October Sky, Witness and Good Morning Vietnam all had strong themes of individualism versus conformity. Each protagonist of their respective films chose to be an individual rather than conform to a standard. In each film the protagonist experiences an internal conflict in which he must decide whether he wants to be an individual or a conformist. Each protagonist then chooses to be an individual and benefits while conformists usually fail. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Individualism succeeds in all three of these films and leaves the conformists in the dust. In Witness, for example, the conformists would be the corrupt police officers and captain who kill a man at the beginning of the film and then end up trying to kill the protagonist, John Book played by Harrison Ford. Ultimately, because the protagonist, John Book, did not conform to the corrupt standards of these cops, the cops end up dead or imprisoned. In October Sky the conformists are the characters who do not believe, do not help or even discourage the protagonist, Homer, in his goal of building a rocket capable of winning the National Science Fair. Characters such as Homer's father, brother, and classmates could be considered the conformists of the story. At first they make fun of Homer's dream but in the end, when Homer succeeds, the conformists essentially end up switching sides. They ultimately fail in this movie anyway because they were wrong to believe that their way, getting a sports scholarship or working in the mines, was the only way a person could succeed. The Coalwood Mine also closes after the individual is successful. In Good Morning Vietnam the conformists are Lieutenant Hauk and Sergeant Major Dickerson. They are against the protagonist, Adrian Cronauer, and his style of comedy on Vietnam's military airwaves. Lieutenant Hauk because he doesn't understand humor and Sgt. Dickerson because he is very blunt and mean and wants everyone to conform to his way. The conformists ultimately fail with Lt. Hauk realizing that he's the one who's actually not funny and with Sgt. Dickerson is transferred to a worse post. In each of these films the conformists are characterized as the antagonists who are then defeated by the protagonist; the individual. The protagonist of each film becomes an individual or refuses to conform to the ways of the antagonists and is better off as an individual by the end of the film. In Witness the protagonist becomes involved in a corruption scandal within his police force. Instead of becoming corrupt like his peers, Book decides to act alone against corruption and thus becomes an individual who fights conformity. He then defeats the antagonists and becomes a better person thanks to his individualism. In October Sky the protagonist, Homer Hickam by Jake Gyllenhaal, dreams of building a rocket that will take him away from Coalwood, the mining town where he seems destined to live for his entire life. In Coalwood it seems like the only options are to get a scholarship through sports or work in the coal mines. Homer Hickam aspired to be a rocket scientist and get out of Coalwood by getting a science scholarship. At one point in the film Homer gave up on his dream and conformed. In this scene he goes down into the coal mines and looks up and sees Sputnik, at that moment Homer is at a crossroads where he has to decide whether to be an individual or a conformist. Homer has faced opposition and disbelief regarding his dream, but he manages to achieve what many thought..