Joseph Conrad’s novella, “Heart of Darkness” (Originally published by Blackwood’s Magazine, 1902) and Francis Ford Coppola’s film, “Apocalypse Now” (Produced by Francis Ford Coppola and distributed by United Artists, 1979) both told through a journey down a river to find a man named Kurtz and along the way, the men that are apart of these journeys discover the darkness of the human condition. In both, “Heart of Darkness” and “Apocalypse Now,” have river journeys that delve deeper into darkness but contrast in that “Apocalypse Now” contains only that very darkness whereas “Heart of Darkness” still has symbols of light. Conrad, who is the author sitting on the river Thames tells the story of Marlowe, the narrator in “Heart of Darkness” and
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Travelling up river and going against the current results in a very agonizingly slow form of travel which symbolizes the hardship of the journey. “Going up that river was like travelling back to the earliest beginnings of the world,” (Conrad, 33) paints the idea that this journey is traversing into more primitive times, foreshadowing the nature of not only the Congo, but the people, both black and white, that inhabit it. The Congo River in where majority of the story takes place has an important role for The Company in that not only is it important for transporting its ivory trade but the river also serves as segregation. The Congo river embodies the white idea of being separate from an uncivilized place such as the Congo that’s inhabited with ‘savages’ despite that they, the white men, are they one’s raping it’s land and abusing its people. Marlow who’s outlook is painted as, “Meaning of an episode was not inside like a kernel but outside, enveloping the tale which brought it out only as a glow brings out a haze, in the likeness of one of these misty halos that sometimes are made visible by the spectral illumination of moonshine” (Conrad, 5) in which implies that he is self-governing and cynical of the world around him. These traits allow Marlow to not only notice the …show more content…
Conrad’s novella protagonist Marlow, although dealing with his internal conflict from the river journey, can be symbolized as the beacon of light in the darkness. While the other white men of the company seem to thrive in their ignorance, racism, and colonization of the Congo, Marlow seems to be a skeptic of it all, silently analyzing the hypocrisy of imperialism. Despite Marlow’s obsession with what could possible drive a man like Kurtz to madness, he shows compassion to Kurtz and cannot bear watching Kurtz’s final moments after he cries out, “The horror! The horror!” (Conrad, 69). Marlow fleeing could be that he cannot bear to watch Kurtz be finally consumed by the very Darkness that surrounds him, the darkness finally consuming Kurtz can be signified in Marlow blowing out the candle he brought for him. Marlow makes it back to Brussels with the papers Kurtz entrusted him which he protectively distributes among those Marlow (although suspicious) believes to be principal. Among these is another symbol of light or rather innocence, Kurtz’s fiancé who is styled as, “This fair hair, this pale visage, this pure brow, seemed surrounded by an ashy halo” (Conrad, 74) in which Marlow chooses to lie to about the final words of Kurtz. Despite after all Marlow experienced in the darkness of the jungle, he doesn’t see it possible to pollute Kurtz’s
Travelling up river and going against the current results in a very agonizingly slow form of travel which symbolizes the hardship of the journey. “Going up that river was like travelling back to the earliest beginnings of the world,” (Conrad, 33) paints the idea that this journey is traversing into more primitive times, foreshadowing the nature of not only the Congo, but the people, both black and white, that inhabit it. The Congo River in where majority of the story takes place has an important role for The Company in that not only is it important for transporting its ivory trade but the river also serves as segregation. The Congo river embodies the white idea of being separate from an uncivilized place such as the Congo that’s inhabited with ‘savages’ despite that they, the white men, are they one’s raping it’s land and abusing its people. Marlow who’s outlook is painted as, “Meaning of an episode was not inside like a kernel but outside, enveloping the tale which brought it out only as a glow brings out a haze, in the likeness of one of these misty halos that sometimes are made visible by the spectral illumination of moonshine” (Conrad, 5) in which implies that he is self-governing and cynical of the world around him. These traits allow Marlow to not only notice the …show more content…
Conrad’s novella protagonist Marlow, although dealing with his internal conflict from the river journey, can be symbolized as the beacon of light in the darkness. While the other white men of the company seem to thrive in their ignorance, racism, and colonization of the Congo, Marlow seems to be a skeptic of it all, silently analyzing the hypocrisy of imperialism. Despite Marlow’s obsession with what could possible drive a man like Kurtz to madness, he shows compassion to Kurtz and cannot bear watching Kurtz’s final moments after he cries out, “The horror! The horror!” (Conrad, 69). Marlow fleeing could be that he cannot bear to watch Kurtz be finally consumed by the very Darkness that surrounds him, the darkness finally consuming Kurtz can be signified in Marlow blowing out the candle he brought for him. Marlow makes it back to Brussels with the papers Kurtz entrusted him which he protectively distributes among those Marlow (although suspicious) believes to be principal. Among these is another symbol of light or rather innocence, Kurtz’s fiancé who is styled as, “This fair hair, this pale visage, this pure brow, seemed surrounded by an ashy halo” (Conrad, 74) in which Marlow chooses to lie to about the final words of Kurtz. Despite after all Marlow experienced in the darkness of the jungle, he doesn’t see it possible to pollute Kurtz’s