Comparison and Contrast Apocalypse Now and Heart of Darkness

A detailed Summary of Comparison and Contrast Apocalypse Now and Heart of Darkness


Comparison and Contrast: Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now

In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad's diction and choice of detail work to create an image of the Russian as absurd and surreal, showing the reader one possible effect (other than the creation of a Kurtz) of the combination of the power of darkness and Western culture. Francis Ford Coppola, through his scripting and costuming for the American photojournalist in Apocalypse Now, makes a similar statement. Thus, the scenes in which the protagonist meets the Russian/American are very similar as they both work towards the same purpose with similar effect.

The first word that Marlow uses to describe the Russian is "cheerful." This establishes him as out of place from the outset, as it comes on the heels of the attack on the boat. When told of the attack, the Russian replies that "it's all right." Clearly, it is not "all right"; the helmsman, mediocre as he may have been, is dead. Upon closer inspection, Marlow says that he looks like a "harlequin" - a jester. The Russian is covered wi


As Conrad uses diction and choice of detail to characterize the Russian, so does Coppola use the dialogue and costuming to similarly characterize the American. Both, in the end, create an absurd, out-of-place character who been conquered by Kurtz. In effect, they show that not every Western man becomes a great devil when exposed to the darkness; some only become little imps.

th an absurd set of patches, a sharp contrast to the darkness that is consistently attributed to the Congo and the jungle surrounding it. A few lines later, he is described as "look[ing] extremely gay and wonderfully neat," due to the color and level of detail given to the patches. The only other person in the novel who gives attention to his clothing is the chief accountant, who is arguably as out of place as the Russian (the accountant, also, was described as looking like "a hairdresser's dummy.") The level of absurd self-contradiction continues through the details that Conrad employs about the Russian's facial expressions. "Smiles and frowns chasing each other... like

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Approximate Word count = 711
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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