Heart Of Darkness Compare And Contrast Essay

Joseph Conrad’s book, Heart of Darkness, Francis Coppola’s film, Apocalypse Now, and Werner Herzog’s film, Aguirre Wrath of God are very interesting productions, each with their own unique point of view and illuminating agenda. The book in itself and the films prove to be an excellent source about violence brought on by imperialism and/or colonialism and how, as a consequence, the definition of civilized and savage becomes blurred. Via the films, “The audience can derive a lot of pleasure not only from listening to melodies and rhythms that create moods and heighten emotions provoked by the story, but also from analysing the ways the music reinforces the symbolic richness of the literary work, establishes new relationships between its elements, sheds a new light on its meanings and multiplies its interpretative perspectives (Marciniak 67). Having said this, that is not to say that Heart of Darkness lacked in keeping my attention. I very much enjoyed the internal and external dialogue that Conrad provides along with his descriptive commentary about the events at hand. Although the films are considered adaptations of Conrad’s book, they both have distinctive ways of getting the same concepts across to an audience. All in all, after reading and viewing these constructions it is clear that every individual is able to create their own outlook on how they prefer to view the delineations of what it takes to be considered civilized or savage; of course, through the mediums

The novel, Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, portrays a dark and somber theme throughout the entirety of the book. Even in the end, the darkness is still there. But even so, the end is difficult to understand. The ending is very vague on certain perspectives. Conrad intentionally does this, not to detract from the rest of the novel, but to sum the entirety of his main point up.

1. The setting of the story begins on the Nellie, a ship. The turn of the tide is significant because it gives the men on board extra time to talk, and Marlow begins telling his story. In addition, symbolically, the turning of the tide conveys a change, and perhaps, foreshadowing of the story. The author spends a lot of time dealing with light because it is the main symbol in the novella. Light and darkness are universal symbols that represent good and evil. Although not explicitly stated, those who have the light are those who are “civilized”, and those who have the darkness are those who remain “uncivilized”, particularly the people living in Africa.

Some critics believe that in Heart of Darkness Conrad illustrates how ‘’the darkness of the landscape can lead to the darkness of the social corruption.” This statement means that if the environment is dark, then the people in that environment will match the surrounding feeling, which is dark and depressing. For example, if it is a gloomy rainy day, most people feel tired and not as happy. If it is a bright sunny day, the most people feel motivated to get things done and joyful. Yes, this statement is believable because I have noticed that the weather, my surroundings, and even other people’s behaviors around me affect my mood. Today, for instance, it rained all day and the sky was dark, as a result I slept throughout the whole

interpretation of the darkness in his journey with these words, "True, by this time it was not a blank space any more...a place of darkness. But there was in it one river especially, a mighty big river... resembling an immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea, its body at rest curving afar over a vast country, and its tail lost in the depths of the land...the snake had charmed me." (p. 11) However, in Heart of Darkness, the definitions of lightness and darkness has been reversed. Darkness can be interpreted to stand for the purity and innocence of the natives lifestyle, while lightness can be seen as the corruption, greed, and exploitative ways of the white men. The natives lived by the code of nature in a sort of "darkness," in that they had not been exposed to the corruption of the

Race, Ethnicity, and Nationality are a vital part of any individual. The overall population on our planet is growing and becoming more diverse. The importance of these things in American Society is very complicated. Race represents the evolution of culture from many years ago, Ethnicity symbolizes who we are and how we are influenced, and Nationality tells us where we come from. Although there are many theories; race, ethnicity, and nationality are socially formed and is real in society. The affects they have on peer groups, media, and children have a big impact on the way people live on a day to day basis.

   In the opening scenes of the documentary film "Hearts of Darkness-A Filmmaker's Apocalypse," Eleanor Coppola describes her husband Francis's film, "Apocalypse Now," as being "loosely based" on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Indeed, "loosely" is the word; the period, setting, and circumstances of the film are totally different from those of the novella. Yet, a close analysis of character, plot, and theme in each respective work reveals that Conrad's classic story of savagery and madness is present in its cinematic reworking.

Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Toni Morrison’s Beloved chronicle tragic journeys of the self and soul. Heart of Darkness explores one man’s quest into the Heart of Darkness, where he uncovers the truth of human nature. Mr. Kurtz, a remarkable man who represents all of Europe, deteriorates into a beast after being isolated from the rest of society in the depths of the jungle. Beloved comments on the atrocities of slavery and the perpetual dehumanization of black people. Sethe, an escaped slave, slits her daughter’s throat to save her from a life of slavery. Sethe’s resolve renders her an animal in that moment. Both Mr. Kurtz and Sethe are forced to grapple with this fundamental truth of humanity, that a jungle resides within the souls

“[H]is soul was mad. Being alone in the wilderness, it had looked within itself, and, by heavens! I tell you, it had gone mad” (Conrad 100). In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad portrays man as he perceives him to be, a dark animal consumed by the evil in his heart. Conrad, being an atheist, understands no ultimate authority for right and wrong, but he does see corruption in the hearts of men.

The poem by T.S. Elliot, The Hollow Men and the novel by Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness represent both nonchalance and insouciance. Both Elliot's hollow men and Conrad's Station Manager present an insightful rationale and emotional indifference as well as being bereft of discernible humanity. The two pieces underscore the crucial characteristics of both the station manger and the hollow men by exaggerating the details of their empty eyes as well as "death's other kingdom," (III.8) of which they both reside in, their obscure characteristics and their emptiness.

In the novel’s “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad and “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoevsky, the author’s discuss good and evil and how it relates to reality and illusion. Conrad discusses it through Marlow’s journey through the Congo and its comparison to his homeland of imperialist Europe. Dostoevsky discusses it through the development of the main character, Raskolnikov, after his murder and his “split” personality. There are clear distinctions in the novels between good and evil, the Congo representing evil and Europe representing good; and Raskolnikov’s thinking and beliefs in which one wants to do good, and the other bad. These distinctions can also be related to people’s views of illusion and reality.

In Section II of the novel, Conrad parallels Marlow’s travel deeper inland to his psychological journey further into the unknown wild. Marlow states that moving inward is like “travelling back to the earliest beginnings of the world, when vegetation rioted on the Earth and the big trees were kings. An empty stream, a great silence, an impenetrable forest” (Conrad 49). This connection with traveling back in time is an important message about the novel’s setting. As Marlow narrates the river on a different river in a different land, the notion of traveling backward in time alludes to the fact that England’s past is compared to Africa’s present, a territory being conquered by a more civilized group of people.

“We will not be free from unfair competition till one of these fellows is hanged for an example,’ he said. ‘Certainly,’ grunted the other; ‘get him hanged! Why not? Anything- anything can be done in this country’” (Conrad 93). This quote signifies what it is like to have the mentality of us-versus-them. Us-versus-them is a way of thinking that can change a completely sane person into someone who is insane and paranoid. They believe that the world is against them, and in order to be safe, they have to terminate anyone who makes them feel threatened. The innocent natives that get in the way of the crazy invaders become enemies that the invaders want to destroy. The novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, the movie Apocalypse Now directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and the short story Once Upon a Time by Nadine Gordimer are all post-colonial works that use the mentality of us-versus-them in several unique ways.

In Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”, and Francis Ford Coppola’s film “Apocalypse Now”, both protagonists must carry out a mission, what differs is how they are accomplished. Both Marlow and Willard share a duty to search for Kurtz, but their actions after the assignment are what set the novel and film apart. The story line behind the novel and film are the same. It starts off with the main character, Marlow or Willard, being given a job to discover Kurtz’s whereabouts.

Although, as a society, we discourage the process of not judging a book by its cover, we have all been guilty of doing it at some point. The first item we look at when we pick up a new book is the title and the cover as a whole. These are two key components when it comes to using our heuristics to decide if a book is worthwhile reading or not. With only two items to judge by, each has to hold significant importance in order to draw a reader into reading the novel. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad represents a mysterious title to draw readers into reading the novel, but hold a much more significant underlying meaning which represents many elements in the novel, while also symbolizing external concepts in the overall plot. The title represents many important elements such as the character of Mr. Kurtz and others, to the setting of Africa in the novel, and to the concept of the evil nature of imperialism outside of the novel. Through the title, Conrad has created significance for elements of the novel creating a very large impact on readers of the book.