Heart of Darkness is structured as a frame tale, not a first-person narrative.Apocalypse means the end of the world, and as the film's title suggests, Coppola explores the ways in which the metaphorical "darkness" of Vietnam caused an apocalypse in the hearts of those sent there to fight. Most critics agree that the film is an important examination of America's military involvement in Vietnam and the potential darkness that lies in all human hearts. Apocalypse Now is director Francis Ford Coppola's film based on the Heart of Darkness, but set in the jungles of Vietnam during the Vietnam War.He wanted the language of his novella to make the reader feel like they were fighting through the jungle, just like Marlow fought through the jungle in search of Kurtz. Conrad intentionally made Heart of Darkness hard to read.The three most important aspects of Heart of Darkness: Major Symbols: Kurtz the Congo River ivory England Major Thematic Topics: colonialism racism savagery versus civilization
Kurtz The Manager The Accountant The Harlequin The Intended Kurtz's Native Mistress Setting: on the deck of the Nellie the Congo River Joseph Conrad's exploration of the darkness potentially inherent in all human hearts inspired the 1979 film, Apocalypse Now, although the setting was moved to Vietnam.įirst Published: serially in Blackwood's Magazine in 1899 again 1902, as the third work in the anthology, Youth, by Joseph Conrad Through his journey, Marlow develops an intense interest in investigating Kurtz, an ivory-procurement agent, and Marlow is shocked upon seeing what the European traders have done to the natives. Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness retells the story of Marlow's job as an ivory transporter down the Congo.