Since the ancient times, rivers have always been associated with life. From the sides of Yangtze to the banks of Nile, the most powerful civilizations were established. The region had served as a source of livelihood and sustenance among the settlers for there was a consistent supply of food. The watercourse acted as the major means of transportation that encouraged trade among different settlements. In no time, water from rivers was used to build irrigation to support emerging agriculture. The continuous economic boom had led to the rise of great empires in the world. Rivers also played a significant part as seen in the Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now. But on the contrary, these rivers emitted a certain hint of darkness that put humans
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In the Heart of Darkness, Marlow described the Congo river as a snake, “there was… a mighty big river, that you could see on the map resembling an immense snake uncoiled, its head in the sea, its body at rest curving a far over a vast country and its tail lost in the depths of the land” (Conrad, 7) . Its head might represent places outside the Dark Continent i.e. Europe, while its body spreads throughout Africa that it covered and encompassed a huge portion. In this representation, the Congo River with its strategic location, allowed easy access to colonizers. Marlow had the advantage of exploring the innermost part of the continent, without hopping off the steamboat (with the exemption of meeting Kurtz) to see the wilderness. One consequence of imperialism was white supremacy, which was a recurring theme in both sources. As seen in the Apocalypse Now, the color of the river was brown, representing the people living in the colony. This color was often associated with dirt, mud, and filth, which suggested that the black/brown race was inferior and uncivilized. The natives considered their colonizers as “gods”. In the Heart of Darkness, Marlow claimed that his journey towards the interior was like “going back in time”, suggesting how uncivilized Africa
In the Heart of Darkness, Marlow described the Congo river as a snake, “there was… a mighty big river, that you could see on the map resembling an immense snake uncoiled, its head in the sea, its body at rest curving a far over a vast country and its tail lost in the depths of the land” (Conrad, 7) . Its head might represent places outside the Dark Continent i.e. Europe, while its body spreads throughout Africa that it covered and encompassed a huge portion. In this representation, the Congo River with its strategic location, allowed easy access to colonizers. Marlow had the advantage of exploring the innermost part of the continent, without hopping off the steamboat (with the exemption of meeting Kurtz) to see the wilderness. One consequence of imperialism was white supremacy, which was a recurring theme in both sources. As seen in the Apocalypse Now, the color of the river was brown, representing the people living in the colony. This color was often associated with dirt, mud, and filth, which suggested that the black/brown race was inferior and uncivilized. The natives considered their colonizers as “gods”. In the Heart of Darkness, Marlow claimed that his journey towards the interior was like “going back in time”, suggesting how uncivilized Africa