Heart of Darkness/Apocalypse Now ? And Repsonse
Discussion Question: Twenty-first century literacy includes understanding how a work gets updated and modified to fit a new set of criteria. The Heart of Darkness is written to address themes of imperialism, racism, as well as fundamental questions about men. How does changing the form from a novella to a movie impact these themes?
Response: Changing the form from a novella to a movie impacts the themes that The Heart of Darkness is written to address. Each piece of work displays a different era of time. The novella The Heart of Darkness is set in the jungle and rivers throughout Africa, while the setting in Apocalypse Now was the Vietnam War. The theme is heavily impacted by the time and setting in which each took place. The Heart of Darkness themes of imperialism and racism were heavily lightened in the movie by the change of setting and overall writing techniques of Copolla. The overall meaning of both the movie and the novella differ dramatically. The novella is based upon Kurtz’s transformation to a merciless greedy human-being, while the main focus in Apocalypse Now is the overall war, rather than focusing on the central themes of imperialism or racism found throughout the novella. The general theme fundamental questions about men, is present in both works through the relationships of the characters and how they interact with one another and the enemy they each face.
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