rachel’s blog

Apocalypse Now Discussion Question

Pick a scene from the book. Find its equivalent in Apocalypse Now. Discuss how each scene represents or is meant to represent a larger theme.

The scene from Heart of Darkness I chose is the scene in which the boat is going down the river, becomes snagged, and then all of a sudden is attacked. Marlow recalls, “Sticks, little sticks, were flying about – thick: they were whizzing before my nose, dropping below me, striking behind me against my pilot house.”  The arrows of the savages have little effect on Marlow’s men or his boat.  As Marlow realizes the sticks are actually arrows, he displays the lack of understanding present among the men. Even one of the soldiers on the boat makes a joke out of the circumstances by fashioning head gear to make it appear as if he was shot through the head with the arrow. The men on the boat start shooting into the bushes in response.  Marlow then pulls on a line that sounds the whistle; the natives become frightened and run off into the jungle. This scene appears in Apocalypse now, however, the boat was not snagged; it was just cruising down the river.  In this scene in both the novel and the movie, Marlow’s pilot is killed with a spear; he falls to the floor with one last exclamation (or question), “a spear.”
I think the main theme both Conrad and Coppola are trying to get across to their audience is the concept of civilization, or lack thereof.  Marlow cannot understand civilization as anything but a veil hiding the barbarian reality of the human condition.  The concept of civilization in Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now is superficial.  The level of civilization is proportional to the surroundings in which the men are in.  The physical and mental environments have an impact on the men whether they realize it or not.  For example, the men on the boat are not much more civilized than the natives who attack them; they use their Winchesters against the native’s bows and arrows.  This comparison between the cannibals and pilgrims is an example of the savagery of civilization.  Though the men think that they are coming to “civilize” the natives because light and civilization are positive forces, they have actually lost aspects of civilization themselves by coming into the heart of darkness.

Source 1: http://www.cyberpat.com/essays/coppola.html
Source 2: http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/africanjournals/pdfs/Critical%20Arts/cajv1n4/caj001004006.pdf