who's idea was it, or the reason, Kubrick decided to kill off Gunnery Sergeant Hartman? Was it to merely show the casualty of war?
Answer: It was Gustav Hasford's idea. It happened in the original book that the story is based on, "The Short Timers."
2nd Jul 2009
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Question: Why was Gunnery Sergeant Hartman so mean to Leonard Lawrence AKA Private Pyle? Why was he always mad at him?
Chosen answer: A Drill Instructor is always mad at the recruits in order to forge discipline. Private Pyle was the biggest screwup in the unit, thus creating more work for him.
Answer: It also promotes unity and brotherhood against a common enemy, the drill instructor.
6th Nov 2008
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Question: In the scene where Joker is talking with Cowboy, what does he mean by "I think that Leonard is a section-A" and pretty much the rest of the conversation about Cowboy's sister?
Answer: What he says is "Section 8," the category for a psychological discharge from the US military. Since they don't care one way or another, the conversation shifts to how much Joker wants to do Cowboy's sister.
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Answer: Nobody liked him before and he's no longer causing problems for everyone else, so they simply don't care.
Captain Defenestrator
But Joker was very concerned as he was actually friendly with Pyle and was hesitant to participate in the blanket party.
I don't think Joker actually wanted to hurt Pyle - as you said he tried to help him but to not participate as a squad leader would reflect cowardliness, and therefore it seems his hand was sort of forced.
He was friendly with him because Hartmann ordered him to be. He had a moment of guilt before participating, but he still did it.