Heart Of Darkness Themes
Heart of darkness vs
Themes: the hypocrisy of imperialism: Marlow's adventures show us the horrors and the realities of colonization and Civilization. Kurtz does not hide the harshness of the reality Of the cruelty that the natives are facing. He uses harsh words such as"extermination". His direct honesty leads to his downfall because it exposes the realities that the outside world is not aware of or the colonizatIon of Africa. It also shows the negative portrayal of African americans because Willard portrays his helsman as a piece of machinery.
Movie- Kurtz exposes the harshness of the Vietnam war through willard's journey into Vietnam. We witness the harsh deaths against the innocent natives and see the worst of the suffering. The most horrifying of all is when Willard arrives at kurtz's fort because there are heads on stakes.
Madness is another major theme in the story. Kurtz has clearly gone mad from being in the congo too long. He speaks of killing people like it is nothing. However, his madness could be due to the lack of authority he has to answer to, leading to his abuse of power. …show more content…
Movie- Kurtz has clearly gone mad in the movie.
He appears usually in the darkness representing death and destruction. He takes Willard captive and tries to convert him to the dark side. The madness is more apparent in the movie then the film because other characters appear to be going mad as well. The men on the boat all begin to act foolishly. Lance loses a sense of reality and wants to keep a puppy with him at all times. Another man sets off gas just because the color appeals to his eyes. The movie provides the concept that the madness is due to making your own choices and not answering to authority in Vietnam. Also the movie portrays madness more then the book with the actual images it creates. In the movie Kurtz chops the head off of one of willard's men and presents it to Willard basically in his
lap.
The presence of evil is apparent in the novel. It appears that the motives for evil are often obscured and not justified. Marlow witnesses a man carrying water with a bucket that has a hole in it. He also witnesses the destruction of the landscape for no apparent reason.
Racism- In the movie racism is present because the black soldiers are portrayed as being by the do long bridge which is constantly blown up and the black soldiers are on the front lines. Both black men on willard's boat are killed one by an arrow and one by gun shot. This allows the remaining people to approach kurtz's fort with shock but not completely understanding the racism Kurtz has.
Symbols-
The river symbolizes the separation of the whites from the natives. It allows the colonizers to travel without experiencing the natives. It also symbolizes marlows desire to meet Kurtz despite the difficulties the river causes.
The movie displays the effective use of the isolation caused by the river by showing the violence the natives use against the men on the boat.
Movie- the playmates add a special touch to the plot. This is due to the fact that both the playmates and soldiers feel the actions they perform are raunchy yet they are forced to perform orders. The playmates describe to the soldiers the disgust of their actions they have been pressured to do. The soldiers can relate to their pain and suffering and are in just as dark situation. Also kurtz's political article reading lightens the movie a bit because he is portrayed in the light. This makes the ending seem less depressing. Also the killing of the bull and the killing of Kurtz are very similar. This adds to the meaning of the story because it emphasizes the The light grows dimmer, the trees spookier, and the mission itself, exponentially more sinister. By the time they reach the "asshole of the world," the Do Long bridge that is, night after night, blown up and rebuilt, it's no accident that the only soldiers Willard meets are black men, firing their weapons into the night. As is well documented, the numbers of minority soldiers on the so-called "front lines" during the war were disproportionately high. Willard can't help but recognize the hopelessness of these men. When he asks one soldier if he knows who's in charge, the anonymous young man responds only, "Yeah."
Themes: the hypocrisy of imperialism: Marlow's adventures show us the horrors and the realities of colonization and Civilization. Kurtz does not hide the harshness of the reality Of the cruelty that the natives are facing. He uses harsh words such as"extermination". His direct honesty leads to his downfall because it exposes the realities that the outside world is not aware of or the colonizatIon of Africa. It also shows the negative portrayal of African americans because Willard portrays his helsman as a piece of machinery.
Movie- Kurtz exposes the harshness of the Vietnam war through willard's journey into Vietnam. We witness the harsh deaths against the innocent natives and see the worst of the suffering. The most horrifying of all is when Willard arrives at kurtz's fort because there are heads on stakes.
Madness is another major theme in the story. Kurtz has clearly gone mad from being in the congo too long. He speaks of killing people like it is nothing. However, his madness could be due to the lack of authority he has to answer to, leading to his abuse of power. …show more content…
Movie- Kurtz has clearly gone mad in the movie.
He appears usually in the darkness representing death and destruction. He takes Willard captive and tries to convert him to the dark side. The madness is more apparent in the movie then the film because other characters appear to be going mad as well. The men on the boat all begin to act foolishly. Lance loses a sense of reality and wants to keep a puppy with him at all times. Another man sets off gas just because the color appeals to his eyes. The movie provides the concept that the madness is due to making your own choices and not answering to authority in Vietnam. Also the movie portrays madness more then the book with the actual images it creates. In the movie Kurtz chops the head off of one of willard's men and presents it to Willard basically in his
lap.
The presence of evil is apparent in the novel. It appears that the motives for evil are often obscured and not justified. Marlow witnesses a man carrying water with a bucket that has a hole in it. He also witnesses the destruction of the landscape for no apparent reason.
Racism- In the movie racism is present because the black soldiers are portrayed as being by the do long bridge which is constantly blown up and the black soldiers are on the front lines. Both black men on willard's boat are killed one by an arrow and one by gun shot. This allows the remaining people to approach kurtz's fort with shock but not completely understanding the racism Kurtz has.
Symbols-
The river symbolizes the separation of the whites from the natives. It allows the colonizers to travel without experiencing the natives. It also symbolizes marlows desire to meet Kurtz despite the difficulties the river causes.
The movie displays the effective use of the isolation caused by the river by showing the violence the natives use against the men on the boat.
Movie- the playmates add a special touch to the plot. This is due to the fact that both the playmates and soldiers feel the actions they perform are raunchy yet they are forced to perform orders. The playmates describe to the soldiers the disgust of their actions they have been pressured to do. The soldiers can relate to their pain and suffering and are in just as dark situation. Also kurtz's political article reading lightens the movie a bit because he is portrayed in the light. This makes the ending seem less depressing. Also the killing of the bull and the killing of Kurtz are very similar. This adds to the meaning of the story because it emphasizes the The light grows dimmer, the trees spookier, and the mission itself, exponentially more sinister. By the time they reach the "asshole of the world," the Do Long bridge that is, night after night, blown up and rebuilt, it's no accident that the only soldiers Willard meets are black men, firing their weapons into the night. As is well documented, the numbers of minority soldiers on the so-called "front lines" during the war were disproportionately high. Willard can't help but recognize the hopelessness of these men. When he asks one soldier if he knows who's in charge, the anonymous young man responds only, "Yeah."