Apocalypse Now And Heart Of Darkness Essay Example For Students

Apocalypse Now And Heart Of Darkness Essay Placed in various time periods and settings, the novel Heart of Darkness, written by Joseph Conrad, and the movie Apocalypse Now, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, both create the same mysterious journey with various similarties and differences. The journeys mystery lies in the scene; it is one down a river by boat, deep in the jungle. The jungle is populated mainly with wild animals and a few natives. The reason for the expedition is to search for a sick man named Kurtz, who is followed by the natives and his men from their previous missions. In Heart of Darkness, the journey to find Kurtz, who is an ivory trader who has gone too deep into the jungles of Africa in search of ivory, while in Apocalypse Now, Kurtz is a high-ranking officer in the military who has disobeyed orders and is now fighting the Vietnam war in Cambodia with his unit in his own fashion. The protagonists in both the novel and the movie go through various changes while on their mission to find Kurtz. Marlow, who is the rookie captain of a ship, slowly begins to envision Kurtz as an immortal figure. In the movie, Willards state of mind ranges from being a demented soldier to a crazed assassin. Although they are on the same mission, Marlow and Willard face terribly different factors that affect their journey. The difference of experiences, location, technology, communication, and mindset all affect each character in different ways. Although they may have faced varying environments, in the end the result was the same, Kurtz is discovered as a sick and possibly demented individual. Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now are two strikingly similar yet subtly different stories that end in the same fashion. Since Heart of Darkness was based in the 1890s, Marlow experiences many things due to the lack of modern amenities and modern technologies. For example, a damaged steamer delays Marlows journey for almost three weeks. The delay is caused because Marlow and his crew could not get the rivets they needed to fix the steamer. A phone or radio could have helped Marlow fix his steamer earlier and gotten onto the water quicker. Three weeks might have been the difference between life and death for Mr. Kurtz. Another example of a lack of communication is the communication between stations: Is he alone there? Yes, answered the manager; he sent his assistant down the river with a note to me in these terms: Clear this poor devil out of the country, and dont bother sending another more of that sort. I had rather be alone than have the kind of men you can dispose of with me. It was more than a year ago. Conrad 100 If the communication between stations would have been better, Marlow may have known the conditions the station was in, and the area around it. Information about Kurtzs authority over the natives also could have helped save the life of a member of Marlows crew. Communication with Kurtzs station would have benefited Marlow and his mission, by saving precious time and lives. Another modern amenity Marlow could have used were detailed maps and reconnaissance. These tools would have allowed Marlow access to solving geographic issues preventing him from reaching Kurtzs station, such as a sandbank and a grassy islet. The sandbank and the grassy islet were what caused Marlow and his crew to be sitting ducks for the natives to shoot at. The necessary modern amenities may have made Marlows journey a shorter and safer one. During the times in which Apocalypse Now is based, many aspects of daily life evolved. These changes have profoundly affected civilized life, while those still out in the jungle may not have felt any of these effects at all. Willard dealt with different issues than Marlow because technology solved the many problems that Marlow faced. Willard did not have to deal with a lack of communication or reconnaissance, all of this was provided by radio, phone, and reconnaissance planes. Willard also knew about the conditions of Kurtzs location, he knew the natives followed Kurtz, and that it was going to be a gruesome scene when he arrived. Arms and the Man is one of George Bernard Shaw's successfully written plays that have become predominant and globally renowned EssayMarlow sees this, and now feels as if he must take care of Kurtz, to save an extraordinary human being. This is the exact opposite of how Willard feels in the movie. Willard is almost the exact opposite of Marlow, and he shows it from the beginning to the end of the movie. Willard begins the movie in a hotel room drunk, exploring the depths of his sorrow. Willard is experiencing with drawl from not being out in the jungle, fighting fordemocracy. Willard wishes to return to action, and soon his wish is granted. He is given a secret mission by the army to assassinate Kurtz. Willard does not seem up to the idea of being an assassin as he begins his journey, but by the end he has transformed into a full-fledged killer. Meeting Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore definitely has an effect on Willard. Kilgore shows Willard that life is difficult, and to be an American means being the best at everything. This is shown in the scene where Kilgore and his men are bombing a Vietnamese town, while playing music in the background. The music symbolizes American superiority and a feeling of invincibility. Willard and his crew are now making their way upriver, and they spot a Vietnamese fishing boat. Pulling it over for inspection, the situation drastically changes and they kill innocent people, but save a puppy. Willard is shown sitting on the opposite side of the boat observing as the event unfolds. Willard seems to notice the recklessness that life brings, and the utter disregard for life that the crew seemed to display. The only member who shows some sympathy is the Chef, who cries, but is ignored by the rest of the crew as if nothing had happened. It seems as if Willard suddenly cares less and less about the lives of others as he saw how fragile it was and how it easy it was to take it away. Willards conscience breaks when Lawrence Fishburnes character died. A child had died to fight in a war that made no sense, and now Willard is finally set on his mission to kill. As he pulls up into Kurtzs base, Willard sees the sickness and decided to rid of it. Meeting with the madman Kurtz only makes things worse, Willard is disgusted at what was going on. After he kills Kurtz, Willard seems confused on what he would do next, weather to give the order to bomb the village or let the innocent followers live. It was a major difference from Heart of Darkness, where Marlow goes back to England a more educated person, but not necessarily a mentally scarred person such as Willard. Though there are various differences and slight similarities, Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now both portray the same journey into the jungle and inescapably into each characters self. Although located in different regions of the world, in different time periods, with different factors, each character faced many different events and situations that inevitably changed their perspective. Marlow ultimately learned of the value of a life, and the effects one man can have on another. On the other hand Willard had gained a total disregard for human beings, and will probably stayed in the assassin mindset for a long period of time after the Vietnam War was over. Whether book or movie the ending was the same, the entertainment came in the subtle differences one could notice.